Living Maintenance - No Excuses! Food and Exercise Accountability 11/2-11/15

It's the holiday season so we need all the accountability we can get!

Monday:
B - shredded wheat, skim milk
L - leftover volumentrics paella
S - apple
D - for work, @Dave & Buster's, buffet of unhealthy items. :mad: 1 mini cheeseburger, 3 chips w/salsa, 2 beef skewers, 2 mini quesadillas, 1 mini quiche.
S - slice of focaccia bread
E - 2 mile HIIT run, done!

This weekend wasn't terrible...

Friday ended up eating out for dinner, had a low day up to that point so had a broccoli, tomato, grilled chicken & spinach stromboli & a cannoli.

Saturday - good all day, grilled tilapia salad for dinner, ice cream for dessert.

Sunday - pretty good calorie wise, though had a few pieces of candy in there. Ran 8.25 miles at the park.

Today:
E: yoga done this morning, planning some strength training this afternoon. May have to be a UB focus day as my calves are killing me...

B: smoothie, honey wheat english muffin
S: smartfood popcorn cluster snack bag
L: grilled chicken salad
S: strawberries & blueberries, string cheese, yogurt w/ berries & maybe some kashi go lean crunch
D: ground white turkey tacos
S: depends on how disciplined I am with the tacos, either tea or tea & graham bunnies

Doesn't Livestrong.com understand I need to finish planning my day? This is no time to be down for system maintenance!

Planning for today after a not-great, not-catastrophic weekend (6 pieces of Halloween candy! But healthy food otherwise.)

B - WW Tortilla w/ 1 egg, 1 oz leftover tri tip
S - Apple
L - Split pea soup with ham - Sarah made this yesterday - SO GOOD
S - Protein Shake - EAS Shake, frozen strawberries
S - Popcorn
D - 4 oz london broil, roasted fingerling potatoes, brussels sprouts
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 75 min incline trainer.

Yes, I need to be OP and accountable - I will not gain this holiday season, and my plan is actually to lose.....

B - Cheerios with walnuts, 1/2 banana, skim milk; 1/2 ww bagel w/pb, :coffee:
S - ff latte
L - homemade veggie soup, leftover turkey tenderloin on ww sandwich round, slice of 2% cheese
Ss - 1/2 banana, hardboiled egg, 5 dried plums (aka prunes :lol: )

Ex: UB and some HIIT I missed a couple of cardio sessions and this UB workout last week, so I decided to do my workouts in reverse order (UB today, LB on Wed, full body on Sat) and to get a jump on cardio since I know I have a meeting tomorrow night.

First day POP in a looooong time.

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 big spoons of apple butter

L - bowl of black bean soup topped with chopped tomatoes, 2 packs of saltines

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - Trader Joe's beef brisket, whole wheat bun, package of steamed sugar snap peas

I realized that I never posted dinner plans yesterday, which is just as well as I didn't eat what I'd plan, and I certainly was not OP. Sigh.

B - oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, skim milk; 1/2 ww bagel
S - yogurt with pineapple
L - homemade veggies soup, tuna
S - hardboiled egg
D - ? it's a city council night so they'll provide dinner, likely cold cuts

Ex: assuming the council meeting is short (which it should be) I'll be doing some cardio. Last night's WL was good, but the cardio was more of place holder than HIIT. :lol:

Yesterday ended up under as I fell asleep and missed my snack...

Today:
B: kashi go lean w/ craisins, banana & skim, protein chocolate milk, coffee
L: grilled chicken salad
S: strawberries & blueberries, string cheese, yogurt w/ berries
D: most likely ground chicken w/ peppers or turkey sausage w/ peppers over rice
S: yogurt w/ berries & granola, or w/ lite chocolate syrup & graham bunnies
E: whatever cardio I can find that doesn't kill my legs. Maybe some yoga.

Fell headfirst into another 5 pieces of Halloween candy again - asked Sarah to take them to work and she forgot. Ugh. And yet scale, today, was down (probably because I'm painkiller free at the moment...fingers crossed!)

B - WW Tortilla, 1 egg, 1 oz tri tip
S - Apple
L - Leftovers: London Broil, fingerling potatoes, brussels sprouts
S - Popcorn
S - Protein Shake
D - Chicken Tortilla Soup w/ homemade stock, tons of veggies, brown rice
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 60 min cardio
60 min strength

Tuesday

B - half a package of sliced strawberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt

L - huge salad - romaine, red cabbage, red onion, 1/4 cup corn, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce,a little fat free ranch, a very small portion of tortilla strips for crunch

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - 2 oz of whole wheat pasta (measured dry), home made pasta sauce with sun dried tomato and mushrooms

Okay, lunch went off the rails.

I skipped my morning string cheese snack, ate a little fruit right before lunch because I was waiting on my coworker to get to a good stopping place to go downstairs. Longer than normal wait downstairs, by the time I got to the counter my planned grilled chicken salad became a burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato & 1/2 slice of cheese & 5 onion rings. And a fried apple pie, which is taking the place of my planned afternoon snack. I'll still come in line for calories with my planned lunch and with tweaking some snacks, but my protein is going to be down and my fat is going to be up.... Again... I am my own worst enemy... :eek:

Tuesday:
B - oat bran, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover paella
S - apple
D - baked chicken oregatana, pasta
S - bat bite, tiny sweet potato w/whipped butter & brown sugar
E - none :(

Wednesday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover chicken and pasta
S - apple
D - tex-mex ground turkey/veg and rice
E - HIIT run

I kept the rest of the day in line yesterday and even exercised when I got home. I think I came in somewhere around 1900 for the day, haven't done the math with my evening snack yet, am adding it quickly in my head.

Today:
E: maybe an off day, might get some work in if I get home in time. Will try for some yoga after the boys go to bed.
B: kashi go lean w/ skim, craisins & banana, hot cinnamon green tea
S: yogurt w/ berries
L: 1/2 grilled chicken salad or wrap w/ soup if I go out, or my normal grilled chicken salad from here
S: string cheese, apple
D: most likely a sandwich, maybe some leftover broccoli, spinach, tomato & grilled chicken stromboli if I'm feeling okay calorie-wise
S: depends on dinner choice

Ha, Wednesday is exactly like Tuesday, thanks to a big pot of pasta sauce and pre-made salads.

B - half a package of sliced strawberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt

L - huge salad - romaine, red cabbage, red onion, 1/4 cup corn, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce,a little fat free ranch, a very small portion of tortilla strips for crunch

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - 2 oz of whole wheat pasta (measured dry), home made pasta sauce with sun dried tomato and mushrooms, lean turkey

I am drinking hot cinnamon green tea this morning with no added sweetener. I'm so proud of myself. :)

Mmm, cinnamon green tea sounds tasty!

Yesterday - POP! Onto today.

B - Double fiber english muffin, 1 tbsp PB, half a sliced banana
S - Apple
L - Leftover Chicken Tortilla soup (which actually has no tortilla in it because I ran out...just chicken, jalapenos, lots of veggies, and some brown rice).
S - Protein shake
S - Popcorn
D - Butternut squash soup, grilled chicken skewer
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 80 min incline trainer.

Amanda - it really is good. I got it from Harney & Son's teas and am drinking it right now with no added sweetener. Very exciting. :)

Yesterday's council provided dinner turned out to be make your own sandwiches so pretty calorically reasonable.

B - cheerios with walnuts, skim milk; 1/2 apple; 1/2 ww bagel
S - pumpkin muffin (homemade by someone's DH)
L - turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato
S - Greek yogurt (finally found a 6 oz package) with peaches
D - ? We're both home for a change, so I'm thinking maybe a new recipe, we'll see....

Ex: LBWO

It was a hat trick - 3 days POP. The first in a loooong time.

Thursday

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbs apple butter

L - huge salad - romaine, red cabbage, red onion, 1/4 cup corn, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce,a little fat free ranch, a very small portion of tortilla strips for crunch

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - stir fry - pork loin, sugar snap peas, carrots, a little red cabbage, over brown rice

Thursday:
B - raisin bran, skim milk
L - leftover rice and tex-mex chicken veg stuff
S - pear, brownie :o
D - pasta, cooking light chicken with garlic cheese sauce, broccoli
S - raisin bran, skim milk
E - NRLW S5W2B

I'm at my red-line. Weighed in at 147 this morning and feel out of control. "Hi my name is Lori and I am a sugar junkie". I haven't had 2 POP days in a row for awhile. My goal is just 5 days, 10 would be better. 5 days POP to get over the sugar, but I never can make it to the 3rd day. Gurrr.

Day 1

B- 2 eggs, 1 slice cheese over stir-fried peppers/mushrooms and 2 pieces low calorie toast. 300 calories.
s- yogurt 100 calories
L- sandwich, veg beef soup - 400 calories
s- fruit, (sm banana or lg apple) 100 calories
D- 4 oz roast pork, sm baked potato, green beans, roasted butternut squash. 500 calories
s- fruit, (what ever I didn't eat in the afternoon) 100 calories

E- go outside and spade the garden, and rake leaves...several hours.

Lori - hang in there. :hug:

Yesterday wound up 35 calories over target. Of course, I spent 700 calories or so on leftover stromboli for dinner, but at least it had veggies! (Broccoli, tomato, spinach, grilled chicken, very little cheese). Got in a short UB workout after the boys went to bed.

Today:
B: nonfat mint chocolate latte, kashi go lean w/ skim, craisins & blueberries
S: hot cinnamon tea,
L: grilled chicken salad
S: string cheese, trail mix
D: I'm thinking hamburger helper w/ ground turkey breast or pasta
S: yogurt

Lori - you can do this. Stick here and stay accountable, POP or not, and you'll add up those days before you know it.

Yesterday was POP, until I woke up literally starving (stomach growling and all) at 1am. Had some crackers and a laughing cow.

Planning for today:
B - double fiber english muffin, pb, half a banana
S - Apple
L - Leftover butternut squash soup, chicken skewer
S - Protein shake
S - Popcorn
D - Pork and broccoli stirfry, brown jasmine rice
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 75-80 on the incline trainer

Lori, you can do it!

Thanks for the support Shannon, Amanda and Jessica! Your good vibes really helped. One day down POP! :carrot:

Day 2

B- 2 eggs, cheese, veggies, on toast (300 calories) I LOVE this breakfast and eat it a lot...I chopped up tons of veggies the other day and will eat this everyday until the veggies are used up.
S- yogurt 100 calories
L- 2 oz left over pork roast on diet bun with onion and tomato. Salad w/low calorie dressing, left over roasted butternut squash. 400 calories
s- will skip for dinner
D- eat out for hubbys b-day at local steak house. 6 oz sirloin, baked potato w 1 T sour cream, salad with low calorie dressing. approx. 600-700 calories
s- fruit - might skip depending on how big baked potato ends up being at restaurant...(sometimes they are huge (like 3 servings), sometimes they are tiny (like 3/4 serving) ;))
E- Back outside to finish my projects...Yeah for beautiful sunny days!

Sigh. Yesterday was NOT on plan. I didn't eat that much off-plan food, I just ate too much food in general. I don't know why I was so hungry.

Friday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - @work, Panera - fuji apple salad w/chicken, piece of baguette
S - pear
D - will be leftovers, probably lentil soup
E - planning a HIIT run tonight

4 days on plan! Tomorrow will be my first real challenge, we are going to a house warming party. I'm just going to have make a rule I can drink diet soda and eat NOTHING. I know me and social situations, if I eat anything, I just give up.

Friday - just like Thursday (ended up changing dinner, I had leftover pasta/sauce instead of leftover stir fry which will now be lunch for Sat)

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbs apple butter

L - huge salad - romaine, red cabbage, red onion, 1/4 cup corn, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce,a little fat free ranch, a very small portion of tortilla strips for crunch

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - home made pasta sauce - lean turkey, sun dried tomato, mushroom, 2 oz whole wheat pasta

Lori - :high: on the POP day!

My last night was not as POP - there was stress related apple pie & vanilla gelatto after dinner. I had not eaten much during the day, so my calories were close to okay (only about 150 over TDP target, which is really only 50 over my personal target), but they weren't good calories. Oh well. Moving on. I did run on the treadmill yesterday afternoon, so that helped me feel better about myself a little. And, I got in a good LB workout with my new home gym this morning. Feeling strong today.

Today:
E: LB workout - barbell & dumbells
B: kashi go lean w/ skim, banana, blueberries & strawberries, protein chocolate milk post workout, :coffee;
S: blueberries & strawberries, maybe string cheese
L: grilled chicken salad
S: yogurt w/ blueberries, blackberries & vanilla go fit granola
D: sandwich with DSS - probably pb&j or chicken & broccoli if it isn't bad
S: depends on dinner and mood, probably yogurt w/ berries and granola or graham bunnies, maybe cereal

We have no food in the house! Cobbling together a plan...

B - Double fiber english muffin, 3 egg whites,
S - Apple
L - Leftovers: Chicken and broccoli stirfry, brown and wild rice
S - Post-workout protein shake w/ almond milk, frozen strawberries
S - Popcorn
D - Pork tenderloin roasted w/ balsamic tomato sauce, polenta, chard from the garden.
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 60 min incline trainer, 60 min strength training

Yesterday was sooo not on plan. Just moving on here.

B - 1.5 scrambled egg; 1/2 ww bagel (we have no fruit!)
S - ff latte
L - ? out with GFs, probably grilled chicken salad
S - yogurt with peaches
D - leftover pasta wirh artichoke and tomato sauce; veggies

Ex: fell and twisted my knee yesterday, taking a rest day or two

Pat - I hope you feel better soon, take care of your knee!

Amanda - how is your shoulder feeling?

Working on five days perfectly on plan.

Had a huge victory today. Around 11:00, I was on a conference call, with my back to the office door. Someone walked in and put a piece of birthday cake on my desk and then walked out, I couldn't do my usual 'No no" argument, because I was on the phone. So, I threw it out! which is great, because one bite of icing and I'm a goner.

Yay.

:bravo: Glory!

Shoulder has been having good days and bad days, though for the first time in a while, more good than bad! I'm hesitant to say it out loud in case I jinx it!

It is Saturday and I have been starving all day! Had to get up EARLY for a work event.

S - small no sugar added mocha from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

B - went to the Original Pancake House (http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/) - which I looove. But I was good! I had a bowl of oatmeal with bananas and didn't finish it. Jason gave me a few pecans from his pecan waffle.


L - huge salad - romaine, red cabbage, red onion, 1/4 cup corn, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce,a little fat free ranch, a very small portion of tortilla strips for crunch

S - apple

S - string cheese

D - the plan is to have the leftover pork loin stir fry over brown rice.

Today will be DAY SIX. Even with the 170 calorie mocha, I consider this an onplan day!

Hey everyone - checking in after a mondo day of cleaning (but now my carpets are steamcleaned, which always makes me REALLY happy...is that weird?).

Yesterday we got froyo for dessert but I was pretty moderate.

Today:
B - Protein shake w/ frozen strawberries
L - Leftover pork tenderloin, polenta, chard
D - Mediterranean - going to get grilled chicken with a salad and some hummus...it comes with rice, I'll try not to eat it all (but it's sooo good).
S - Something late night, I imagine, though we'll be at my mom's and I don't know what she has

E - TONS o cleaning. I haven't sat down in the past 6 hours, and the steamcleaner is HEAVY.

Glory - great job staying OP at the Original Pancake House. Haven't been there in forever, but I remember loving it...

Amanda - it makes me happy when my floors are cleaned too. :)

yesterday I ended up with 1/2 grilled chicken wrap & soup for dinner, along with half of a toffee crunch cookie that they were sampling. Still under for the day.

Today:
E: 5 mile run at the park
B: kashi go lean w/ skim, blueberries, blackberries & banana, 1/2 mini bagel, :coffee:
L: spaghetti w/ meat sauce at MIL's house, was reasonable with the portioning
S: edy's light crunch ice cream bar
D: grilled southwest salad from McDonald's after run
S: either yogurt w/ berries & kashi of some kind or toasted English muffin w/ peanut butter

My, my, my, a nearly OP Saturday. Haven't had one of those for awhile! ;)

B - oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, skim milk; 1/2 ww bagel
S - oops...
L - early - see the oops on the snack :) - egg salad on ww bagel, applesauce
S - ff latte, oatmeal cranberry cookie (that's the "nearly" in nearly OP)
D - chicken stir-fry, brown rice

Ex: LBWO; short cardio on elliptial, plus about 1/2 - 3/4 mile walk

Good morning ladies. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was terrific and POP! :) Oh and the scale was back to 145 this morning!! Yeah!
Friday went well...POP
Saturday went well...POP (I also had a mini-major shopping spree!! FUN~!)
Sunday went well...POP (passed up hubby's b-day cake AND fried chicken/mashed potatoes & gravy!) I'm like you Glory, one lick of frosting and I'm a goner! :)


SO here we are on DAY 5 of POP. When I make it though today I will have made my original 5 day challenge. It feels so good, I hope to make it another 5. The sugar cravings are almost gone....almost.

B- 2 eggs, veggies, cheese, wheat toast
s- yogurt
L- left over roast chicken on a huge salad with low calorie dressing and sunflower seeds
s- apple (apples are SO good this time of year!)
D- 2 soft shell tacos (might skip evening snack if I decide to put cheese on them.)
s- pear
E- yard work...a little push mowing up leaves, and some rock garden repair.

Shopping? Tell me more!

Sunday made 7 days on plan

Sunday

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbs apple butter

L - leftover stir fry - pork loin, sugar snap peas, carrots, a little red cabbage, over brown ric

S - 120 calories of turkey jerky

S - string cheese

D - Chipotle - chicken bol no beans -white rice, 2 scoops pico, lots of lettuce, about 1/3 container of guac

Since the thread has gotten a bit less active and people have already put their Monday in, I changed the thread to two week, in case anyone objects.

My weekend: Not terrible, not great. It was not a lot of food, but some of it was not the best choices. And a TON of sodium!

Went and got a massage on Sunday...and got a "holy heck, I've never felt anything like that, your poor shoulder!" response from the masseuse. Apparently he couldn't tell whether one of my knots was a knot or a bone. He did deep tissue work on it so I'm SORE today but I think he broke up some of the smaller knots, maybe.

Today's plan:
B - Toasted crumpet, egg whites scrambled with broccoli and a laughing cow wedge
S - Apple
L - Tuna on a toasted english muffin
S - Protein shake w/ frozen strawberries
S - Popcorn or veggies and hummus
D - Sausage and lentil soup
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 80 min mixed cardio

Since the thread has gotten a bit less active and people have already put their Monday in, I changed the thread to two week, in case anyone objects.

My weekend: Not terrible, not great. It was not a lot of food, but some of it was not the best choices. And a TON of sodium!

Went and got a massage on Sunday...and got a "holy heck, I've never felt anything like that, your poor shoulder!" response from the masseuse. Apparently he couldn't tell whether one of my knots was a knot or a bone. He did deep tissue work on it so I'm SORE today but I think he broke up some of the smaller knots, maybe.

Today's plan:
B - Toasted crumpet, egg whites scrambled with broccoli and a laughing cow wedge
S - Apple
L - Tuna on a toasted english muffin
S - Protein shake w/ frozen strawberries
S - Popcorn or veggies and hummus
D - Sausage and lentil soup
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 80 min mixed cardio

Amanda - two week thread makes sense. :)

Good morning - yesterday was way off track. I ended up basically eating lunch twice, then still had dinner and then had to have some of my dad's birthday cake after that. Somewhere in the 500-700 calorie range over my target. Moving on.

Today:
B: kashi go lean w/ skim, craisins & bananas
S: blueberries & strawberries
L: grilled chicken blt on wheat I think
S: oatmeal or trail mix
D: ground turkey breast w/ peppers over rice
S: yogurt

E: planning a run at the park after work if the rain hasn't started and I get out early enough to beat the full dark. Otherwise leg day from my 3 day split workout.

Two weeks works for me. Yesterday negated the OP Saturday. :( Went to a monthly brunch - scandanavian themed - and while I didn't stuff myself, I sure went over my calories....

Back on track this morning

B - cheerios, with walnuts, skim milk; 5 dried plums; 1/2 WW bagel
S - 2 chocolate wafers (28 cals each)
L - salad from grocery bar with lf dressing
S - greek yogurt, peaches
D - leftover something - I have lots to choose from :)

Ex: full body workout after work

Starting week 2 POP, so this thread makes sense for me.

Now, I know you guys are going to think I'm crazy because I already repeat meals so much, but we liked that pork loin stir fry so much last week - we are doing it again! Sometimes, I just get at my wits-end to come up with exciting dinner ideas and when Jason said he really liked it, I was like OKAY. I am switching it up with mushrooms and broccoli instead of sugar snap peas and red cabbage.

B - 1/2 big package of blackberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - big cameo apple

S - string cheese

D - the return of pork loin stir fry! Broccoli, onion, mushrooms, carrot shreddies, garlic, ginger and a little lime, over a measured serving of brown rice

Glory - I repeat the same meals a lot myself, so can't say anything. :)

And pork loin stir fry does sound fantastic.

Glory - have you looked at my menus? Every week in Summer had some variation of a salad with grilled veggies and chicken or steak, a grilled chicken skewer with veggies, the same stirfry, and the same pasta dish. Every week in Fall has one or two of a rotation of three soups, a slightly different stirfry, the one of two pasta dishes, and some kind of meat/potato/veggie meal. It's easy and I like the food!

OK, I'll slink back in and report my weekend. It's not pretty.

Saturday:
B - raisin bran, skim milk, pear
L - spaghetti w/sauce
S - cinnamon roll, beer
D - minestrone soup
S - persimmon pudding, cinnamon roll
E - NRLW S5W2A

Sunday:
B - oat bran, raisins, brown sugar, 2% milk
L - sandwich w/1.5 slices wheat bread, rotisserie chicken (no skin), 1/3 tomato
S - potato chips, persimmon pudding
S - raisin challah, two bat bites
D - glass of wine, meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, broccoli rabe w/mushrooms and garlic
S - glass of dessert wine, slice of raisin challah
E - some walking, no formal exercise

and moving on to today . . .
Monday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover pasta with a little garlic chicken and broccoli
S - fage 2% strawberry, pear
D - @dave & buster's for work again: veggies and salad w/salsa for dressing, 1 mini cheeseburger, 1 beef skewer
S - slice of raisin challah
E - ran 20 mins hills program on treadmill at 5mph, last 2 minutes at 6mph, plus 5 min warmup and 5 min cooldown

Hey Jessica - it doesn't look THAT bad. I know this is the "no excuses" thread and we are hard on ourselves but I don't see a tub of ice cream, or a sleeve of Thin Mint cookies or anything to beat yourself up. A few party snacks, 2 glasses of wine, a nice dinner, a little dessert - it's a maintenance "treat" meal, not a disaster!

I have to admit - what is a bat bite??

Glory - have you looked at my menus?

Woman - I drool over your menus constantly!

Glory - I repeat the same meals a lot myself, so can't say anything. :)

And pork loin stir fry does sound fantastic.

Hee, spam posting!

It is fab. It was even better tonight, I added a few red pepper flakes. Here's the recipe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1571430

I did not muck around with cashew rice, just used the regular Trader Joe's brown rice I always use.

So, twice now, I've forgotten to add the sliced water chestnuts I bought. I even took them out of the cabinet last night and set them on the counter. Some kind of weird psychological thing with water chestnuts? I like them!

Oops, sorry ladies. This was my first week posting in this thread and I didn't clue in on that it was a weekly thing. :dizzy:

Well yesterday was a POP success. Made my challenge to myself of 5 days POP. Now to make it 5 more. I can't say the sugar cravings are gone, because I am still very aware of the Halloween candy that is stored in my hubbys car, (the one he drives to work), but I'm not jonesin' for it as badly....LOL

Day 6
B- 2 eggs, veggies, cheese, toast
s- yogurt
L- sandwich, soup and a pear
s- apple
D- taco salad, (with left over taco stuff from last night)
s- almonds


Oh Glory you asked about my shopping...well, it was great. I got TWO new winter coats. A black wool pea coat, and a white wool double breasted dress coat. I got 2 new cable knit sweaters (kelly green and light pink), 2 button up blouses (one scarlet red and one white), a black blazer type jacket, a pair of light tan cargo type casual slacks and a pair of cream colored corduroy pants. It's funny, but never in my life have I intentionally purchased "white/cream" clothes. I LOVE white now!.

Jessica, your weekend sounds not too bad! I personally would have had to finish the bottle of wine, and drink the entire 6 pack of beer...(That's why I quit drinking ;))

Jessica - My weekend was off track too. We'll get back in line this week! :)
Glory - thanks for the recipe! :)

Morning! Yesterday was absolutely OP. Ran 6 miles at the park, kept my food in line, no extra snacking. Had a peanut butter protein smoothie for my evening snack because I ended up with a large calorie deficit after dinner.

Today:
E - LB workout (Day 1 from this split (http://www.stumptuous.com/workout-4)) DONE! :)
B - protein chocolate milk after workout, kashi go lean w/ skim, craisins & banana, coffee
S: yogurt w/ berries & maybe granola
L: grilled chicken sandwich
S: 100 cal pack of almonds, will be downtown doing drug screens
D: either turkey sausage & peppers over rice or spaghetti

Well yesterday was a POP success. Made my challenge to myself of 5 days POP. Now to make it 5 more.

Congratulations on your 5 day POP and for your fun shopping trip - it sounds like you got a good haul of pretty things :)

Tuesday

B - 1/2 big package of blackberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - big cameo apple

S - string cheese

D - the return of pork loin stir fry! Broccoli, onion, mushrooms, carrot shreddies, garlic, ginger and a little lime, over a measured serving of brown rice

Glory, the bat bites were leftovers from Halloween -- it's basically a cheese ball with tortilla chips that looks like a bat. Here is the recipe. (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1875211)

You guys are right, it doesn't look too bad when I write it down. The problem is that I violated my plan rules that I set for myself as part of my 5 lbs by Thanksgiving challenge. A couple cinnamon rolls here, a few glasses of wine there, and I'll be gaining again before I know it. However, the scale is back down today so I'm hoping for the best, and they actually had salad at D&B's last night so no harm done there!

Tuesday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover meatloaf, broccolini, and scalloped potatoes
S - pear
D - linguini puttanesca, roasted asparagus, glass of wine
E - none, moved Tuesday's workout to Saturday due to work commitments

Lori, that is the good thing about being a lightweight when it comes to drinking -- I start to get tipsy after one glass of wine or one beer. If I finished the wine bottle off I'd be passed out on the floor! :lol:

Yesterday was POP - switched my ice cream for a protein but I am still a giant water retention sponge. Hopefully another day of water helps that out a bit (TOM ain't helping).

Plan for today:

B- toasted crumpet, egg whites with broccoli
S - Apple
L - Leftover sausage and lentil soup
S - Protein shake
D - Chicken and long bean stirfry, brown and wild rice (oy, that's not gonna help with the water retention)
S - NSA Ice Cream

E - 60 min incline trainer, 60 min strength

Came in under my planned (1600) calories yesterday. No alcohol was no problem as I was cold and could not seem to warm up. I walked around the house in a flannel shirt and a fleece vest over my clothes, and ended up drinking two cups of hot tea.

B - scrambled eggs, 1/2 ww bagel, 1/2 pear
L - leftover chicken stir-fry, brown rice, very last of leftover sweet potato (2-3 slices)
D - ?? City council night, so either pizza/salad, or sandwiches
Ss - cottage cheese with peaches, pouch of tuna, ff latte (maybe)

Ex: some ss cardio between work and the council meeting

Day 9 down!

Wednesday dinner is a little up in the air. It's game night where Jason works, so we might get Chipotle first.

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup dried blueberries

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - big cameo apple

S - string cheese

D - Went out for sushi, but stayed on plan. I ate: my seaweed salad garnish (and Jason's too), bowl of miso soup, 7 piece hamachi sashimi and 1 unagi hand roll. Yum.

Today I skipped my strength (work explosion) and will move it to tomorrow...did 70 min of cardio (which is the normal Wednesday) so I think it'll work out.

Another protein shake dessert. They're tasty, and more of a metabolic boost than my normal NSA ice cream.

Planning for tomorrow:
B - Toasted crumpet, scrambled egg whites w/ broccoli
S - Apple
L - Leftover: Chicken and long bean stirfry, brown jasmine rice
S - Popcorn
S - Veggies and hummus
D - Chicken skewer, sauteed cabbage, butternut squash soup
S - Probably another muscle milk/strawberry shake

E - 60 min incline, 60 min strength moved from Tues

Tonight ended up being pizza. I had 2 slices, but then I never had my tuna snack, so damage is minimal - at least calorie-wise if not nutrition wise. :)

<wakes up from sugar coma, drags self into thread>

Hey guys,
ahem...well, not a good weekend. Well, most of Friday, Saturday and all of Sunday were POP. Monday and Tuesday were unmitigated disasters. Doesn't bode well for Turkey day scale.

Today WILL be POP.

Wednesday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover linguini puttanesca
S - pear, quaker 90-cal granola bar
D - split pea soup, string cheese, oat bran w/apple butter and raisins
E - HIIT run 1.5 miles

Yesterday was alright - had an extra snack in the afternoon because I was starving, then some tea with a little sugar with my snack after dinner. Came in about 150 over where I wanted to be. Not terrible, but not great with three day vacation coming up...

Today:
E: built a shelving unit and moved about 75 really heavy boxes back and forth this morning, so unofficial UB workout done. Either a run at the park or official UB workout & maybe some yoga when I get home

B: kashi go lean crunch w/ berries, skim, & banana, coffee
L: 1/2 grilled chicken wrap, cup of soup, toffee crunch cookie
S: popcorn
D: ground chicken breast tacos
S: depends on where the calories are, probably yogurt

I have a bad case of the munchies today. Why am I so hungry? I haven't actually eaten too much yet, but I am foreseeing an unpleasant afternoon and evening of being hungry.

Right there with you today Jessica. The cookie I had with lunch so didn't help...

Yesterday was good, that was day 6 POP.

Day 7

A little tricky today because my hubby had the day off for Veterans Day and wanted to go out for lunch at the sinfully delicious China Hut. (Buffet) We also went to the local cafe for a neighbors birthday coffee this morning, and then I gave him a haircut. SO the morning went quick. Anyway the "China Hut" is a privately owned (by real Chinese people...lol) little hole in the wall so they don't have any nutritional info on their items, so over the course of the last many months I have gathered info online from numerous other Chinese restaurants and kind of adapted my own guide for that restaurant....SO, even though I know it is not wise, I skipped Breakfast and morning snack so that I would have more calories to spend at lunch. It was Delicious and well worth the true hunger pains. They make EVERYTHING from scratch. No pre-fab egg rolls there.

B, S, L:
1 (small) bowl hot and spicy soup,
1 pork egg roll
1 small serving of Mushroom pork
stir-fried green beans
1 crab Rangoon
1 chicken on a stick.
Approx 800 calories.

s- apple
D- 3 oz grilled hamburger on low calorie whole wheat bun
pickles, lettuce, onion, tomato. Lots of roasted butternut squash
s- yogurt
E- probably none unless I get my butt up and go outside and shovel some dirt or something. Kids had a wonderful Veteran Day ceremony at school this afternoon so the day is going quick.

I'm off today as well, and got up late ahhhh :) so no morning snack.

B - oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, skim milk; 1/2 ww bagel; 1/2 pear
L - left over turkey meatballs with leftover bowtie pasta (1/3 cup?)
S - some sort of fruit and cottage cheese
D - making a beef stew from lean beef with carrots, onions, potato (for DH)

Willya post your stew recipe? I am going to make one tomorrow and mine is never STEWY enough, if that makes any sense.

I did find a recipe online - it's in the crock pot now, I'll tell you how it turns out. It looks a little decadent for stew, but if I stay on plan all day and don't eat it with bread, it will be fine. I am intrigued by the idea of subbing apples for potatoes in stew...

If it turns out, I am going to call it Bapple - Beef apple stew!
I varied the recipe a little since I'm making it in a crockpot.

6 slices thick-sliced bacon
2lbs venison or beef (cut of your choice), cubed
2Tbsp red wine vinegar
3C beef stock
3C good apple cider
3 large potatoes, cubed
5 or 6 good size carrots, peeled and thick-sliced
5 or 6 ribs of celery, thick sliced
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
3 good apples (I like Fuji or Gala), cored and sliced
salt and pepper
1 or 2 bay leaves
1/4C cider (separate use)
2Tbsp corn starch

In large stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Salt and pepper meat cubes (be liberal with the pepper, semi-liberal with the salt; remember the bacon is very salty; then again, the potatoes will absorb a lot of that).

Brown seasoned meat and onion in bacon drippings (drained off half). Add 2C each of the stock and cider and 2 tbs vinegar.

Lower heat to medium-low. Go ahead and let that 'work' while you prep the veggies and such.
When the broth comes to a nice simmer, add potatoes, carrots, and celery. Add bay leaf (or leaves). Add any other spices that might appeal to you, too.

Bring back up to a boil, lower heat to low. Allow to simmer for a good 4-5 hours, checking occasionally. Use the additional stock and cider (equal parts) as some of the broth cooks off. Also taste broth occasionally to adjust salt and pepper.

Once the meat and veggies are good and tender, add the apples. Wait just a few minutes for apples to get crisp/tender (you don't want applesauce in your stew!).

Remove bay leaf or leaves, make a slurry out of the 1/4C cider and corn starch.

Return to a good simmer, slowly stirring in slurry. Continue stirring and simmering for at least one minute.

Crumble crisp bacon.

Ladle stew into bowls, garnish with bacon crumbles.

Oh, Jason was much amused that I made bacon for the first time in my life tonight. What can I say - it was never one of my vices!

Yummm, bacon! :)

Day 7 POP in the bag! (It's getting harder, not eaiser...must be PMS?)

Day 8
B- Oatmeal, skim milk, raisins, truvia
S- Yogurt
L- Chef salad with garden greens and hard boiled egg & sliced chicken breast and low calorie dressing
S- apple
D- Mushroom chicken and roasted turnips (YUMMMM...Thanks Robin for the idea...so good!)
S- yogurt or pear?

Come on, Lori, you can do it!

Today makes day 11:

B - package of blackberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - big cameo apple

S - string cheese

D - bowl of beef stew

Glory, I hope you didn't forget to put the water chestnuts on your salad...lol

Heh, it was the stir fry I kept forgetting to put them in. They're still in a can in the pantry! The other can made it into salads on Monday.

Yesterday was POP

Plan for today:

B - egg whites, broccoli, crumpet
S - Apple
L - leftovers: chicken skewer, butternut squash soup, sauteed cabbage
S - poporn
S - wrap - Lc tortilla, hummus, turkey
D - Roasted veggie pasta with ground chicken and FiberGourmet pasta
S - protein shake

E - 85 min cardio, plus a bike ride to run errands to library and grocery store.

Not at all OP yesterday. Well, actually, totally OP until right about 11:00 pm when I ate 4 pieces of Easter candy from my drawer. You read it right, Easter candy. It goes away tonight. It wasn't even all that good. Yuck.

Today:
E: run at the park after work
B: kashi go lean w/ skim, strawberries, blueberries & banana, coffee
S: apple w/ light swiss laughing cow
L: grilled chicken salad w/ 2 oz. of baguette
D: turkey sausage over rice
S: yogurt I think

I tried to post this earlier but I guess the website was having problems, sorry if I posted it twice...

I love beef stew! I make my mom's recipe but it's not particularly healthy so I don't have it too often. It has dumplings that you cook in the stew (which is where most of the unhealthy part is) which I absolutely love.

My attack of the munchies didn't do much damage yesterday since my food was all low-cal. I ended up eating multiple items for dinner because I started out with split pea soup which was so low-cal that I was still really hungry.

Today got off to a funny start because I usually wake up at 6, take my thyroid pills, go back to sleep until 7, shower, then have breakfast at 7:30 since I'm not supposed to eat for at least an hour after taking my pills. This morning I got out of the shower at 7:30 and realized that I hadn't taken my pills! Oops. I took them then, but then I had to pack my breakfast to take to work since I couldn't eat before we had to leave. Oh well, I still ate an OP breakfast, just in a different location!

Thursday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - pasta & puttanesca sauce
S - pear
D - chicken potato moussaka
E - NRLW S5W3B

stew turned out fabulous!

I have been almost 2 weeks perfectly on plan and I'm a tee-tiny bit discouraged my favorite "hot" jeans are still too snug to feel comfortable. Patience!

Friday

B - package of blackberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - mango

S - string cheese

D - bowl of beef stew

POP today, despite the server downage AND a wicked 15 and a half hour work day. It's time for bed (PAST time for bed, actually).

Tomorrow's plan:
B- WW tortilla, pb, sliced apple
S - more apple
L - Leftover roasted veggie, chicken, fibergourmet pasta
S - Popcorn
S - Baby carrots and hummus
D - London broil, baked potatoes, sauteed long beans
S - protein shake for dessert

E - at least 70 min cardio. I hope to get my strength in as well, but given this work week, it may not be possible. Still, I plan to do it until my schedule means that I absolutely cannot.

Friday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - @work, On the Border - made a salad w/fajita chicken and veggies, black beans, lettuce, and salsa, plus 5 tortilla chips
S - pear, quaker lf granola bar
D - pasta w/sauce and parmesan, raisin bran w/skim milk
E - walk with dog, had a headache so no run

Wow - that was a long scary day without 3FC!

Friday

B - package of blackberries, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

L - Big salad - romaine, broccoli slaw, carrot shreddes, mandarin orange slices, sliced water chestnuts, a few edamame, grilled chicken, measured 2 tbs of spicy asian peanut vinaigrette, measured serving of spicy wontons for crunch

S - mango

S - coffee with a splash of fat free milk

S - string cheese

D - bowl of beef stew

Saturday will be tough, have a party to go to, the invite says it's about food and fun! My goal will be to eat nothing, just drink diet soda. If I can make it through today, it will be day 13 POP!

Two days of crazy... Thursday night Frosty from Wendy's. Friday afternoon chocolate samples and Mexican food. Hope to be more OP today.

E: 3.1 mile run at the park
B: pb&j
L: grilled chicken salad, banana, coffee
S: mini bagel or english muffin, maybe some cereal
D: dunno yet, probably ground chicken breast with peppers over rice
S: depends on the rest of the day...

I am in 3FC withdrawal! So glad it's back up!

Saturday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, apple butter, skim milk
L - leftover chicken potato moussaka
D - cooking light biscuit topped chicken potpie, glass of wine
S - frozen single-serve cherry pie :o
E - NRLW S5W3A

Went to the party - it was a CAbi party for cute clothes. I had a fabulous time, bought a shirt (would have bought more if we weren't saving for a house!) and didn't eat ANYTHING although the hostess had outdid herself with yummy snacks. I had a GREAT time chatting with people there, my weight loss came up and I directed several people to the site, maybe we'll get some new online buddies??

http://www.cabionline.com/Fall2009/flash/catalogue.html

I bought the "lace girlie tee" on page 20 (sorry, cant give a direct link). It will look PERFECT with the long, brown, mock suede skirt I have. I never really had a shirt that went great with that skirt, so very pleased.

It was my first CAbi party, but I definitely liked the clothes, lots of nice touches like gorgeous linings and such.

Glory - great tee!

We adopted a dog today!!! Unfortunately, that meant no time to eat. Sooo...

B - whole wheat bagel, light cream cheese, turkey, veggies
D - Pizza, easy on cheese, with chicken and veggies, and a big ol salad
S - Probably a protein shake

E - lots of walking, trying to get her acclimated...

Pics!!!

I had some kind of freaky iron will power yesterday. I don't know where it comes from (wish it happened more often) but I will take it!

Saturday

B - 1/2 cup oatmeal 2 spoons of apple butter

L - beef stew with apples

S - tall non fat sugar free latte

D - went to Olive Garden - I had a bowl of minestrone and the Apricot Venetian chicken (which was delicious!)

I avoided: all the wine, treats at the party and breadsticks/pumpkin cheesecake at Olive Garden.

AND I wore my "hot" jeans to the party (still, not the most comfortable jeans, but definitely wearable!)

Today is day 14!!!

So glad 3FC is up and running again. I could have really used it a few days ago. Day 8 was a bust, as was Day 1 (Which would have been day 9). So Saturday was my new day one, and it was POP. I discovered that I have a problem with reaching new lows. Day 8 I weighed myself and was at 144, the lowest weight I have seen since maybe when I crash dieted in early high school. (MANY years ago.) So I ate around 3000 calories 2 days in a row, for some emotional crazy reason. I realized that I was being a dumb a$$ and kicked myself in the rear, and buckled down again yeaterday. This morning I was at 146. Hoping to reach that magic 144 mark again soon now that I realize what I'm doing...self sabotaging. I did decide to go 1200 calories yesterday and today to get my weekly average down a bit. Still working for 143 with 190 pounds lost.

Day 2

B- 2 eggs, veggies, cheese on low calorie wheat toast
L- huge mixed greens salad with other veggies, 4 oz. roasted chicken breast, and sliced red seedless grapes with low calorie dressing and splash of red wine vinegar. (I had never tried grapes on a salad and it was wonderful, better than strawberries IMO)
D- More roasted turnips and BN squash (SO DELISH!) left over chicken breast and big pile of green beans with onion and garlic.

E- It's opening weekend for deer hunting season and I don't want to get shot, so maybe I'll do an excercise DVD...

Looove your new pic, Lori B!!!! You are movie star beautiful :)

Doggie pics -

This is Miss Ellie:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/ellie3.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/ellie2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/ellie1.jpg

Amanda, she is TOO CUTE! :love: Do you know what breeds she has in her? I'm guessing from the pics maybe lab or golden and husky? How old is she?

Last night we were out at our cooking club meetup and the person hosting has a rescued greyhound, from one of the organizations that picks them up when they retire from racing. She's a sweetie but is funny because her head is so incredibly small and narrow, then she has this super-long neck, then her body is very skinny, and then she has the enormous muscles bunched up on her legs. She's very fast, she and Carter go to the same dog park and it's funny to watch her try to play with the other dogs because she will start running, they will chase her, and she'll outdistance them by half the park in about five seconds.

Okay, enough dog drooling. ;)

Sunday:
B - oatmeal, raisins, pumpkin butter, skim milk
"L" (at 4:30pm) - two Dr Praeger's spinach pancakes, some unsweetened applesauce
D - @cooking club - pumpkin fondue, quinoa green bean salad w/one mini pita, sweet potato soup, roasted squash, beef wellington with demi glace, two glasses of wine, crustless cranberry pie, three italian tricolor cookies, one lime meltaway cookie, one espresso cookie, scoop of cranberry sorbet
E - swim, including intervals