Today: 1,710

I was out for two hours in the evening, so that really helped. If I'd been home, I no doubt would have eaten more.

Healthy stuff included:

• whole grain toast
• yogurt & blueberries
• banana
• apple sauce
• cheese

Hmmm. Not sure if I'm logging on tomorrow, with this April 1st virus business going on... it may be just a hoax, but I'm the kind to err on the side of caution. Soooo... hopefully on Thursday I'll have two good counts to report, one for Wednesday and one for Thursday.

I'm trying to decide if (so far, this time, at least) this blog and my public record of my calories has made a difference. Not sure. I haven't really had a day yet where I've thought about eating a lot and then not done it because I wouldn't want to admit to it. Not yet, anyway ;)

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Today: 1,855

It would have been 1,655, 'cept for the 200 cals worth of Bailey's in my hot cocoa ;) What the heck. It's still within my target.

I ended up calling the ribs 600 cals - I'm not sure how close that is. I had four (each about 3 inches long). They were cooked on a rack so that the fat could drip, and they were seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper (so they were dry ribs). I had nothing else on my plate. My six year old asked me why I wasn't having rice, and that was a bit tricky to explain! She and her brother are both pretty lean. I told her that I didn't need the energy from the rice since I'm already grown, but that she and her brother need it to help them grow. I hope that was good enough.

Healthy stuff today:

• whole grain toast with peanut butter
• banana
• apple
• carrot

Not quite as much as usual, but not every day is perfect. So far now I've had three days within my target range, which I'll take!! My challenge comes when I have an off day - I have a hard time getting back in the swing of things the next day. It's almost as if overeating makes you hungrier.

I'm off to walk the dog... have a great night everyone :)

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Calories In Baby Back Pork Ribs

Yowza. They're, um, not diet food, that's for sure. I'm making them for my husband and kids tonight and am trying to figure out how many I can eat!

I've surfed and found everything from 234 for 2, to 477 each. (I like the first one best ;) This is the one I'm going with:

http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/generic/pork-baby-back-ribs

I'm cooking DH's in barbecue sauce, but mine I'll do on a rack so the fat can drip off, and I won't add any sauce, just season with spices. I'm going to make myself four :)

Hmmm. Speaking of, I should get that started....


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Yesterday: 1,765

We had Chinese take out, and when I googled caloric values for pot stickers, it said 200 for six steamed pieces. Hmm. These were not steamed, although there were only five. I didn't put any sauce on them, but I did eat one garlic boneless pork bite and one battered shrimp. I called the whole thing 500.

The benefit of calorie counting (for me, anyway), is that even if you don't get the count right, it still puts the breaks on your eating. I had no sweet & sour pork, and no chow mien. If I hadn't been counting calories, I would have heaped it all on my plate and dove in! lol. My daily goal of 1,500-2,000 may seem high to anyone on an accelerated plan at, say, 1,200... but oh my gosh you have no idea how much I normally eat!

Healthy stuff from yesterday includes:

• banana
• yogurt & blueberries
• broccoli
• carrot
• egg
• apple sauce

I even limited myself to one piece of pizza (265) at lunch. I did this by covering the plate with foil so that I couldn't see it.

Whatever works ;)

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Yesterday: 1,510

The first day of calorie counting is always easy because at that point I'm pretty motivated. Yesterday I finished the day at 1,510 which definitely meets my daily goal of between 1,500-2,000.

In all honesty it may have been a bit higher, because I'm not sure of the size of the steak I ate last night. It was a New York, and it was kind of medium sized. I called it 550, and ate nothing else with it. This wasn't a huge sacrifice, since I'm a big steak fan and wasn't really interested in the side dish (pasta), so it was easy to skip. Mmmm... steak!!! Yum :)

Healthy stuff from yesterday include:

• banana
• egg
• carrots
• yogurt
• blueberries

Does the cream in my coffee count as dairy? lol. I have 4 tbsp per cup, for 80 calories (no sugar). For those of you who can't imagine coffee without sugar, I can relate. I used to be like that as well, until I started paying careful attention to improving the quality of the brew itself. It makes a big difference! I still can't drink restaurant coffee without sugar. Blech.

Speaking of, I'm only at 360 calories so far today, so I might just go have another cup!

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7 Tips For Making Calorie Counting Easier

Aw, it's not that bad! And it works, providing you can stick to it long enough. Here are some tricks I've learned along the way:

1) When you record your calories, use four columns:

1. time eaten (this is handy if you want to compare your progress to previous days)
2. food item (this makes you more aware of the type of calories you've eaten, and more inclined to make healthy choices, especially if other people will see your log ;)
3. serving calories (this is useful for reviewing what you can cut back on if you're having trouble making your target)
4. running daily total calories (shows you where you are in relation to your daily goal)

2) Set flexible goals. You are more likely to want to continue the next day if your target is somewhat forgiving. For example, "between 1,300 and 1,700" is better than a target of "1,500" because if you eat 1,600 you'll feel as though you've failed with a target of 1,500 (whereas that would have been success with a target of 1,300-1,700). If you feel as though you've failed, getting motivated to try again the next day is much harder.

3) Designate a handy spot to keep the tools you need:

• log book & pen
• measuring spoon
• measuring cup
• calculator (for accurate portion values, if you're eating an amount that isn't the same as indicated on a label)
• calorie reference book, or shortcut on your desktop to a site that gives food caloric values

If you can't find the measuring spoon, for example, you're more likely to free-pour the cream for your coffee. Free pour = over pour = miscount.

4) Eat protein - it's very filling, and satisfies your hunger longer. I was/am a carboholic, and my most successful calorie counting stints have been when I've incorporated some lean protein into my day (tuna, chicken).

5) Make unprocessed and raw veggies "free". This is an easy way to incorporate some valuable nutrients into your day, and veggies are relatively low in calories. Write them down in your log, with a zero next to them. That way you have the positive reinforcement of a written record of having eaten them.

If you're concerned that the small amount of calories will add up, consider this: hunger is often not about calories, it's more about your body seeking nutrients. If you eat lots of raw veggies you'll get more of those nutrients, and may not be as hungry for extra calories. Note: they must be unprocessed and raw. Canned veggies, for instance, don't count.

6) Drink water blah blah blah but water's borrring... Try this: use a fancy glass (wine glass, etc.), add ice cubes and slices of citrus (or something). Getting water in me is a struggle, until I take a tall, unmarked beer sleeve, add two slices each of lemon and lime, and about four ice cubes. Then it follows me everywhere and I refill it several times.

7) Have sugar free gum handy. Sometimes you just wanna chew something!

To be continued...


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3 Weight Loss Goals For Today

I need to remain focused!!

Sometimes I think having a relatively small amount to lose is harder (not that I'm complaining, by any means!). I take my hat off to those who have more to lose, who in a matter of mere weeks, lose the pounds that I just can't seem to shed. It's inspiring.

Anyway (speaking of focus ;) here are my three goals for today:

1) Resume calorie counting (I actually like doing this - my problem is that I'll have two or three bad days in a row and then just give up).

2) Write down what I eat (this goes hand in hand with the counting, but if you record the details, it helps you stick to healthier calories).

3) Spend a bit of time on the stationary bike (it's in the living room, in front of the TV! No excuses!)

There ya go! I have only about three months or so before bathing suit weather. Think I can actually do it this time?

Yes!!



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Grocery List

Tsk tsk. DH has a big heart, and bought a box of Froot Loops for the kids. No biggie. It's sitting on the top pantry shelf, next to their treat bags. It's all good.

I asked him (begged him!) not to buy me vanilla ice cream. I can walk away from the tub of chocolate (not sure why), but the vanilla is my Achilles heel. Seriously, if there was a bowl of chocolate ice cream sitting next to a bowl of vanilla yogurt, I'd pick the yogurt. Yet I adore chocolates. Weird, huh?

So no ice cream for me. Phew. He did get me more yogurt, though, and a HUGE bag of frozen blueberries. Plus some canned tuna, bananas, and plums :)

I guess I'll keep him!

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0 Cal Sweetener? New SoBe World Product Promotion

I posted this on my Cha-Ching blog as well ('cause it's in reference to a free product ;), but thought it was relevant here as well.

Today SoBe World is giving away free bottles of their 0 Cal Lifewater (U.S. only). Here's the link to find out more:

http://www.sobeworld.com/

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Not Me Monday

I'm a new Meme addict. I found this one:

"Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week."

...and thought, oh yeah, that's one I can participate in ;)

(ah-hem)

It was NOT ME who ate so many of DH's Valentines chocolates that I snuck out to the store today to buy more (same brand, different box) to replace the missing ones from his heart shaped box... (hee hee)

Oh yes, and it was also not me who sat typing this post with a sink full of dishes and nothing taken out of the freezer for dinner...



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Book Review - Thin For Life, Anne M. Fletcher

"Thin For Life" by Anne M. Fletcher

This is the book that helped me lose 18 pounds two years ago. (What happened, you ask? Well, let's just say I stopped reading the book and gained it all back). ARGGH.

Anyway, what I love about this book is that the author interviewed people who had not just lost the weight, but who kept it off for a number of years (so in other words, she wouldn't have interviewed me because I failed to keep it off). Bottom line, the advice you are reading comes from those who have truly been successful long term.

She then analyzes the habits that these people have in common, such as exercising and keeping food logs, to provide a clear picture of what strategies consistently work.

At the end of the book she outlines some diet strategies, including the "Jump Start Diet". This worked like MAGIC for me. The reason it did, I believe, is because the calories are counted by food groups, with protein being the highest group. Previously I've counted calories and failed to keep them down because of my excessive appetite, but I was eating mostly carbs which can increase hunger. The Jump Start diet includes carbs, but has slightly more protein, and it was enough to calm my food cravings.

I discovered for myself that to lose weight I could average about 1,500 calories per day, and to maintain my weight loss, I could consistently eat about 2,500-2,700 per day. (This is plenty, btw.) What happened to make me gain it all back? I started eating more. Just a little at first, and then gradually more. I stopped paying attention, and started eating for the wrong reasons (boredom, etc.). I was averaging, I'd guess, between 3-4,500 calories per day (keep in mind that I'm quite active, which is why I'm not obese).

In other words, I stopped employing the strategies outlined in the book for keeping weight off, which include keeping track of what you eat, being aware of why you eat, and weighing yourself regularly.

What does this mean? All my hard work was "for nothing", because if I discipline myself to stay at 2,700 calories per day now, I'll simply maintain the too-heavy weight that I am (which, btw, is 140 lbs, and I'm 5'5"). Now, in order to get back to the 122 lbs that I was, I'd have to once again cut back to about 1,500 calories per day).

Anyway, I highly recommend this book for those of you who haven't read it and are looking for new inspiration, and something else to try.






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