End of week 1

It's the end of my first week back to eating healthy and working out regularly. Decided to give myself off today working out, but feeling guilty and might head in anyway to give myself that much of a help for tomorrow's weigh-in, especially since I know I can't get a real workout in tomorrow. It's the first weigh-in at work where we'll see how much we've lost. I weighed myself this morning, and while I had lost weight, I know that I'm retaining some water from not eating very well the past few days. A loss is a loss though, so I am not worrying about it. This is a competition, but just like on Biggest Loser, this is about changing your life, not just losing weight for a competition. That is just motivation...not the end result.

I thank God that I have found some new things to add to my list of things I like that don't seem like "diet food". I have always loved blackened chicken or fish, and I don't know why I hadn't tried that before. I looked it up, and found that it's easy! The recipe I found was a cinch and the ingredients I found for this version "blackened" was just the following:

1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
(I added another 1/4-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper)
1 Tbsp olive oil

You get the spice mixed and spread on a plate, put the fish/chicken down on it, and let it sit for awhile. Get a skillet and pour the oil in it, and get it nice and hot. Then put the fish (spice side down) in the skillet and cook for about 3-4 mins. While that's cooking, I took the rest of the spices and put them on the unspiced side that's up. Then, flip the fish and cook another 3-4 mins. And you're done! I hate fishy tasting fish, so I prefer the tilapia's, mahi-mahi's, etc. Mahi is actually my favorite because it's more of a steak-like fish, with it usually being pretty thick and chewy.

Another thing that I've discovered is Hummus. I didn't realize that all hummus is, is squished up chick peas. Well I LOVE chick peas on my salad, and so I knew I "should" love hummus. I went to buy some in the deli section of my grocery store, and found that they had TONS of different kinds! I picked up two flavors..."Roasted Red Pepper", and "Spicy Southwestern". BOTH were amazing! The red pepper one was a little more bland tasting, but the southwestern one had AMAZING flavor! You can use hummus as dip for crackers, vegetables, as a mayo substitute, etc. Hummus is an AMAZING source of protein. You gotta be careful of the calories, so just keep an eye on that part.

Taking the above, I actually combined the two. I made some wheat toast and put the hummus on it, then made the blackened mahi. I ate it slow, and the flavors really complimented each other. Now, if only I could remember these types of things when I'm struggling to find something healthy. Usually my creativity is the hardest to find when it's dinner time. ;)

Biggest Loser - Work Edition

I'm getting a bunch of people together for a Biggest Loser challenge at work. The goal, to lose the biggest PERCENTAGE of weight. Winner gets a cash prize. I didn't want it to be all about the money though, and wanted to create a community of accountability, and so instead of just starting the competition and letting them go their own way, I'm scheduling weekly lunches to get together and talk, share ideas, tips, etc. Afterwards I send out an email to the group with notes I prepared and additional information gathered from the meeting. Here is email #1, in hopes it can help some of you:

There are many tools to connect with and help you on your journey. A site I showed the group today, and that I personally use is called www.DailyBurn.com. It’s a GREAT and FREE site (with a paid “Pro” added content version as well if you choose), that has MANY amazing things to help you with your goals, meal planner, daily intake, calorie counter, etc.

Tips:
1. We all know that watching your caloric intake is the biggest part to losing weight, but you also need to REALLY pay attention to your salt/sodium intake! A trainer once told me to focus on keeping it around 600-ish mg’s of sodium per meal…so around 1800-ish mg’s a day.
2. Healthy snacks, and snacks to curb your appetite are hard to find, as we all like and don’t like various things. Try unsalted almonds. Just 12 of those will curb hunger. Also, for late night snacking, if you absolutely need something, drink a large glass of milk! It gives you nutrients, healthy calories, and coats your stomach and thus tames down the stomach acid that may be churning and making you feel hungry. Protein Bars are good once in a while too.
3. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Dehydration feels the same as hunger pangs, so make sure you take assessment of how much water you’ve had, before going for your healthy snack.
4. Chew gum or ice if you are wanting food but know you don’t need it. The act of chewing may help curb your desire to eat something.
5. “Healthy shakes” (ie: Smoothie King) are actually not very good for you. Sure, they give you lots of vitamins, etc, but they are almost always LOADED with sugar.
6. Sugar is OKAY…not sugar in the form of packets of sugar, etc…but natural sugar in foods (ie: fruit, etc) is OKAY right now in your diet, because again, caloric intake is the highest thing to be aware of (followed by sodium/salt).
7. Do whatever you can to workout. Just by changing how you eat you will drop weight, but adding any sort of workout at all, will DRASTICALLY help! We all have favorite shows we watch at night (*cough* Biggest Loser is on tonight…GREAT motivation! *cough*), so try walking/jogging in place, or doing jumping jacks, etc, during commercials.
8. You’ve heard to not eat after a certain hour at night, well that’s kind of true. You should not eat four hours before you go to bed…or better yet, don’t eat bad if you know you are going to do nothing the rest of the night.
9. Try eating reverse sized meals…instead of eating a small breakfast, larger lunch, and then big dinner, eat the reverse…big breakfast, normal lunch, smaller dinner. That way you have a better chance at burning more calories that you’ve eaten throughout the day.
10. Focus on having at least 5-6 meals a day…your normal meals, and then a small snack between meals (maybe a hard-boiled egg, unsalted almonds, etc…something more protein based…or some fruit). A protein shake is a great meal-replacement, or snack. You can get the ready-made stuff you just pour, or can save money and buy the large bags of powder you just mix with water/milk. Great over ice!
11. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL!!! How can you TRULY tell how well you’ve been eating if you can’t sit down and look at actual numbers. Sure that meal may have been small, but how many calories was in that steak…those fries…etc. There are many paper/online methods.
12. I subscribe to Runner’s World’s, “Daily Motivation” emails. It’s a daily quick sentence or two to help motivate. There are many sites like this, and many apps I’ve seen on the iPhone for this type of thing as well.


Software:
iPod Touch/iPhone users: There is a free app for the DailyBurn site, as well as a cheap app called “FoodScanner”, where you can scan the barcode on the food you’re eating and it automatically adds it to food journal for the day. This then syncs to your DailyBurn.com account, for an easy one-stop-shop website to track how you’re doing. If the food you’re eating doesn’t come up, you can input the information manually on the app, and then when you save it, it’s there for you and anyone else who comes across that food in the future!
Windows Mobile/Palm/Blackberry users: Sorry, I didn’t have enough time to find something for you, but I do know that DailyBurn was at least in the process of getting apps for your platform as well! If you know of any kind of app, let us know!

So there you have it. That was what we talked about this first meeting, and we didn’t even get to the real parts I wanted to. Each Tuesday we’ll meet and go over our victories/struggles we had for the week (if you so choose to), discuss things we’ve found that could help others (using Ms Dash spices vs salt – they have 10+ kinds of Ms Dash…Garlic, Onion, Chipotle, Lemon, etc), and other things that might help us. Even though this is a competition to find the Biggest Loser of the company, "we’re all in this together" (thank you High School Musical), and I want to see us ALL succeed! I have things planned for individual/team competitions throughout these three months, so I hope you’re excited and ready to lose with me.

And lastly, please spend time with the Father, as well as keep all of us in prayer. Being totally honest here…food has always been my “drug”, and for those like me, we all know that food is just as addictive as smoking, drugs, etc. So, let’s cover each other, and keep Satan at bay, so that we can give ALL the glory to the Father and show the world what He’s done through us, and how He’s broken these chains!

Not my proudest moment by far.

Gonna be real with the people who read my blog. I've hit rock bottom with my weight again. I knew it was time to turn things around, but I just lost all motivation. Well, the motivation is back, but I can't really hit it hard due to Dr's orders to not push myself other than on a stationary bike, because of the inflammation in my chest. I'm praying that I can get back on track and drop the weight just by eating better and doing the bike most days until I can really step it up and start running again soon.

I upgraded to a Pro account on the DailyBurn site. I had been using the free version, and some iPhone apps they have for a while, and I was deciding on signing back up on the Biggest Loser account again, but this DailyBurn site is about 1/12th the price, and with the economy and us trying to save money, I went that route. I'm done with this weight. I let myself gain almost all of my weight back, even though I know I gained about 10 lbs of the weight enjoying food and making myself sick of the bad stuff the past couple weeks, since I knew I'd be starting it all back up today.

I told myself in the past that it was okay to enjoy the holiday foods, and it is, but I let myself enjoy them TOO much, and it started my eventual slide back to gaining weight. This year, I am purposely starting my eating healthier during the holidays because I need this change, and this was a sure fire way to test my resolve. I know I have it in me to do this. I just need to use/find some people around me who can support me when I get down, and not turn to all the junk in my house. I want to be a spark for my family again, to start turning to healthier alternatives, and not the junk that we turn to. It will be hardest for me during sporting events, and family gatherings, when the food is just sitting there, or when I normally would turn to food for stuff to pass the time (like during sporting events).

Food is like a drug to me. It's my comfort when all else is going crazy. Unfortunately, it's that way for most of my mother's side of the family as well, so maybe I can inspire others. Who knows. I just know that it's possible, and I want it!

I thought about creating a personal blog to jot this journey down for myself, but I decided not to. If you care to read about this journey, read my entries. If not, skip over them. I'll share my struggles, my triumps, and anything else like I was doing initially a year ago. Thank you all for being there for me.

Here I go again! Thanks for coming along with me on this weight loss journey.

Spicy Lime Tilapia & Pepper Stir-Fry

I said in the past that I would try to throw some healthy recipes that I really dig on here, and I have done a horrible job of doing that.  Here is one that I really like, that I found in a Men's Health magazine last month.

Spicy Lime Tilapia

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp red-pepper flakes

2 cups lightly packed baby spinach

12 asparagus tips

2 tilapia fillets (3 to 4 oz each)

2 scallions, sliced

2 lime quarters

Salt & pepper

 

How to make it

To make chili oil, combine the olive oil and red-pepper flakes in a small bowl and microwave it on high for 30 seconds.  Set it aside.  For each serving, lay an 18-ich length of aluminum foil flat on a work surface and arrange half the spinach and six asparagus tips in the center.  Place a fillet on top, and top the fillet with half the scallion pieces, half the chili oil, and the juice from a lime quarter.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and over the food, crimping the edges closed and creasing the sides to form a tent.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Makes 2 servings.

***Alternative to the above:  Since I don't like eating spinach like the way this recipe calls for, I'll make a small salad with that spinach.  And if you don't like the asparagus made this way, feel free to grill it separately with some "I can't believe it's not butter" spray, or steam it for about 3-4 minutes.  

 

Nutritional Info

190 calories

25 g protein

5 g carbs

9 g total fat (1.5g sat fat)

135 mg sodium

 

Pepper Stir-Fry

What you’ll need

1 tsp olive oil

2 bell peppers cut into 1/2” squares

1 clove garlic

½ tsp red-pepper flakes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

 

How to make it

Heat the oil in a medium pan on high.  Add the peppers, garlic clobe and red-pepper flakes, and sauté until browned and blistered lightly.  Add vinegar and cook for 2 mins.  Season to taste.  Makes 2 servings.

 

Nutritional info

60 calories

1 g protein

9 g carbs

3 g fat (0 g sat)

3 g fiber

5 mg sodium

As you can see, you can have the entire meal and heck, even eat both servings and still only top out at a surprisingly small 500 calories!  All that food and you're still about 1/4 of the calories of just ONE Big Mac sandwich from McD's!  If you don't like fish, don't worry, tilapia is a very non-fishy tasting fish.  And as always...get your fish from behind the counter, not the freezer section.  If anyone tries this, feel free to let me know what you think, as well as any suggestions on changing it up a bit, all the while keeping it healthy!

True Lemon

I found this at the Y when I was working out a few weeks back and forgot to mention it. If you like lemon water...no, not lemonade, but the kind of lemon water where you squeeze a lemon wedge in your water, check out True Lemon at your local grocery store or online. It comes in a packet that looks like a sugar packet you'd see in a restaurant. One packet handles a huge glass. I put in two for my 32oz water bottle. It's been yet another option that I put in my arsenal of ways to lose weight. You still get your water, but it's not the same boring no-flavor water. It has helped me many times when I've wanted something other than water, or when I have craved a pop or something else.

Nutrition Facts (per packet):
Calories - 0
Fat - 0
Sodium - 0
Carbs - < 1g
Vitamin C - 25% daily value

So as you can see, there are no negatives to it! Well...unless you don't like lemon in your water.

Sunday Morning

Gustav predictions are still fuzzy, but it looks like it's pointing towards New Orleans again. Those poor people! At least with it being a long holiday weekend, and with how preparation procedures have been drastically changed since Katrina, everyone has been given a lot of time and warning to get ready and get out of town in that area. There have been many reports showing how people have been bussed out of town to shelters farther inland since Friday. And from what I've seen and heard, it's been very civil and orderly, with no issues to report. That's nice to hear that the people of that area aren't going through what they did last time. Since it's too early to tell where Gustav is definitely going, we're still going to get ready in case it takes a turn West like some people are saying it could do. Today we'll pack a suitcase with clothes and necessities. I'll throw some food and other items in the car if the reports say it's coming this way. Some reports are saying that it could hit land, and then circle back around and head West as well. So, we're not out of the woods yet, and we know we'll get plenty of tropical storm rain if nothing else, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Gustav keeps going up and down as far as category...it was a 3, then it ramped up to a 4, and now is back down to a 3. And don't forget the two other hurricanes that are coming afterwards...Hannah, and some other one they haven't named yet. B and I are both critical/emergency employees for our respective jobs, so that means that unless our bosses say "go", we have to be onsite when they need us to. Last time when Rita hit, KSBJ was the only radio station on the air, so we were a voice of hope and reason during the horrible conditions that came through. And with B being a nurse, she definitely is needed during this time. Unfortunately, if this all happens like that, then that would mean that we'll be separated during this ordeal. I would take the kids, only because I think our building is safer, and plus, if we're both needed, I would have a little more time to help take care of them...not to mention more people the kids would know and be more relaxed around.

How about some non-hurricane talk now?!

I received some partially bad news on Friday. The MRI I had done last week on my back and shoulder showed that both will most likely require surgery. I will be speaking with my Dr whenever this hurricane thing passes, because he wasn't available when I called and so I spoke with his assistant. She said that my shoulder shows a partially torn rotator cuff, a large bone spur, and lots of inflammation. My back shows three slipped discs (that's no news to me, as I've had those slipped discs like that for about 10 years), a large bone spur, lots of inflammation, and something else she said (I apologize I can't remember what she said it was) that made me think cancer, but she said it wasn't. She said that I needed to talk to my Dr to get the full explanation, since she isn't a Dr, but has looked at enough MRI's to tell a bit about what she sees. So, again, when this hurricane stuff gets over with, B & I will head in and get his opinion. I don't want surgery if I don't have to, but I have done a lot of things for my back and it's been 10 years. My shoulder is more of the same, except I had surgery and it was pretty good for a handful of years and only lately in the last year or two has it been giving me fits again. Just would like to get rid of or lessen the pain, ya know?

Yesterday, I completed phase 1 of cleaning our garage. That consisted of organizing, trashing, and moving everything in the garage. I completed about 90% of it. The only thing left to do is have B go through the boxes that are left, to see what else she is okay with getting rid of to clean up even more room. What plans do I have for the garage you may ask? Well, I have dreams of cleaning it up so much that I could use half as an actual garage, but those are far fetched dreams. We just ahve too much stuff that we need to store, but not enough storage room for it. So I'll settle for plan B. Use half for storage (hopefully not a full half), and then the other half for my workshop/workout area. The workout area is there already, but I want to put it on the other side of the garage, which it will be once B & I go through the last of the boxes. After going up to Iowa this last time and seeing that I'm the only one on the Roos side of the family that doesn't have a shop, I finally said enough is enough, and it's time to learn it. I'm super pumped too! I'll take pics and show updates as we go.

Yesterday went really well concerning the garage cleanup, but then after I was done, the pain set in. My back is killin' me! Last night I tried ice. No help. This morning I'm trying a heating pad. It seems to help more, but still hurts too bad to do much. Advil didn't touch the pain earlier, so I'm trying ibuprofin. Alieve is usually my drug of choice for pain, but we're out. On top of that, Braden has diarhea and Jaelyn is puking a bunch. Poor Avery is gonna be leaned on something fierce today.

The workouts have been going really well. I burned 1000 calories in a workout on the elliptical machine this week because "I just wanted to see if I could do it". I also then started running on a track instead of a treadmill, because I wanted to get outside instead of looking at the same tv/wall that I see at the Y. So, after my first five minute warm-up walk, I started to run. I ran my first two laps and said "what the heck, let's see if I can do a mile". I did it! It was in nine minutes, but I was able to do it. Not fast, but not slow (at least in my eyes). Now, my buddy Doug from Iowa, and I are going to keep an online spreadsheet up to date with our progress. This way we can push each other and try help each other get up there in running. Who knows, maybe some day we'll run a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon together later! Getting in shape was tough to do mentally in the beginning, because I had hit my lowest of lows, and even though I'm not where I want to be physically or mentally, it's so fun to see where I started and where I am now, as well as where I am planning to go!

Well it's time to wrap this up, because Evan is dying to sit on my lap and he keeps hitting buttons while I praying he doesn't erase this post (as he's done in the past). Have a great rest of the long weekend. Pray for the people in the path of this hurricane.

God bless.

Healthy living #2

Hey kiddos, sorry that I kind of forgot that I was starting to blog about more healthy eating tidbits up in this piece!

Here is what I am REALLY enjoying when needing to add something to give a dish a little more of a "kick"...


That's right...Tabasco has a newer flavor...Chipotle! The only side with it, is the usual for any topping usually...the sodium. It's okay to use it in moderation, as even in small amounts, the smoky flavor and tabasco hotness come out amazingly well! Think some plain chicken from the grill...and then add this to it. Sprinkle some on top when finished so you save on "over-dipping" calories, then add your steamed veggies and maybe some fruit, and viola, only your sodium from the chipotle is there, which doesn't hurt at all! I HIGHLY recommend picking up the biggest bottle your local grocery store sells, and add it to any meat/egg dish you cook. Heck, you can even use it as a marinade!

Here is a link to the official site.

Enjoy!

E's Favorite Health Food

In a new weekly post, I will list a few of my favorite healthy foods. May be a product, a piece of food, or an entire meal. This week, I'll give you all three to wet your appetite for more. Let me know what you think, if you ever use or make what I put on here.

Product: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter SPRAY - It contains virtually NO negative anything. It's ZERO calories, ZERO fat, ZERO everyone...except taste. I'm a HUGE butter lover, so when I saw this in one of the recipes on the Biggest Loser site, I was skeptical, but figured I needed to change my thoughts on it all. I was impressed! It tastes GREAT, and the guilt factor on using a few more sprays than the serving size won't hurt you either. Click the link above to read the nutritional info.

Piece of Food: CHICKEN. Hands down my favorite piece of meat if I can't have a juicy steak. And since steak won't be on my diet much, I'm glad I like this meat so much. I can have it any way, and I'll love it. Yum.

Recipe: This is from the Biggest Loser website, since that's what I've followed 99% of the time for the last three weeks. It's my favorite lunch time meal that is super easy to make if you don't have time to cook anything bigger, and something I make most days of the week anyway, because it tastes great and it is that easy.

Andrea's Turkey Wrap

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces 99% fat free ground turkey breast
2 pieces butter lettuce - you use the lettuce as your bun, and you put a little butter on it - OR the spray from above!!! (you can use any lettuce that is big enough to use as your bun)
8 thin slices cucumber
2 tablespoons low fat miso Caesar dressing (I use Kraft Lite Italian)
2 tablespoons fresh alfalfa sprouts
2 tablespoons fresh bean sprouts
Salt and pepper to taste

Form the turkey into one patty, about 4 ½ inches in diameter. Season the patty with salt and pepper (or any low/non-salt spice you want) and grill until cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side (I've found that 7 mins in a George Forman grill is perfect).

Cut the patty in half and place each half in the center of one of the butter lettuce leaves. Top burgers with vegetables. Drizzle with dressing, and wrap lettuce around burger and vegetables.

I never have the bean sprouts on hand, but I do have (and LOVE) alfalfa sprouts, so I have the recipe minus the bean sprouts, and then go no salt and heavy pepper (LOVE PEPPER!!!).

Yeild: 2 servings - Notice, you are making TWO burgers. My meals only say to eat one serving, so what I do it make one, then throw the other burger in the fridge to have the next day's lunch.


There you go. Hope you enjoyed this little post I'll be doing regularly. Keep checking back. Not sure when I'll update this regular posting, but I plan to do it sooner than later for right now.

E