I’m giving up on the Daily Plate… my tool of choice for so long, but since it was taken over by Livestrong it’s gotten slower and slower… and I loved the look of the Plate and the moderators voices… and Livestrong is ugly and sucky. Does anyone know another free tracking site like it?
So for awhile I’ll try tracking here, at least elementary tracking.
B: raisin bran with a dash of nutty nuggets, diced fresh apple, 1% milk, 3 Ritz crackers
S: Fiber one bar (150c, 4.5gFat, 0.5g SatFat, 0mg chol), 6-8 grape tomatoes
L: 1 Lean Pocket spinach artichoke, bowl homemade tomato soup w shrimp, carrots, black beans. 6-8 ritz type crackers, 2-3 pcs butterscotch
S: Fat free whole foods bran muffin
D: grilled panini with turkey bacon and i slice cabot’s cheese, 5-6 grape tomatoes, 1 coffee cookie with chocolate frosting.
I’m still walking, 35 to 40 miles per week, but eating commeasurately. sadly. Still, my legs are strong.
Posted on October 15th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: weight loss | 1 Comment »
Really good -
1 lg can tomato sauce - Contadina is good - sauce, not paste or pasta sauce; 2 or 3 cucumbers, seeded & diced; 2 cans diced Rotel tomatoes with jalepenos, undrained; 1 seeded jalepeno or a 1/2 a small can of pickled jalapenos and carrots, chopped; 1 or 2 cans spicy V8 juice; 2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed; juice of 1 lemon; 2 TBSP olive oil; 1 or 2 cloves garlic; salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste. Let sit overnight then taste. May add chopped fresh cilantro or basil if desired, and thinned with 1 C or more of water if very thick and tasty. Sometimes I add olive tapenade or leftover bruschetta. Serve cold with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, chopped chives, croutons, crumbled fresh cheese or feta.
This soup is a mainstay for me, I love it, have a cup in place of snacks. If you add several dried chunks of bread or croutons to a bowl and add gazpacho to cover and let it sit, it makes a very hearty meal; esp with an artisan bread that has black olives in it. Toasted bread cut into chunks can be substituted.
I make this a bit differently each time, but for a cold soup that can be made when vegetables are out of season, it’s really good.
This has been a bad week, issues and more issues at work, too much. Stopped at the market on the way home, got romaine, proscuitto, marinated black olives and feta. sliced almonds. After our beach walk, I made a simple yummy salad, Romaine with a chopped tomato, a few olives and cubes of crumbled feta, 2 slices of the proscuitto, sprinkle of almonds, some chopped herbs, olive oil and sherry vinegar. It was just what I needed. A walk with the puppy finished the day.
Posted on September 25th, 2009 by jaxie
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Saw a picture last wk in a food magazine of a quiche with sliced almonds on top, chunks of lobster and broccoli peeking out of the filling - it looked delicious, so I made two using my usual quiche recipe, gave them to friends–to share — they were scrumptious. Also made a huge amount of gazpacho, gave away half. Very yummy. Had for lunch with cottage cheese and some leftover shrimp gumbo yesterday and with quiche today.
Last night I made 2 more quiches - am eating a piece at lunch ea day instead of Lean Cuisine meals. The toasted almonds on top make it really really yummy.
Tonight I’m broiling some steelhead trout, flaking it up with egg white, sauteed yellow peppers, hot sauce, some goat cheese and a few Tbsp of panko crumbs and stuffing zucchini squash with it - I got a zucchini that lookd like a pale green pumpkin from a friend that’ll be perfect.
Just came back from my brisk noontime walk - hills and uneven brick sidewalks, 2.6 mi so far today–there’s still my late afternoon walk with Jackson, and hi s last walk before bed–another 1.5 - 2 mi.
Posted on September 22nd, 2009 by jaxie
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The walking is great. I’m loving going out in the midday for a nice brisk walkie, even if it’s been in the nineties and humid as can be, it’s cooler now.
However - though I can easily walk 3-4 miles or more a day, I’ve been eating in proportion. My problem, rob Peter to pay Paul…
Having too many things on my to-do list means I steal energy from one thing and the other suffers - so I’ve been walking a lot and also accomplishing big things (that take days and days to finish) around the house and grounds. But eating hugely. Damn. I think I should be able to expand so I can do more than one thing at once, but I fall back into the same old same old excuses. So I have hard, toned legs and butt but still a thick middle.
Jackson and I went to Camp Unleashed in the Berkshires last week, and it was amazing fun. Really wonderful. Anyone with a dog who loves to be with other dogs and run offleash all day long should look into it, for the dog’s sake. Jackson’s happiness quotient spiked bigtime!
Posted on September 15th, 2009 by jaxie
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Ok - the nine days of tracking my walking were awesome, 39.2 aerobic miles, not counting the steps in between the ”real” walks. This week is shaping up even better. Now that I’ve added some speed and a vigourous walk at noon every day for 30 minutes or more, I’m standing straighter, my midsection feels stronger. My hip no longer hurts. Going up the steep hill to the Prom I’m breathing hard but not hurting, even in the heat we’ve been having - I know I feel better and I can tell the way my pants and shirts fit.
I track all of my steps most days, and keep special track of the “aerobic” steps, time and miles, but since I naturally walk a lot in and between offices and around the building the total is always over 10,000. Yesterday, because I went to Lowes and Target after work, I logged over 17,500 steps… 11,000 of them were aerobic… and about 4000 of them uphill and another 200 on beach sand. I walked up the bluff trail to the Western Promenade from Valley Street 3 times this week so far, and once last week.
Another subject - my old car just wasn’t safe anymore and didn’t qualify for the Cash.gov program but it had to go. So I shopped around - the Toyota people were laughable, high prices and no inventory and little interest in selling me a car. I kept coming back to the Kia dealer and 2010 CUV Soul. In the end the Kia Soul was a shoo-in - it’s a 5 sd std (which I wanted), has air cond., power locks and windows, terrific sound system, USB and MP3 payer slots, est 32 mpg highway - and for a little more I extended the bumper to bumper warranty to 10 yr / 100,000 mi. Plus scads more room and style. I put in about 55 miles per day from Kennebunk to Portland, so I’ll save some gas $$.
The target Soul audience is kids - it’s similar in looks to the Scion xB and the Nissan Cube - but more rad. I’m in the kid category if not demographic in that I kayak, bicycle and take my dog everywhere… on the way home from the dealer I got a grille to keep Jackson safely in the back.
Jackson - my Bassett-German Shepherd mix - loves it. With the back seats folded flat, he has a full size bed and tons space, can see out all the windows. No more whining and jumping from seat to seat! He’s in heaven and so am I. He can easily jump into and out of the back hatch. The side doors are so useful for groceries, anything I need to pick up.
There’s a depression in the floor behind the back seats, about 43″ wide by 25″ long and 8″ deep. I cut a storage cover from inch-think foam core board, put several boxes beneath it for use as compartments. I can store all sorts of stuff under the floor and It doesn’t show. Very cool.
Posted on August 14th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: weight loss | 1 Comment »
So here I go, walking with intensity instead of the mindless stroll I’ve gotten used to. I consider myself a good walker because of the amount of walking I do daily, without fail, with my dog. 5 AM, 5PM and 9PM we head out the door and walk for 45 - 75 minutes each time. I’ve been averaging 2-3 miles a day. But mostly at Jackson’s pace which involves a lot of stop and go - at least one of the walks and usually two. In the early AM he’s off the leash and I can maintain a pace on the beach. So usually one mile brisk walking and 2 or more slow to medium. But now I’m speeding it up, swinging my arms, walking faster as much as possible on all the walks. It’s going to make a difference, I can tell.
We got our pedometers and tracking booklets on Friday, and I can hear people this AM talking in the corridors about what they did this weekend. Competition. Well, whatever works. I did my walking plus a lot of physical work this weekend and was wiped each evening.
I cleaned up on other fronts - literally! My weekend was full of cleaning out. Friday I took off from work and P & I got ready for the yard sale and also cleaned out some of my cellar. Lot’s more to do down there, but it’s a start. Lots of heavy lifting. Sat. was the yard sale, again lots of heavy lifting. Sunday more cleaning. Sold my bureau, replaced it with cubes and mesh drawers until I go down to IKEA for the bureau I want. Made a lot of space for myself, bedroom now has just the bed cubes and computer. As soon as I get someone in to wire a few more jacks I can move the computer to the room over the stairs.
Had very bad news on Saturday and spent Saturday evening in a black funk. thought my car qualified for the Cars.gov rebate program and was all psyched to get a new car, test drove a Kia Soul Saturday afternoon - then found out I don’t qualify for the program - car gets avg 19 mpg and the limit is18. Damn Damn Damn. The problem is, the car - Ethel - is manifesting a lot of bad stuff… rain is coming in, the seatback retractor isn’t releasing the belt, there’s a noise that sounds to me like a CV joint on one side in the front. Because of the dampness it’s smell swampy. And top motor that puts the top down isn’t running. It was such a bargain 3 years ago, but I think I’ve gotten the good stuff out of it.
And yes, I compensated by eating a small DQ Blizzard. Calorie-wise, with the exercise I’d had I could afford it, but eating to feel better is never a good strategy and the quality of the food (none!) wasn’t good. Yesterday was better. And today I’m up and hopeful.
Posted on August 14th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: weight loss | 1 Comment »
Weighed my self, nothing like a little reality. Could have been worse, but a-weigh we go! The wonder is if I HAD been eating on track for the past three months I’d have LOST 10 lbs instead of gaining it. I’ve been very active, or I’d have gained more.
Tracking again everything I eat plus all walking, by type - walking with Jackson vs alone, and biking. Drinking my water, 30 minute walk this AM, 33g fiber so far. Have been eating 1/3 C Bran Buds with 1/3 C Grapenuts, berries and 1% milk for breakfast every day for a few weeks now. Love all that fiber!
HR has started a team walking program at work for the next 12 weeks and everyone in this ofice is super-hyped. Lots of rewards - Drawings for multiple Ipod Nanos, paid days off for the winning team, etc. This has made those competitive sorts almost rabid with spirit, it’s amazing!
Posted on July 24th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: Victories, weight loss | 1 Comment »
Bumping my way out of the black hole I’ve been in… have been riding the folder, hugely loving it, walking hours and hours with J-man, the best dog-in-the-world! Fitting into thinner pants.
Ice cream is my latest challenge. If I stick with the FF frozen yogurt I’m fine, it’s the impulse DQ cone on the way home that snares me… it’s 4 PM, I’m hungry.
Hurray for holiday weekends, bought an enormous watermelon for 4 bucks. Also chicken burgers, Boca burgers, fish, shrimp. Salads are appealing again, esp those with fruit, etc. Bought Paul Newman light Italian, mixed in some crumbled bleu cheese for flavor - that way I end up with far less cheese than if I crumbled it directly on the salad.
I’ve been pinching off the tops of the herbs in my garden as usual (basil, rosemary, sage, thyme), and I had a brainstorm to use the herb shreds to infuse olive oil. Heat 1/2 c or so of olive oil a little with the chopped fresh herb in it, just enough to extract the oils in the herb. Not so hot it changes color. Combination are awesome, can also add chiles, lemon or orange zest. Plunk in a stem of the herb to the clean jar, use a funnel to pour into the jar… use in a month or two for salads, dips, egg white omlets, fresh pizza or foccacia dough topping.
Go to the link below - a stellar and funny obit!! We should all be so cherished and leave such funny descendants!
http://tinyurl.com/mb3gm4
Posted on July 7th, 2009 by jaxie
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Hand over hand I’m dragging myself back from the brink… that what it feels like sometimes!
A few weeks ago I bought hot dogs for two weeks in a row, grilled one or two ea night, heaping on saurkraut and mustard, having sliced tomatoes and green beans or asparagus on the side, or a small salad. I was fooling myself that I didn’t have the time to cook a chicken, or grill fish, or whatever else I would have done if I were in my groove, (which I’m not). I get home at about 5 or 5:30, walk the dog, roll into the kitchen at 6:30 or 7… and grill a hot dog. Eat it standing. The dash off to a class, or do chores before the last fur-kid walk before bed.
So this week I bought Boca burgers instead. And ground chicken. And tilapia. Made and cooked some chicken burgers, ready to heat up. Progress.
Now if I could just remember to buy milk on my way home…
Posted on July 7th, 2009 by jaxie
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Reading Martha Beck’s SO FAR method of weight loss strategies and they resonate. S = stop, just stop. For when you’re making a bad choice, have just made one. STOP.
O = Open, meaning breathe. Stretch, look away, soften the eyes. Yawn. Let the shoulders drop. (For me this means I find my Tai Chi root, sink into it, shift my weight slowly from foot to foot), look to the right, the left, up, down, rise up on my toes. Put my arms up over my head. Coworkers ask if I’m pretending to be on a roller coaster because my hands stick up over my office walls!
F = Forgive. Really, this is self-forgiveness, remembering what you do right. A positive re-focus.
A = Accept, as in OK, this is where you are, no kidding.
R = Renew. Start doing what is good. You’re now relaxed, not in the fight or flight, charged, self loathing mode you were in just before you stopped. You’re relaxed, at a point of strength. Take up your program, whatever it is, again. With more energy, positive thoughts.
OK, this does resonate, because I’ve felt since January 2009 that this staying in one place, losing focus and good habits, just isn’t me, this struggle to keep up what I’d been doing all through 2008, losing 20% or more of my weight.
It seems like I’ve been too stressed to concentrate. Or to relax and get on with it. I’d been so successful January through December 2008! I had hangars in my closet for April, for June, for August, clothes I was sure I’d be able to wear by then. Instead I’m still in December. And I’m eating Munchkins, PopTarts, Ice Cream, Honey Roasted Peanuts. I’m still eating yogurt, fruit, fish, vegetables too. And drinking water and walking daily.
I know myself, and when I face a dinner plate as if it’s the best thing I’ve seen all day and I fill a cereal bowl overfull day after day, I just know something is wrong. I’m loathing my behavior, ducking facing myself in the mirror, sinking into books and disassociating from everything and everyone.
I can do this, I know I can.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by jaxie
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