CCRRMM Demon Food Buffet Challenge
 

Today is day 13 for me. Yippee...!!!
 

Just so's I can remember.

Am going on BC pills...jeez, am clipped, fibroids all around the family and we are trying this for three months..OK.

Am going to add to my challenges tomorrow...will continue with 21 day no wine...1 week to go!!!!

Ceara

Thanks for starting the thread, Amaran....er, Elberta C!

I'm having a great food day! So far, so good---I shouldn't feel too cocky, the demons are everywhere and know all my weaknesses. Today I was at the library where DH works and the staff had their jug 'o chocolates there with all my favorites, and they were little too. The demons like to seduce you into having the little ones, one and then another and another. "Fun-size"??? nothing fun about it! "Begone! You have no power here!" Yep, that's what I said and ate my banana and clementine and felt virtuous beyond all reason! :smug:

Ah...day 14
 

Now going to add new challenge...if I keep them in weekly increments, maybe I can keep them straight.

So, will add the staples....no food after 7, small portions, no booze (as opposed to just wine), and more water....I have been drinking some but not enough. I will keep the diet coke for the moment...maybe I can fool meself into thinking there is a splash of rum in there....but I really don't like pop. However I know I am battling depression here....so gotta set some goals...

Madame Crone...I will be by later for some fresh baked healthy blue corn muffins...I like cornmeal stuff...maybe I should make some Johnny Cakes...

:wave: to Eydie, my inspiration.....am off to do 8 or so minutes on the treadmill...since that is when it slips...

Ceara

All hail, fellow DF Slayers!!!! I, Amarantha, hath stopped into the palace kitchen to grab a whole wheat biscuit and protein shake and Elberta Crone, the fab-100-year-old-palace-spa-chef-who-hath-an-awesome-bod-from-a-century-o'-healthy-food, hath reminded me I promised to post an Angel Food (NOT CAKE) personal challenge on the food challenge board!!!!! :angel: Here it is:

I, Amarantha, shall embark on a three-day MISSION to get find a FOOD ANGEL (not cake) :angel: ... I shall go forth from the palace each day and seek the :angel: named "28 POINTS" and not retire to the royal chamber until that :angel: be on my shoulder for the night! (E.g., for three days I'm challenging myself to eat no more than 28 points in hopes I might have a maintain on my Sunday weigh-in despite eating like a horse for two weeks!!!! Amen!)!!!!!

My first challenge on this mission will be to only order a diet coke or water at Burger King, where I'm interviewing someone who wants to buy my lunch. I don't want to hurt this person's feelings (or the noble BK chain) but I would never eat there normally but the DEMON might force me to eat what I don't want just to be sociable ... but I'm only going there for work and don't need to break my vow ... need to remember that it really means nothing to anyone else what I ultimately put into my body ... no social convention is worth invoking the DEMONS!! Amen! :nono:

:wave:

Amarantha, is there anything remotely healthy at Burger King? I've heard about those chicken baguette thingies that are supposed to be only 5 grams of fat. If you could change and meet at McDonald's, their yogurt-fruit parfait is pretty decent--actually makes a nice dessert and has saved me and Garry a few times when we're out in the big bad world and are led into temptation! Hey, maybe check out the 3FC's fast food guide before you leave? ;) Do you have any more PBCs at home? I reccommend that you snatch the up, open the package and pour soap all over them and chuck them in the trash while cackling hideously. I'm serious! Very empowering!

Ceara, I feel your pain. :( Our treadmill slipped and drove us crazy. Garry did everything he could for it and we finally had to send it to treadmill heaven. We had a Pro-Form from Sears, and it lasted less than a year. We were told by the sales guy where we bought our new one that at Sears they really don't expect for you to use them, so they tell you they'll last for 10 years! It choked me to pay what we did for our new one but I love it! It was like going from a Chevette to a Cadillac! I hope it gets better or you get another piece of equipment. Believe me, I know how frustated you are with the treadmill. Andabout the depression thing, awareness is everything! You're doing everything right.

Wed.--Jan. 28
 

coffee w/ fat-free 1/2 and 1/2
2 whole wheat toast w/ lite cream cheese, egg, spinach, carrots, onion
2 clementines

whole wheat tortilla w/ humuus, halloumi, spinach, peppers, onion
banana**clementine

2 tacos w/ beans, salsa, onions, lettuce, lo-fat sour cream,
1/2 c. rice and vegs.
low-fat ice cream sandwich

snax: Luna bar
banana

Calories: 1530
fiber: 37 grams
fat: 41 grams
water: 10 cups
exercise: 45 min. step video**15 min. thigh workout video

Halloumi is a cheese I bought as an 'experiment'. You can heat it in a skillet and it doesn't melt away, it holds it shape and is nice and salty. I haven't researched it, but I think it's used in Greek and/or Middle Eastern cooking. Very good, and I'll buy it again! :)

Amarantha, thanks for sharing your menu! What herbs do you put in your biscuits? You're doing well! How's the no-eating after 7:00 working out? I try to do that too.

Here's my efforts yesterday:

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
2 breakfast tacos! w/ beans, egg sub., lo-fat cheese, lettuce, salsa

1 c. rice and vegs., w/ 1 tbsp. chopped cashews and 1 tsp. nutritional yeast
3 rye crackers w/ 1 wedge 'Laughing Cow' cheese

ww tortilla w/ lite cheese, had-boiled egg, spinach
strawberry creamsicle

snax: 2 ww crackers w/ peanut butter
shape-Up nutrition bar

calories: 1555
water: 6 cups
exercise: 15 min. arms video**40 pushups**200 crunches** 4 miles treadmill

I hate to admit it, but the 'shape up' bar [the one w/ Dr. Phil on the front!] was really very tasty. I'll buy them again--when they're on sale!

onto days 15/2!
 

Good news...I made it!
One boozeless day under my seatbelt. Onto two. Managed the gym this am too...easy on the upper body though...the shoulders are still wonky.
No food after 7 is good...drank more water too....am into eating out less...and using fewer pre-ready type foods...made sourdough biscuits yesterday...starter needed to be fed...and in honour of Empress A, I put in a couple tbsp of corn meal....made 'em a nice crunchy....
So am off to do stuff....meeting at 1, etc....so much for my day off eh?

Ceara

Oh, baby, I have that recipe written down and I'm gonna make it! Thanks, Amarantha! I'm benefitting from your wisdom more than I can say.

Last night I had 4 points left to eat and wandered around the house going, "Hmmm. What can I eat?". Story of my life. I remembered that I can have half an avocado for 4 points, so I tossed chopped avocado with a chopped tomato, green onion, garlic powder and lemon joice (and salt and pepper). I tossed with enthusiasm so the avocado could break down a bit and coat the tomatoes. Excellent salad.

E-U-W.........Ow Ow Ow....
 

That is me climbing back onto the wagon. I'm onto Day 1!!!! AGAIN. But that is ok, because here is what happened and maybe I need to re-vamp my challenge a bit. My dear friend whose husband died a week ago was over for dinner last night...we'd spent part of the morning together and she had a lot of stressful running around with stuff related to that event to do...including venting at the hospital...they pulled a real boner there on the last day...more later...so anyway, we went to the gym in the morning, and had breakfast with the parental persons...mine and her mom who was still down from northern Ont.....then we went our ways.... I was an :angel: all day...doing laundry, hunting and gathering provisions...the food scene was a little dismal here having been a little proccupied with other things last week...doing my 1 pm meeting etc...then she came home with my husband (he was just checking on them...what a guy!) and we had a very healthy dinner planned....
Salmon burger, (these are really good) fresh steamed beets...not glopped up with anything, cole slaw, fresh romaine salad, sourdough biscuits, and shrimp with seafood sauce as an appetizer. She had a glass of wine...and I joined for company...and we had 3!!!...oh well...there is a lot less sugar in wine than in rum I think. Anyway, I ate after 7 and I had booze...oops...don't sound sorry do I? And the scale is down 2 lbs this morning...part of the Christmas or hormonal gain....don't know which.

So...I think I will give myself 1 day off a week on the booze....so am aiming for 6 out of seven days booze free...the day and circumstances to be determined by me...but to be only in this type of social case...I will not just have a glass of wine and watch TV by meself...if you see the difference.

And we watched Shanghai knights, which was good for her because it is so funny on so many levels.

There...the good news is that I ate healthy stuff all day and drank a liter of water....so all is not lost!

The hospital....her DH was in oncology (a private room) and on Thursday at noon they moved him into Palative Care...where he should have been all along and the move was horrendous ( he only lived until 5...all that for 5 hours!!!)...they had to take down all the pictures off the walls and move all their stuff...they'd been in that one room for 3 days at this point, and they were supposed to switch beds, not use tape on the walls and the rules were just stupid...well they smuggled him into the new room in his old bed...which was identical to the new one anyway...and used tape and stole chairs from all over...and my friend just went in and made her opinions known...at the hospital...yesterday. She also brought in a flower arrangement for the nurse who was so good to the family in oncology...the head of palative is looking into her comments...not in a nasty way but in order to just make this time in a family's life a little easier...who needs that crap at that time? So some good may come out of this for someone else. My friend is outspoken anyway at the best of times...she reamed someone in line at the donut store where she works...she was in line for muffins because they were having a pre-funeral meeting at the house and she wanted coffee and muffins...so she was in line, looking glum and this customer (whom she has waited on for years) sez to her "You look a little down...why so glum?". She ignored him but he kept at her so she let him have it...."Maybe because my husband died yesterday". Well blew him and the other people in line away. That's my friend!!!!

Anyway...gotta go and do some laundry and find brekkie..

Ceara Day 1

Yo!
 

Jan. 30--Friday
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 & 1/2
ww bun w/ egg sub., ff cheese, soy 'sausage'
clementne**banana

sm cup hot and sour soup
rice w/ tofu, pineapple, and vegs
1 almond cookie
[at Thai rest.]

1/2 cheese quesadilla**bean burrito [at Taco Bell]
1/2 pc. maple pound cake

Not a great dinner...I let myself get too hungry and I panicked!

Exercise: 45 min. walk

Hello all.....

Went to an all day meeting... DH made me a Tofu scrambler b/4 I went. I took a good safe lunch w/ me and two big bottles of water .... I never went near the breakfast table....

In my opinion, what was the point?? I had eaten. I had had my coffee for the day. The only thing that could have happened by going to look was problematic.
It was a relief in more ways than one, not to look for a 'safe' choice. I had eaten a great breakfast less than 1.5 b/4.

There were more folks not eating than eating too by the way. Another interesting thing to observe....Especially since both meals were included as part of our registration. ( which was only $6 for the day in case it seems I'm wasting money)

Lunch, I did go and look as I could see from across the room a fruit tray... I found spring water too which was good to see....And wound up eating my Laughing Cow w/ DH's whole wheat bread and a cup or less of cottage cheese mixed w/ blackberries......
And there were two sets of staircases to climb!

Almost lost it trying to get supper ready ( DH was napping) but decided to heat up yesterday's soup and make the lentils tomorrow.

So... made it thru the dangerous all day meeting by being prepared and ready.

Take care all!

Saturday
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
ww bun w/ egg sub., ff cheese, soy 'bacon'

brown rice w/ vegs., salsa, 2 tbsp. cheese
1 oz. tortilla chips
lo-fat ice cream sandwich

ww bagel w/ red pepper strips
ff fudgesicle
3 c. lo-fat popcorn

water: 2 cups
exercise: none

Kind of a weird, disjointed day. I'll do better tomorrow, I hope!

Kaylets, I'm so impressed! Excellent work--not giving in to the allure of free food! You too, Amarantha! How are the muffins?

The muffins are good, Eydie, but gone. Elberta Crone will be back later to post a new quest for Amarantha for the week and a discussion of her healthier homemade candy recipe, she hopes! She be closeted with the empress on some work matters at the moment! :wave:

It be moi, Elberta Crone, the fab 100-year-old palace spa cook, reporting that Amarantha the fab empress be still working. But she wisheth to report that at the royal weigh-in today she hath NOT gained but lost a pound (from two weeks ago). Accordingly, I, EC, have been working on a healthy fudge recipe featuring turbinado sugar and protein powder ... howsomever, it hath turned out to be healthy fudge sauce, so the quest continues. I will post a recipe for healthy fudge when one works out.

After finishing up the fudge sauce and going back to work, Amarantha hath instructed me to say, she will embark upon the following 7-day Anti Demon Food Challenge: She saith she will eat no more than 28-30 points per day for seven days. She will accomplish this by adding no more than five flexpoints per day to her base of 22 points and no more than 2 activity points ... she saith to me, "Elberta, I have been lying to myself on these activity points ... look at my little flexpoints calculator; see thou, it saith that for 30 minutes of low intensity exercise, we only earn one AP; now, I, Amarantha know that in the past before WW, we have always only counted our exercise as low intensity, even when it was high intensity, to keep from lying to ourselves because sometimes we aren't all that intense as we think we are. By our previous reckoning of four calories per minute for low intensity exercise at a higher weight, 30 minutes equals 120 extra calories burnt ... well, maybe, but maybe not. Since we are only thinking of WW points as a way to count in 50 calorie increments and don't give a dang about WW's formula anymore, it seemeth that an approximate 1.7 calories per minute for our present weight (50 divided by 30) might be a safer count. So we're going with that and will add the APs and five daily flexpoints to reach a goal of 28-30 points per day for this week. This, we believe, is somewhat a low calorie count for our health but we are going to feature good healthy food and see if we can get another pound off this week. What sayest thou, o Ancient Spa Cook? Art thou with me?

We will inform the Slayers Brigade of our decision for fab selves and look forward to hearing their fab plans for the fab week of Demon Flood Slaying and Angel Food (not cake) summoning as well! :cool:

Amarantha's Food Missions

Completed: Three Day 28-Point Challenge (Days 3)

Progressing: Seven Day 28-30-Point Quest (Day 1, counting)

Total Mission Days Completed: 3

My problem is not one particular food...it's all of them when I get home from work! I'm working on trying to eat more during the day so I'm not ready to eat anything that isn't nailed down when I get in after work. So maybe there 's my food challenge....NOT to snack while waiting for dinner, but to drink water or have zero point soup. Hmmmm. :chin:

Bought a new WW cookbook and a new slowcooker cookbook yesterday.

Breakfast today was sinful, but healthy! French toast with strawberries and banana.

2 Weight Watchers whole wheat bread (1 pt)
1 egg (2 pts)
cinnamon
1 banana sliced (2 pts)
1/2 cup strawberries (0.5 pts)
2 tbsp low-cal syrup (1 pt)

Total: 6.5 pts
Exercise: 45 min treadmill, 20 min yoga
Water: 24 oz and drinking!

Feb. 1--Sumday
 

Coffee w/ fat-free 1/2 and 1/2
3 oat bran pancakes w/ 2 tbsp. maple syrup, cooked apples
2 soy 'sausages'

lentil-barley-vegetable soup
blood orange

Salad [lettuce, vegs, egg, bleu cheese, ff ranch, 2 ww crackers]
'skinnycow' ice cream sandwich

snax: 4 lo-fat cookies

calories: 1550
exercise: 100 crunches***15 min. dumbells

Challenges for this week
 

This coming week I want to get in tons of exercise. I feel like I really blew it this weekend. I was a SLUG! Not like me at all, and I feel soo droopy. Gotta keep moving!

Also, it seems to me that I depend on cheeses alot in my menus. I'm going to take a look at that and see if I can take in less cheese. [I'm not an aspiring vegan or anything, just looking to drop some fat grams!]

I have a new toy! We bought a pressure cooker Friday and I really like it! We used to go to a little macrobiotic restaurant years ago and I could never figure out how they made their soups so meltingly succulent----I think I've finally cracked the code. The lentil barley soup that i made today took 30 minutes and tasted like it had been cooking forever. It was perfect! Anyone here have any experience with pressure cookers?

Amarantha, you could cut up fruit to dip into the fudge sauce and call it fondue? ;) Or you could spread it on bread or biscuits like Nutella? Drool....

Wildfire, the french toast sounds great! I love getting a serving or two of fruit in the morning. Or vegetables for that matter!

Yo!
 

Yowza, here be Elberta Crone with her latest attempt to bake a healthy muffin for the troops! In honor of Seattle Jo and the NOLA challenge, here be:

NOLA Praline Muffins

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup self-rising flour
5 T cornmeal
1 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla Praline Protein Powder
2 T buttermilk powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 T turbinado sugar
2 T Splenda
1 cup Eggbeaters (to equal 2 eggs)

Divide into 12 muffin cups sprayed with canola oil, bake at 385 for 12 minutes or until crunchy and brown on outside; 57.5 calories, .33 g fat, .75 g fiber, 1.083 WW points (I’m counting as 2 points because I spray w/butter spray to eat).

Disclaimers: EC doth not work for Eggbeaters, Splenda or Designer Whey, these be only the brand names she useth just so's you'll know!!! Also, these are small muffins as EC remembereth the good ol' days o' yore in the :queen: dom when muffins be just lil ol' not-terribly-sweet quickbreads, not 400-calorie cakes capable of feeding a family of five!!!! Also, EC doth not warrant that these be healthy for everybody, simply that they probably are healthier than a snack cake or candy bar purchased from ye quickie mart for breakfast.

Troops, let's go out there and put those :devil: foods in their place today!!! Yay! I'm pledging to post my menu tonight!!!!!

Amarantha's Food Missions

Completed: Three Day 28-Point Challenge (Days 3)

Progressing: Seven Day 28-30-Point Quest (Day 2, counting)

Total Mission Days Completed: 4

Well, in a way I did really well and didn't snack while waiting for dinner...because I'm really tired and maybe getting the beginnings of a cold and had nothing out for dinner...so we stopped a drive through! Had a chicken burger (13 points!!) but no fries, which leaves me over by 2 points for the day if I don't use flexpoints. Not entirely bad by any means, just not particularly healthy. I'm going to burn off those two extra points on the treadmill shortly.

Have never used a pressure cooker, although my aunt (fabulous cook!) uses one quite regularly and assures me they are perfectly safe these days.

Amarantha, I still think that BFL is a good program, and certainly the frequent smaller meals has been proven to have benefits. I like the idea of individual quiches or whatever in muffin cups. Would be the perfect size! And once cooked I imagine they would keep for a day or two in the fridge. :chin: Yep, one of those (2 points, probably) on a whole wheat english muffin (just 2 points) with some veggie soup (0 points) or a salad (0 points with FF Italian dressing) would make a great lunch. :yes:

arg
 

Ok....1 day Challenge...1 day fast today...Tues Feb 3!!! ...water and juice...1 coffee at morn...which I am currently drinking. And a lot of praying...JEEZ.

Ceara :doh: :drill:

Thanks for the recipes, Amarantha! I'm thinking that one could use most any flavored protein powder? They sound really good!

Ceara, you're really fasting? Let is know how that goes--witout food I'd be a big ol' Crabby Appleton by noon!

Wildfire, Good save by not having french fries! I think you made the best choice available.

Monday--Feb. 2
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
1/4 scrambled egg beaters and soy sausage sandwiched between 2 oat bran pancakes

ww roll w/ lite cheese, lettuce, onions, peppers
lentil-barley soup
4 lo-fat cookies

roasted onions, carrots, zuchinni
soy 'chicken' patty w/ pizza sauce
'skinny cow' ice cream sandwich

snax: 3 ww crackers w/ peanut butter

calories:1570
exercise: 3 miles treadmill
20 min. yoga and bellydancing

tryin'
 

I am by no means emmaciated and maybe this will immancipate me from the :devil: hold that food has on me...at least for one day. I have to go buy some apple juice tho' after my programme.

Ceara :doh: :drill:

Yo, Slayers!!! We be looking sturdy and in fighting form for battle with :devil: Foods and summoning activities with :angel: Foods!!!!!

Ceara, hope thy fast works out well for thee ... so long's thy body be getting what it needs so the metabolism keeps on ticking ...

Eydie, yea any protein powder will work ... I keep mentioning Designer Whey because that's what I'm using ... there's no appreciable sugar in it but it has a good flavor and quality protein (sorry, 3FC, it's not spam, don't work for them, just what I'm using to experiment with). The cakes are good but I forgot to add extra baking soda to compensate for the whole wheat flour, so they are more brownie like ... also you can really taste the whole wheat ... somthing I'm trying to get used to.

I'm looking good for my challenge today but haven't written down a menu, just kept track of points ... will post a menu tomorrow again.

Eydie, what flavor of Skinny Cow do you get? I don't really like these a whole lot but was eyeing the pb ones as a substitute for the dreaded Reese's.

Later, gators, er, slayers!

Amarantha's Food Missions

Completed: Three Day 28-Point Challenge (Days 3)

Progressing: Seven Day 28-30-Point Quest (Day 3, counting)

Total Mission Days Completed: 5

Amarantha, you really are a splendid person to share these recipes. I'm a person who doesn't have much experience with cooking (especially baking), but I don't like what I see on processed food labels (esp. for breads) and want to make my own stuff. Thank you so much for your help...

Just had a delicious cupcake that a friend at work offered me. Compensated, nutritionally and points-wise, by having a large salad for lunch with mixed greens, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, kidney beans, chickpeas, and FF dressing. Feel very OK about the cupcake.

Funny that 2 PB cups are 5 points. That's about the same amount as 1/2 cup of popcorn, unpopped. That's a pretty standard snack for me at night - 5 pts. worth of air-popped popcorn. That's a pretty big bowl. Wish it were lower.

Anyway, have a good afternoon, sweeties.

Om shanti, Demon Food Slayer Cerise ... I am so with you on not liking what I see on processed food labels, although I'd say my butter spray, Splenda and some of the other things I'm using in my latest experiments are not the most natural things in the world. They are a means to the end, though. I'm determined to get some healthy food into my body and change my bad eating habits. I know that's why my weight went down instead of up last time.

I think a lot of the recipes I've been making up are related to the Body For Life idea of small healthy balanced meals and making what we crave (like brownies) healthier for a bodybuilding lifestyle. I went to their website today and got a lot of new ideas I will be trying.

The PB cups aren't really all that bad for candy, I guess. The problem is when I eat 14 of them! :)

My seven-day 28-30 point challenge ended because I couldn't resist my own healthy brownies ... I'm already at 34 points and refuse to give up my planned dinner of salmon w/dill, corn and brocolli. In fact, I think it'd be counter productive for me to not eat dinner. So eat I will ... I know that starving is not the answer and everything I've eaten has been quite healthy today.

Lately, I've been realizing that I've been starving myself all my life in this effort to be thinner and it hasn't helped. What helps is eating BETTER and exercising SMARTER.

I am not discouraged. I completed two good days on this quest and have five successful "mission" days under my belt. I'm herewith announcing my WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 28-30 QUEST:

Amarantha's Food Missions

Completed: Three Day 28-Point Challenge (Days 3)

Game Over: Seven Day 28-30-Point Quest (2 Days Completed)

Pending: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 28-30 Point Quest (To Be Continued)

Total Mission Days Completed: 5

Monday--Feb. 2
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
9-grain bagel w/ lo-fat cream cheese, lettuce, peppers, carrots, onion
2 clementines

3 tbsp. humuus w/ red peppers, carrots, cucumbers
Power Bar energy bites [these are quite good!]
banana

Lentil-barley soup
1 pc. cornbread
lo-fat ice cream sandwich w/ 1/2 c. strawberries, 1 kiwi

snacks: 3 ww crackers w/ peanut butter

calories: 1600
fiber: 33 grams
fat: 25 grams
water: 6 cups
exercise: 4 miles treadmill**20 min. yoga**20 min. dumbells**40 pushups**200 crunches

I try to make whole foods the bulk of my diet, organic and all that----but there's a few processed foods that I sneak in. Some of my favorites are: egg beaters or any fat-free egg substitute, fat-free 1/2 and 1/2, fat-free cheese slices [I know, I know, but sometimes nothing else will do!], and all the soy "meats", and lo-fat ice cream-y things. Oh yeah, and a new favorite is the butter spray Amarantha told me about.

I feel like a food-schizophrenic! Sometimes I'm vegan macrobiotic, others it's creamy cheesy comfort food, or 'spa' food. At least I never feel deprived! ;)

Congrats, Cerise, On dropping another pound!

Amarantha, I like all the skinny cows! And everybody's making lo-fat ice cream sandwich things thesedays---Klondike, Slim-Fast. I do so much better with single portion things at home. A 1/2 gallon of ice cream mysteriously disappears. Not good.

How was the fast, Ceara?