The Not-So-New Me – February 12, 2009

I have been quite delinquent in posting about my diet and exercise changes over the last couple of weeks.  The good news is that I haven’t been terribly delinquent in the actual practice.

One problem is that I had about two weeks of what seemed like constant migraines, including a trip to the Emergency Department.  Because of that, I have been quite hit and miss with recording things on SparkPeople.

Some things, though, have gone well.  I have started packaging our snack food in zip-top sandwich bags in about 100 calorie increments.  I have also taken to measuring my ice cream so that I get a 150 calorie serving (when I don’t have an ice cream sandwich).  I’ve been eating some fruit and a couple of veggies each day.

Exercise has also been tough.  I did get my complete workout at the health club set up and ready to go.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to actually go and do it.  I have been pretty consistent on the treadmill – I only skip it if I have a really rip-roaring migraine.

We’re about to leave on a week-long trip, so my goals are modest.  Don’t eat everything in sight and try to take a walk every couple of days.  When I get back, I’ll get going on recording what I eat with more diligence.

The “Not So New Me” – January 18, 2009

This week, I have come to some more “awarenesses” (as my counselor would say).  I’m slowly starting to exercise more and become more active on my better days.  I’m not nearly as hungry and am obsessing on food less than I was a month ago.

My food goal this week was to come up with some meals and snacks so I don’t have to think much about food preparation.

300 calorie – breakfast or lunch

• 1 cup barley/TVP – I put 1 cup dry TVP and 2 cups barley in the crock pot with five cups of broth (chicken is best).  I cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.  After it’s cooled, I put it in the fridge and serve 1 cup at a time.
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich – 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 Tbsp jelly, 2 slices and bread.
• 1 cup Cheerios with 1 cup milk and 1 tsp. sugar, orange juice
• 1/2 package of Lipton Pasta Sides, prepared.  (I usually do this just when one of the kids is already making it.)
• 2 Tbsp. Rondele Garlic and Herb Cheese with 15 Triscuit Thin Crisps
• 3/4 cup Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, prepared.

200 calorie (approximate) – snacks

• Nabisco 100 calorie snacks with 1 cup milk.
• 2 Tbsp chocolate chips with 1 cup milk.
• 1 Tbsp Rondele cheese with 7 Triscuit Thin Crisps
• 2 graham crackers with 1 cup milk
• 1 ice cream sandwich (preferable Skinny Cow, but Kemps are cheaper)
• 2 ounces string cheese with 7 Triscuit Thin Crisps
• 1 medium apple with 1 ounce string cheese
• 1 cup grapes with 1 ounce string cheese

Of course, fresh veggies can always be added to any of these, although I have to be careful about the amount of dressing I use.

The nice thing about this list is that I don’t have to think about the food.  I make sure I keep the basics around the house.  When I need a snack, I just pick something off the list and get it.  None of it requires much preparation.

My exercise has gone pretty well this week.  I’m up from averaging a 25 minute walk at 2.0 mph to 30 or more minutes at 2.4 to 2.5 mph.  I only went to the health club once this week, so I seriously need to remedy that this week.  It’s clear from my food diaries that I need to increase my metabolism in order to actually lose weight.

So, what are my goals for next week?  My food goal is to increase my fruit and vegetable servings to three each day.  Yes, I know it should be more (I took lots of nutrition classes), but I’ve got to start where we are.  I usually have two veggies at dinner, and maybe some orange juice in the morning.  I think I will start with either orange juice or an apple each day along with veggies at dinner.  I’m not a big veggie fan, so this is going to take some time.

My exercise goal is to continue regular walking, go to the health club twice this week, meet with my trainer this week (still need to get my Day 3 exercises), and go cross country skiing once this week (the weather is going to be gorgeous and about 20 degrees – perfect for skiing).  It looks like a lot, but the only new things are increasing my health club time and cross country skiing.

BTW, my total weight loss is four pounds.  It seems like such a drop in the bucket, but I’ve got 207 SparkPoints for the month of January.  I don’t know if that’s really good or not, but I’ll keep track over the next few months and see how I do.