PS I know it looks like my muffins are WAY underestimated in terms of calories, but they are homemade without oil, and about half the size of a regular muffin from the store. They come out to 81 calories per little muffin, plus lots of fiber and protein. They are so delicious in case anyone wants the recipe :)

So I haven't been participating because that "bug" I had turned into stinking pneumonia! I'm starting to feel better and will be back to tracking & catching up soon! :)

oh my goodness, feel better soon pinkflower!!!

Indiblue - I'll take the muffin recipe. I love baking but haven't been doing it since I've been dieting.

Today went okay for me...decided to give 1200 calories a day a try after my few weeks at 1500. I didn't gain btw even though I raised my calories, so not sure if lowering will do anything but here goes. I was at 1300 before the rise the past few weeks.

Added in a ton more dairy/eggs/soy even though I don't really want to be living on that stuff, it keeps me really full. I also switched to unsweetened almond milk - 40 cals instead of 90 so I figure that gives me a couple more to play with.

Breakfast (240): 2 mini light babybel cheeses (100). cup of raspberries (60). 1 clementine (40). tea with stevia and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (40)

Snack (180): Luna bar (180). I was supposed to work out at lunch but just didn't feel up for it...I went for a walk instead.

Late Lunch (370): Amy's Mac and Soy Cheeze (370)

Dinner (375): 2 sprouted corn tortillas (120), soymeat taco mix (100), 3 T salsa (15), 1/4 cup cheese (110). 7 green olives (35).

Dessert (20) Chai tea with stevia and unsweetened almond milk (20)

Total Calories - 1185
Exercise - walked for 1 hour at lunch while shopping and 2.1 miles to and from work.

Bran muffins!!! They take ~30 mins. With the banana instead of an oil (I've made them both ways and you can't tell a difference) 1/16th of the recipe is 81 calories/19 carbs/3 protein (plus a lot of fibre which I can pull up if anyone wants it- I mean, it has 1 1/2 c of bran! hehe)

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk OR 1 c skim milk with 1 tsp lemon
1/3 cup vegetable oil OR 1/3 c ripe mashed banana (about 1 small banana)
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins/carrots/apples. Recipe very forgiving- I just did 3/4 c carrots and 1/4 c apples and it was fine. Lots of room to put in your favorite fruits/veggies here.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
Beat together banana, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

Today:

Lunch: 2 c lightly sauteed green beans, 2 c red cabbage salad with very light sauce (rice wine, fish sauce, nothing creamy), about 2 oz sauteed fish, 1 1/2 glasses red wine, 1 girl scout cookie, about 1/4 c mung bean coconut dessert thing (848)
Dinner: Fish curry, 1/2 whole wheat chapati, 2 c watermelon, 1 small bite Reese's cup that I didn't count because I'm lazy (486)

Exercise: 25 minute run with warm up and cool down, 20 minutes elliptical

Total: 1334

Yesterday:

Breakfast/lunch Half a yellow bell pepper sliced, about a serving of rare thin sliced roast beef with green onions, 6 mini tomatoes, 1 Fuji apple, small plain yogurt, 100 calorie oatmeal packet, 1 prune

Dinner Korean BBQ - assortment of lean beef, beef tongue, chicken, pork, kimchee, Korean dried seaweed, small size white rice, small green tea ice cream cake, 1 glass plum wine on the rocks

After dinner snack (Still coming down from sugar binges) 280 mL zero calorie jello, 2 60-calorie chocolate squares, 1 chocolate almond. Chocolate almonds have been my biggest and worst binge food and I actually didn't like the 1 I had last night. Problem solved?!

Exercise 120 minutes walking on hills, only made it halfway through a Tae Bo DVD (another reason not to binge on sugar, no energy the next day), 100 crunches, 30 pushups, planks.

Lunch: 3/4 c fish curry, 1 pomegranate, 2 cups mixed shredded carrots/cabbage/celery with fish sauce/soy sauce/mirin dressing, 1 fresh(not fried) spring roll, about 15 baked chips (772)
Dinner: 1/2 c shredded cabbage topped with 1 boiled egg and homemade salsa (2 roasted roma tomatos, 1/2 roasted onion, cilantro, squeeze of lime), a couple bites of my boyfriend's egg/potato/onion stir fry thing, 3 Bourbon biscuits (470)

Exercise: 25 minute jog @ 6 mph (including warm up and cool down), 20 minute moderate stationary bike

Total: 1242

I am SO GLAD I'm back to counting everything because I realized I'm just at my calorie allotment for the day! Had I not imputed dinner as soon as I finished I would have grabbed more dessert...

Also krampus your walks, ranging from 1 1/2-2 hours consistently is very impressive. AND Tae-Bo on top of that... I'm super impressed.

Thanks indiblue! They're actually divided up into several mini-walks (commute walk is about 35 minutes each way, usually at a pretty "chop chop" pace), though when I'm feeling particularly inspired or awful I'll go on a long roving amble somewhere.

Yesterday:

Breakfast 1 piece of bread with jam, coffee with 1.5% milk

Lunch 1/2 lean chicken breast with cooked broccoli, raw yellow pepper, tomatoes. 80g plain yogurt. green tea cappuccino

Dinner 1/2 cheese modanyaki (noodles, egg, cabbage fried on a hot plate, served with sweet sauce and mayo), a piece of a friend's pork okonomiyaki (cabbage-based pancake), Baskin Robbins "Happy Doll" kiddie sundae :)

Exercise It was my mom's last day in Japan so no cardio workout/DVD/etc. Just regular commute walking + walk home from train station, so maybe 60 min total broken up into 3 walks. Plus maybe 5 minutes' worth of planks, 150 crunches, 20 bird dogs each side, 40ish squats while I waited for the bathtub to fill up.

Originally Posted by krampus:
Thanks indiblue! They're actually divided up into several mini-walks (commute walk is about 35 minutes each way, usually at a pretty "chop chop" pace), though when I'm feeling particularly inspired or awful I'll go on a long roving amble somewhere.

I think that's actually the best kind. Have read too many times the importance of moving throughout the day, not just in one specific exercise period.

Today:
Lunch: about 2 c shredded red cabbage, celery, and carrots tossed with 1 tbs mirin, fish sauce, and sugar, 2 oranges, 1 c homemade salsa (tomatos, scallions, cilantro, onion, lime) with about 10 tortilla chips, about 1/2 c tomato basil enriched-protein pasta (614)
Snack: 2 bourbon cookies, 1/2 brownie (130)
Dinner: 1/2 c chinese fried rice (182)

Total: 926

Not the best day eating-wise. Too many carbs, not enough protein. But I'm so freaking full and did absolutely nothing today so I really don't want to eat any more. Blarg. Trying to come down off the 3-day vacation weight spike.

Recommitting to losing again. Today was a perfect on-plan day.

Breakfast A couple bites of plain reduced-calorie yogurt, black coffee, a splash of soy milk

Lunch Soba (buckwheat noodles with green onion), salad, string cheese, small pc. homemade cheesecake from a coworker

Pre-run fuel Canned coffee w/milk and sugar

Dinner 2-egg scramble with cheddar, spinach, shiitake, and shrimp/squid mix; about 100g sliced pumpkin, 1 dekopon (the most amazing citrus fruit, a perfect blend of orange/mandarin/tangerine)

Exercise ~110 minutes walking, 50 minutes jogging outside, 200 crunches, 50 pushups, bird dogs, planks.

Total calories 1300-1350

So Far....

Breakfast- 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled, 5 grape tomatoes, 1/3 cup of spinach and cinnamon 10 almonds

Lunch- Warm salad with red and yellow sweet peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, 7 grape tomatoes, 4 oz of sauteed chicken breast, 1/3 cup of black beans, and 2 tbl spoons of balsamic vinaigrette

Snack: 5 more cinnamon almonds ( I have an addiction) and a peppermint

603 cals so far ( according to my Lose IT! app) ... going for a 1200 cal day and hopefully a 1 1/2 gym visit after work

Good day today!

Breakfast Apple

Lunch Soba noodle soup with green onion, tofu, seaweed, crisped rice bits. 1 orange slice.

Dinner 140g sashimi grade salmon cooked in olive oil, 3 "heads" spinach cooked lightly in sesame oil, sliced pumpkin, 1 pack of Korean seaweed.

Exercise 90 minutes walking, 70 of those minutes at a very quick pace. 100 pushups.

Calories eaten: ~1300

I think I will just do accountability for excercise...I am on nutrisystem, so that is my accountability for breakfast-lunch-dinner and snacks.

But I have to say that I have been kind of a slack the last few days, I didnt work out Sunday or Monday, Sunday is normally my day off but yesterday I was sick (excuses, excuses). So today I am going to a turbo-kick class at the gym, Ive never been so I hope I like it. :D

I started Zumba last week and loved it so much, I am going back on Thursday! :D:carrot:

Today I felt really hungry and sort of dizzy and weak for a good part of the day. Managed to keep calories under control.

Breakfast A couple bites plain yogurt, oatmeal

Lunch Chicken salad with hard boiled egg, spinach, red bell pepper, beans, no dressing. Dekopon (incredible citrus fruit).

"OMG I'm starving" snack Fried maguro (fatty tuna)

Dinner 120g beef, yellow bell pepper, spinach. 2 minneola (lame citrus fruit).

Exercise Negligible...started my Tae Bo Cardio DVD, but started seeing worms/stars five minutes into it so had to stop. Planning a run in the morning before work.

Calorie Total ~1500