4 days

It has been four days of me stretching my willpower and keeping my eating on track. It is really unbelievable how hard it is. Someone at work brought in Hershey’s Kisses and a box of chocolate glazed doghnuts. I have managed to steer clear of them, though not having sugar this week I feel like I am going through withdrawal. Instead I am giving myself other foodie treats such as tofu and veggies from the Chinese Restaurant. I have also cooked a couple of yummy meals this week.
One thing I cannot give up is my alcohol. Not that I drink a lot by any means, but hanging out with friends I really enjoy a few glasses of wine. I am trying to cut beer out for now in favor of red wine. I am not actually sure what the caloric difference is. Must look that up later.
Even though my eating is on track tonight is the first night this week I am able to make it to the gym. I know excuses, excuses, but I got em. I plan on going tonight, Friday and either Saturday or Sunday at least then I will have gone 3x this week. Gotta really try and get those 5 hours a week in.

Strong and Beautiful

I have started listening to podcasts again to re-motivate myself. I have been getting to the gym at least three hours per week. Though this is still two hours shy of my goal for 2010. After listening to all the Jillian Michaels podcasts I needed someone else. I have found FitGirl! I really enjoy her podcasts because she offers relevant tips and info. without any personal commentary or bias. The podcast I was listening to on my way into work today was about creating a mantra. A mantra is a phrase you tell yourself when you need that little boost of extra confidence or support. This is usually a phrase or command you give to yourself. Eventually if it works for you, not only will it make your stronger but you will start to believe it about yourself. An example she gave was a volleyball player she trained who used the mantra: ” I am Strong and Powerful.” She explained that this woman used this to help her become a better athlete.

Instantly when thinking about my own motivation for wanting to lose weight the words “strong” and “beautiful” popped into my head. These are the two things I strive to be everyday. Strong and beautiful in my actions and my appearance. I am going to try this mantra out for those times of weakness when it comes to sticking to my food intake. For those times I need to push a little harder at the gym, and for those moments of self doubt.

Slip ups

I have been trying, but sadly not hard enough to keep to a strict diet. I have been very good about not eating dairy (with the exception of a little cream in my morning coffee.) Sugar seems to be the problem. Once I slip up and have some, I go momentarily crazy. Last week I ate three brownies at work within a half hour. I simply stuffed them in. I need to ask myself why I did it. My answer is: to punish myself. Punish myself for being weak and not having the willpower to always avoid tasty temptations.

I have always wondered why sugary treats make me lose myself. My house is not one of those that has sugar filled foods in the pantry or freezer for special occasions because I would just devour them till they were gone so I would not have to think about them again. This behavior stems from childhood. I grew up in a house where sweets were a very special occasion and were not integrated into everyday life. I have really never learned how to eat dessert. Dessert to me needs to be it’s own meal: dinner or dessert, not dinner then dessert.

Perhaps it is the very fact that I deprive myself of sugary treats that when I have them I overindulged.

At it again

So last February was my time of the year. I was working with a trainer and the weight was coming off. What happened? Well this past year I managed to lose 15 pounds, and have kept it off. For some reason I am good at maintaining a specific weight. I am now 203.5 and still have yet to reach my goal of being under 200 pds. (unless you count when I had the stomach flu 2 weeks ago and got down to 199!) I am returning to the basic food plan my trainer had me on last winter. I have let a lot of my muscle mass die to try and lose some more weight. I was just feeding my muscles and not really losing. Though I was pretty strong! Currently I go to yoga, zumba, and pilates every week. My goal is to get in at least 5 hours of working out every week, which between work, life and my volunteer work can be hard. I feel ready now though. I need to focus on myself for a few months and kick some ass!!!!

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving

If you are a vegetarian Thanksgiving can often be an unideal dining experience with a family of meat eaters (well, really any holiday.) If like me the tofurky is just not doing it for you check out some of these great recipes from 100 Cookbooks. I can hardly wait to try some of these recipes to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. Sorry mom, but if I have to eat another dinner of pasta and veggies at Thanksgiving I may cry.

Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cleaned and left a bit damp
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
kosher salt
white pepper in a mill

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender to a fork tip, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cook until warm enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Put the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Meanwhile, pour the cream into a 2-quart pot, add the vanilla bean and orange zest, if using, and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Use tongs to fish out and discard the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the processor and add the butter.

Puree the potato mixture until smooth. Season with salt and 4 grinds of pepper, or to taste. Keep covered and warm until ready to serve.

Serves four.

Vibrant Tasty Green Bean Recipe

The following recipe is best made just before serving time. But as I mentioned in the main post you can make/prep this ahead of time by cooking the leeks and dill first and setting them aside. Instead of cooking the green beans in the skillet, blanch them in a pot of boiling, well-salted water for about a minute. Drain the beans and dunk them in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and place the beans in a bag or bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use. When ready, combine the components – you can do it at room temperature, or heated quickly in a skillet or pan.

4 leeks, well washed, root end and tops trimmed, sliced lengthwise into quarters and then chopped into 1/2-inch segments (see photo in main post)

1/3 cup fresh dill, well chopped
3/4 pound green beans, tops and tails trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
extra-virgin olive oil
fine-grain sea salt

In a large thick-bottomed skillet of medium-high heat add a generous splash of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and the leeks. Stir until the leeks are coated and glossy. Cook, stirring regularly until a lot of the leeks are golden and crispy. I stir every minute or two in the beginning, and more often as they brown using a metal spatula. All in all it takes me roughly 7 – 10 minutes to brown the leeks. At this point stir in the dill, and then stir in the green beans. Cook for a couple more minutes – just until the the beans brighten up and lose that raw bite. Turn out into a bowl or onto a platter and serve immediately. If you want to prepare these green beans ahead of time – read the head notes.

Serves about 6.

Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad Recipe

Choose a winter flavored ravioli, I used a fresh (but store-bought) sweet onion & red chard ravioli, but I suspect a butternut squash ravioli would be delicious as well. I sometimes precook the raviolis and keep them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet until I am ready to use them – this helps prevent the raviolis from melding into one another after cooking. I used a butternut squash version of the potato “croutons” shown here. Substitute butternut squash for the potatoes, you can make them a day ahead, but they loose some of their structure overnight. The flavor is still great, but you’ll loose a couple points for eye-appeal. I sometimes do a big batch of the onions and keep them in a jar in the refrigerator to use in recipes like this one.

3/4 lb. raviolis (see headnotes)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
fine grain sea salt
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup butternut squash “croutons”
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup chives, minced

Into an extra-large pot of well-salted boiling water add the raviolis. After a few minutes, when the raviolis float and are cooked through, drain them and toss with one tablespoon of the olive oil. This prevents them from sticking together. Set aside.

To caramelize the onions, heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions collapse and turn deep brown in color. You can do this ahead of time (or just before serving) – whatever you prefer. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Just before serving heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, again in a big skillet over high heat. Add the raviolis. Stir in the onions, and then the chard. Wait until the chard begins to wilt, then stir in most of the cheese and most of the hazelnuts. Gently fold in the butternut squash and lemon zest. Remove from heat.

Serve on a big platter garnished with chives and remaining hazelnuts and Parmesan.

Serves 6.

Back

I am back, and I am 203.5 pounds. Restarting using the Lost It! app on my iphone, which can actually be a little fun to play with. Mixing up my gym routine a little bit with some different classes. Though I am still a little too scared to Zumba!

Worked

So the 3 day fruit detox diet worked, though I am still about 2 pounds from my first goal! I dropped about 3 pounds on the diet. I also realized that fruit does not give me energy, in fact I was tired the whole 3 days. I am experimenting with figuring out what kind of oxidizer I am and what foods will give me the most energy. Maybe this could help me figure out why I get so sleepy randomly and why my body holds onto fat!

Fruit Day 1

So, yesterday was my first day on the 3 day fruit detox diet and I almost did not make it. I had a migraine all day from dental pain and by the end of the day wanted carbs so very bad. I did feel very weak and tired by the evening so I compromised and ate 1 cup of brown rice with some green beans and a few pieces of tofu. That gave me energy into the morning. The hardest part is no coffee, I feel like I am on a cloud. I find myself super sleepy. I am eating only fruits and natural fruit juices without added sugars, plus water. I am not working out though which may end up biting me in the butt. my scale said 202 this morning which is so not right. I think I am just expunging water and other toxins so my weight went down. I am sure it will creep up when I go back to my calorie restriction diet. For now I am hoping this gets me to lose a few pounds and makes me feel more energetic.

Fruit

Tomorrow I am starting a 3 day fruit detox diet. I am so excited as I have not done something like this in years. I am also hoping in addition to feeling better that I will lose the 3.5 pounds I need to get under 200 pounds. I am going to have to scale back my workouts, but am going to use the steam room to aide in the detoxing. Counting calories has recently been sort of fun. I am being much more thoughtful. Listening to Jillian Michaels radio show podcasts are really helping keep me focused. I am also reading blogs to help me stay motivated. The more I think about how I am going to lose weight the more focused I become.

Delish

I have found the most delicious low calorie treat on earth. Eddy’s Coconut creme fruit bar!

These little slices of heaven are 120 calories each and taste like a summer day at the beach.  You can even taste the shreds of coconut.  By the way, I am so not getting paid to blog about these things, though I should be!  I found them last night at the grocery store when I was having a chocolate craving and wanted so badly to get a pint of vegan chocolate ice cream.  It took a lot to walk away from the pints, but when I saw these babies I just grabbed them and ran to check out.

The only issue is that I have been having some dental pain of late and these bad boys really aggivate that issue.