First I will update you on my weight loss...I am down to 166.6 this morning, so down 1.5 pounds! I feel great! My pants are loose, my fiancee is noticing and I feel better then I have in a long time! It may only be a few pounds but it feels fantastic and I am going to stick with that feeling!
I thought today I would discuss oatmeal. I was one of those people who hated oatmeal, in any form, with milk or water, with brown or white sugar, with raisons or fruit...it just tasted like paste. My fiancee religiously eats Oatmeal, almostly everyday and swears by it. I on the other hand, for years had either toast or a bagal with peanut butter, every morning, without fail. I am known as the carb queen by my family and my standard breakfast was so well known that when I stayed at families houses they ensured they had whole wheat (to make it kinda healthy) bagels for me!
One morning I was discussing why I hated oatmeal with my fiancee, while he chowed down on his huge bowl. I explained it tasted bland and like paste and the warmth of it didn't jive with the cup of tea I always had with breakfast. So he goes "why not having it for lunch or a snack?". I routinely eat out for lunch because I hate sandwhiches and nothing I make seems to fill me up like a wrap from the local deli. I then addressed the taste issue with him and he pulls out the huge bag of frozen fruit we have in the freezer and says "microwave for a few seconds and dump this in there, it sweetens it up...and always make oatmeal with milk".
So I packed my 1 cup of milk, with my half a cup of quaker oats (not the packaged stuff, true oats), with a little over half a cup of frozen fruit (blackberries, strawberries and blueberries). Lunchtime came and I dumped the oatmeal in, set it for a few minutes and walked away...DO NOT WALK AWAY! It exploded! To say the least! I caught it before it got really bad and salvaged my lunch, thank goodness I put my 1 cup of milk in on oversize salad tupperware container, otherwise the office would have hated me!
Anyways! I stirred my oatmeal, nuked my fruit, dumped it in, and stirred that for a good 15 secs. My first bite, it was ok, not super. Not sweet enough so I got some Splenda, half a packet and magic! It was DELICIOUS!!! Not only that but I could barely finish it and come late afternoon I was still stuffed. I didn't have an afternoon crash, didn't get super hungry and crave a junk snack, it kept me satisfied all day and because of the fruit and splenda the sweet tooth craving I usually have around lunch was nixed!
Also, it is the easiest lunch to make! It is now my staple! I even eat it for dinner occassionaly if my boyfriend is studying at school late. It has replaced my pasta nights as it nixes my carb and sweet tooth craving and keeps me full like a 600 calorie dinner!
One last piece of info, stay away from the pre-measured, little packets of quaker oatmeal. These really are gross and overpriced for what you get and look below these packages in the grocery isle and pick up a big bag of rolled or quick cooking oats for cheap! I will enjoy my lunch today...will you?
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Friday, 25 November 2011
My First Week in Review
It has been my first week back at it! However I will start from Saturday, day 2 of being back at it! I made a delicious (if I do say so myself) anniversary dinner for my fiance and I. Roast chicken with veggies, Weight Watchers Corn Bread (which was only meh...little dry), and for dessert a lemon pie, also a WW Recipe, but this one was 2 thumbs up! I was off to a great start.
Until Sunday....I went Condo shopping with my parents (I am a real estate agent by trade) and by 1pm I was starving and they wanted Swiss Chalet. I forgot my WW eating out book so I was left to guess. I must have had a brain fart cause I ordered the Chicken Wrap and Ceasar Salad. I know it is common knowledge that restaurant Ceasar Salads are the worst, but for some reason, it slipped my mind when I placed my order.
Well lets just say that meal alone was about 30 points! I just blew through my flex points and to put it bluntly, felt like shit about it! Anyways, nothing I could do about it, it was already in my tummy. Live and learn...to bring my freaking book next time!
Anyways, the rest of the week was decent. Mad cravings but that is to be expected. I finally got on the scale this week and was down half a pound. I won't lie, I was dissapointed but at the same time, I am still down, even after a not so steller first week. AND THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME!
Weight Watchers works, if you stick with it is really does, and even though I ate almost all my flex, I did not go over, I did not ruin my diet and I still lost. If I stop at any point, my journey stops and this weight will never come off. It was a setback, it sucks, but sometimes shit just happens. I am not going to let my mind get in the way of my body losing weight.
This is my resolve for this week. As I want the weight to come off fast, I am cutting the flex points in half to 25. This should speed up my weight loss to about a pound per week which keeps me motivated. This makes it harder but I have to keep in mind, I want to do it this way to lose it faster.
Now my only thought....why did I start this 4 weeks until Christmas...Stay tuned for Holiday Survival Guides and Mind over Taste Bud Cravings!
Until Sunday....I went Condo shopping with my parents (I am a real estate agent by trade) and by 1pm I was starving and they wanted Swiss Chalet. I forgot my WW eating out book so I was left to guess. I must have had a brain fart cause I ordered the Chicken Wrap and Ceasar Salad. I know it is common knowledge that restaurant Ceasar Salads are the worst, but for some reason, it slipped my mind when I placed my order.
Well lets just say that meal alone was about 30 points! I just blew through my flex points and to put it bluntly, felt like shit about it! Anyways, nothing I could do about it, it was already in my tummy. Live and learn...to bring my freaking book next time!
Anyways, the rest of the week was decent. Mad cravings but that is to be expected. I finally got on the scale this week and was down half a pound. I won't lie, I was dissapointed but at the same time, I am still down, even after a not so steller first week. AND THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME!
Weight Watchers works, if you stick with it is really does, and even though I ate almost all my flex, I did not go over, I did not ruin my diet and I still lost. If I stop at any point, my journey stops and this weight will never come off. It was a setback, it sucks, but sometimes shit just happens. I am not going to let my mind get in the way of my body losing weight.
This is my resolve for this week. As I want the weight to come off fast, I am cutting the flex points in half to 25. This should speed up my weight loss to about a pound per week which keeps me motivated. This makes it harder but I have to keep in mind, I want to do it this way to lose it faster.
Now my only thought....why did I start this 4 weeks until Christmas...Stay tuned for Holiday Survival Guides and Mind over Taste Bud Cravings!
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
It's Been a Very...Very...Long time
Hello Fellow Bloggers,
Well it happened and I have been too ashamed to blog about it until now. I fell off the wagon...hard! My grandmother died, I went away to the funeral and it all fell to hell. This was in May. It is now November and I am hating myself again. I have gained back the weight I lost and I am not a happy camper. What I swore would only be 1 week while I was away with my family turned into Spring and then turned into Summer and with vacation and how hard it is to eat well at the cottage, I put off getting back on the wagon until Labour Day. That has now come and gone and the winter blues have set in and unhappiness with my body is returning.
After a long, heartfelt talk with my now Fiance (yes we got engaged) and how I want to look really good for our wedding and lose my double chin, I decided if I don't do anything about my weight, and my wedding comes, I will be so unbelievably dissapointed in myself. Let me make this clear, I am not losing weight to be skinny on my wedding day, I am using my wedding day as my motivation, as my end date on when this has to be done by.
My Fiance is a very healthy, very fit guy who works out very hard at least 3-4 days a week. I don't get where his motivation comes from, but I applaud him. In a moment of honesty he told me he loves me as I am but my tummy fat is what concern him, as whatever tummy fat I can pinch, about twice as much is coating my abdomen and organs...which scared the crap out of me. He advised me to lose as much weight as it took to get my tummy down 2-3 inches, which on my small 5'2'' frame is about 20 pounds.
As I start right now, I weight in at 168.2 pounds this morning. My goal is 1/2 a pound a week using Weight Watchers. My goal weight is 150 and which time I will reevaluate if I want to continue losing or maintain. That means August of 2012 I should be at my goal weight, with a year to spare before my wedding, time for toning and keeping the weight off.
Anyways, I will keep you updated on my journey, as I am not more motivated then ever. Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated as they keep me going.
And don't worry I will keep my new recipes coming!
Well it happened and I have been too ashamed to blog about it until now. I fell off the wagon...hard! My grandmother died, I went away to the funeral and it all fell to hell. This was in May. It is now November and I am hating myself again. I have gained back the weight I lost and I am not a happy camper. What I swore would only be 1 week while I was away with my family turned into Spring and then turned into Summer and with vacation and how hard it is to eat well at the cottage, I put off getting back on the wagon until Labour Day. That has now come and gone and the winter blues have set in and unhappiness with my body is returning.
After a long, heartfelt talk with my now Fiance (yes we got engaged) and how I want to look really good for our wedding and lose my double chin, I decided if I don't do anything about my weight, and my wedding comes, I will be so unbelievably dissapointed in myself. Let me make this clear, I am not losing weight to be skinny on my wedding day, I am using my wedding day as my motivation, as my end date on when this has to be done by.
My Fiance is a very healthy, very fit guy who works out very hard at least 3-4 days a week. I don't get where his motivation comes from, but I applaud him. In a moment of honesty he told me he loves me as I am but my tummy fat is what concern him, as whatever tummy fat I can pinch, about twice as much is coating my abdomen and organs...which scared the crap out of me. He advised me to lose as much weight as it took to get my tummy down 2-3 inches, which on my small 5'2'' frame is about 20 pounds.
As I start right now, I weight in at 168.2 pounds this morning. My goal is 1/2 a pound a week using Weight Watchers. My goal weight is 150 and which time I will reevaluate if I want to continue losing or maintain. That means August of 2012 I should be at my goal weight, with a year to spare before my wedding, time for toning and keeping the weight off.
Anyways, I will keep you updated on my journey, as I am not more motivated then ever. Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated as they keep me going.
And don't worry I will keep my new recipes coming!
Friday, 6 May 2011
Weight-In Day!
Today is Friday and yes, the dreaded weigh-in day! I woke up this morning, stripped into my birthday suit, and got on the scale awaiting the results. As the scale calculated (reminding me of the biggest loser) the anticipation set in...will I lose this week? Finally the numbers stopped clicking and came to a stop...166.8...down 2.4 pounds! I felt like dancing (and may have done a little naked jig). I haven't seen that number since last september!
Needless to say I am ecstatic and more motivated then ever! My clothes are fitting better and my boyfriend says it is noticable now (down a total of 6.6 pounds). As I reflect on my week I am noting what I am doing that works and where I have failed so many times before.
I am Italian, and a pasta addict. A good part of my ass inflation is due to pasta...yummy, yummy carbs. And believe me, I miss it. I miss the easiness of making it, the cheesiness of the fresh parmesan and the meat in the sauce. However, as I fantasized about pasta this past week (and actually had a dream about it) I realized it really is not good for me. I want to live as long as I can and this kind of food is just not good for me. So I decided on a compromise and pulled out my handy weight watchers (cannot say enough good things about this program) recipe book. I found a delicious and healthy spaghetti recipe (see below). I cooked it up and to my delight (as well as my boyfriends) it was VERY yummy and it killed my craving.
I am starting to realize through this journey, that in order to lose and to keep it off, I must find substitute recipes for the dishes I love. I can have pasta, I just have to prepare it in a certain way. Deprivation is not in my vocabulary, and therefore substitutes must exist for my sanity and happiness. I am learning to think about food differently and to cook differently. I can have pasta, or cake or whatever...as long as I cook it in the healthiest way and have the proper proportion.
I do not like saying to people I am on a "diet". Diet implies deprivation and in order to make this stick you cannot deprive yourself. That is my lesson to myself this week, not to deprive myself but to find alternatives to indulge in.
As for the Pasta Recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Healthy Spaghetti
Serves 6
5 Points Plus per serving
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 garlic glove chopped
1 pound extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey which is even better for you)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried basil
2 cups whole wheat spaghetti cooked and kept hot
1) Heat pan with 1/2 of oil and add carrots, onion and garlic. Cook for about 6 minutes.
2) In another pan, heat other half of oil and cook ground beef or turkey, until browned and breaking up clumps.
3) Add the meat to the carrots, onion and garlic.
4) Add crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes and basil to pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes for flavours to blend.
Serve 2/3 cup of sauce over 1/2 of spaghetti.
For Parmesan, the healthiest I have found is Presidents Choice 40% less fat which is 1 point for every tablespoon. You can use any parmesan cheese you want, just make sure it is the lowest in fat you can find.
Hope you enjoy your carb fix this week!
Needless to say I am ecstatic and more motivated then ever! My clothes are fitting better and my boyfriend says it is noticable now (down a total of 6.6 pounds). As I reflect on my week I am noting what I am doing that works and where I have failed so many times before.
I am Italian, and a pasta addict. A good part of my ass inflation is due to pasta...yummy, yummy carbs. And believe me, I miss it. I miss the easiness of making it, the cheesiness of the fresh parmesan and the meat in the sauce. However, as I fantasized about pasta this past week (and actually had a dream about it) I realized it really is not good for me. I want to live as long as I can and this kind of food is just not good for me. So I decided on a compromise and pulled out my handy weight watchers (cannot say enough good things about this program) recipe book. I found a delicious and healthy spaghetti recipe (see below). I cooked it up and to my delight (as well as my boyfriends) it was VERY yummy and it killed my craving.
I am starting to realize through this journey, that in order to lose and to keep it off, I must find substitute recipes for the dishes I love. I can have pasta, I just have to prepare it in a certain way. Deprivation is not in my vocabulary, and therefore substitutes must exist for my sanity and happiness. I am learning to think about food differently and to cook differently. I can have pasta, or cake or whatever...as long as I cook it in the healthiest way and have the proper proportion.
I do not like saying to people I am on a "diet". Diet implies deprivation and in order to make this stick you cannot deprive yourself. That is my lesson to myself this week, not to deprive myself but to find alternatives to indulge in.
As for the Pasta Recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Healthy Spaghetti
Serves 6
5 Points Plus per serving
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 garlic glove chopped
1 pound extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey which is even better for you)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried basil
2 cups whole wheat spaghetti cooked and kept hot
1) Heat pan with 1/2 of oil and add carrots, onion and garlic. Cook for about 6 minutes.
2) In another pan, heat other half of oil and cook ground beef or turkey, until browned and breaking up clumps.
3) Add the meat to the carrots, onion and garlic.
4) Add crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes and basil to pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes for flavours to blend.
Serve 2/3 cup of sauce over 1/2 of spaghetti.
For Parmesan, the healthiest I have found is Presidents Choice 40% less fat which is 1 point for every tablespoon. You can use any parmesan cheese you want, just make sure it is the lowest in fat you can find.
Hope you enjoy your carb fix this week!
Sunday, 1 May 2011
The Hardest 2 Weeks!
Well it is official...I have stayed on this diet or "lifestyle change" for 2 weeks...the longest without falling off once. I know, my willpower is amazing (sarcasm). I didn't even fall off through the difficult Easter weekend. Don't get me wrong, I came close. I walked into Fortinos and beelined for my favourite pasta salad. I ordered it and as I was walking to the cash I looked at it and realized if I chose to eat this, what it would symbolize. It wasn't just 10 minutes of tastiness, but the symbolism of completely falling off the wagon in only a week in. Of falling back into my old habits, those habits that got me to this point.
I was in the pharmacy section now and as I looked at that pasta salad I had no desire for it. All that fantasizing about how good it would be after a long hard week without my comfort food just dissappeared and I was left feeling disgusted with myself that I came that close. I placed it on a shelf and promptly walked out of the store.
Now I use to rationalize this as a "treat" for myself, but really a week in...do I even deserve a treat? And why should a treat be food? Isn't that counterproductive? You watch every morsel that goes into your mouth then treat yourself with something awful for you. Why not an alternative treat? How about a cute pair of pants you fit into now that you have had your eye on. I think this would make me feel better then 10 minutes of tastiness.
As I progress through this I am starting to realize that you can fully enjoy yummy food that is decent and good for you. How about yummy frozen yogurt over ice cream? To me, frogurt is my favourite dessert now and I don't even desire the fattier ice cream anymore. Such a large part of this journey is re-programming my brain to enjoy these healthy foods and see what junk food really is...completely bad for you. This retraining is becoming key to my sanity during this period.
On another note, I love to bake and part of what got me through the difficult Easter weekend was being able to have dessert. So I voluntereed to make dessert and here is my new favourite recipe, a twist on a classic that is quite delicious and much better for you.
Tiramisu...the healthier and easier way.
What you need:
8 Inch Loaf Pan
Fat free Angel food cake mix from store (Betty Crocker is my favourite)
12 oz low fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 oz Semi-sweet chocolate, grated
4 oz of coffee, the nice the brew of coffee the better the taste
1) Bake the angel food cake as per the directions on the box.
2) After it cools, cut it into 12 equal pieces.
3) In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract well.
4) Combine Cocoa and grated chocolate in a seperate bowl.
5) Dip the pieces of angel food cake, one by one, in the coffee and then place into the loaf pan, crosswise. Break the pieces if necessary to coat the bottom of the pan with angel food cake.
6) Spread 1/3 of Cream Cheese mixture on top of the angel food cake and then sprinkle a 1/3 of the cocoa and chocolate on top of this. Repeat this for another 2 layers, ending with a sprinkling of the cocoa and chocolate on top.
7) Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow it to firm up.
Slice into 8 equal servings. Each serving is 5 Pointsplus from Weight watchers.
I got lots of applause for this recipe and noone knew it was Weight Watchers!
And in case you were wondering as this is a weight loss blog, I am down 5 pounds in 2 weeks!
I was in the pharmacy section now and as I looked at that pasta salad I had no desire for it. All that fantasizing about how good it would be after a long hard week without my comfort food just dissappeared and I was left feeling disgusted with myself that I came that close. I placed it on a shelf and promptly walked out of the store.
Now I use to rationalize this as a "treat" for myself, but really a week in...do I even deserve a treat? And why should a treat be food? Isn't that counterproductive? You watch every morsel that goes into your mouth then treat yourself with something awful for you. Why not an alternative treat? How about a cute pair of pants you fit into now that you have had your eye on. I think this would make me feel better then 10 minutes of tastiness.
As I progress through this I am starting to realize that you can fully enjoy yummy food that is decent and good for you. How about yummy frozen yogurt over ice cream? To me, frogurt is my favourite dessert now and I don't even desire the fattier ice cream anymore. Such a large part of this journey is re-programming my brain to enjoy these healthy foods and see what junk food really is...completely bad for you. This retraining is becoming key to my sanity during this period.
On another note, I love to bake and part of what got me through the difficult Easter weekend was being able to have dessert. So I voluntereed to make dessert and here is my new favourite recipe, a twist on a classic that is quite delicious and much better for you.
Tiramisu...the healthier and easier way.
What you need:
8 Inch Loaf Pan
Fat free Angel food cake mix from store (Betty Crocker is my favourite)
12 oz low fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 oz Semi-sweet chocolate, grated
4 oz of coffee, the nice the brew of coffee the better the taste
1) Bake the angel food cake as per the directions on the box.
2) After it cools, cut it into 12 equal pieces.
3) In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract well.
4) Combine Cocoa and grated chocolate in a seperate bowl.
5) Dip the pieces of angel food cake, one by one, in the coffee and then place into the loaf pan, crosswise. Break the pieces if necessary to coat the bottom of the pan with angel food cake.
6) Spread 1/3 of Cream Cheese mixture on top of the angel food cake and then sprinkle a 1/3 of the cocoa and chocolate on top of this. Repeat this for another 2 layers, ending with a sprinkling of the cocoa and chocolate on top.
7) Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow it to firm up.
Slice into 8 equal servings. Each serving is 5 Pointsplus from Weight watchers.
I got lots of applause for this recipe and noone knew it was Weight Watchers!
And in case you were wondering as this is a weight loss blog, I am down 5 pounds in 2 weeks!
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Introduction
According to Stats Canada, 23.1% (5.5 Milllion) of Canadians age 18+ are obese. I, for many years, was not in this category and could never understand heavier people. I couldn't understand why they couldn't "just take off the weight" as if thinking it and wanting it would magically make it happen. Quite frankly, I was ignorant to the plight of millions of Canadian who battle this every single day.
As I said, I never understood...until I became one of them.
A little background on myself. My name is Kirstin and I am a 23 year old female who is average in about every way. I went to university, I graduated, I am now employed full-time, in an office job. I am painfully normal. However, I suffer from generalized anxiety and as a result, when I was 20 years old was put on an anti-anxiety medication.
Prior to medication, I did have anxiety attacks and a nervous tummy that kept me at a slim 125-130 pounds and a size 4 for many, many years. With my new found calmness and appetite, I have since eaten my way in 3 and 1/2 years to 173.4 pounds. My heaviest ever. Considering I am 5'2'', this is extremely unhealthy. I have transformed my body from a size 4 to a size 12-14 and gained 39 pounds, simply from shoving my face full of stuff that I shouldn't.
I could blame the meds, I could blame the university lifestyle, I could blame my family for feeding me yummy foods...but at the end of the day, I put the stuff in my mouth and now its comfortable on my ass...which has increase 8 1/2 inches since my size 4 body.
Well, I have had enough. I am beginning my weight loss journey because I want to take off 33 pounds and be a comfortable 140 pounds.
Some of you may ask why not aim for my 125-130 pound body and the answer to that is this: at that weight I was skipping meals, barely eating and generally not very healthy as my anxiety revved up my metabolism. Therefore, in order to be anixiety-free and healthy I am aiming for 140 pounds. When I was at this weight, I was a size 6 and looked my healthiest, in my opinion.
Switching gears now...this blog will serve as my motivation, my confessional and hopefully be an outlet to others who struggle with their weight. I invite you to follow my journey to watch my butt shrink!!!
Sources: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults-adultes/8060-eng.htm
As I said, I never understood...until I became one of them.
A little background on myself. My name is Kirstin and I am a 23 year old female who is average in about every way. I went to university, I graduated, I am now employed full-time, in an office job. I am painfully normal. However, I suffer from generalized anxiety and as a result, when I was 20 years old was put on an anti-anxiety medication.
Prior to medication, I did have anxiety attacks and a nervous tummy that kept me at a slim 125-130 pounds and a size 4 for many, many years. With my new found calmness and appetite, I have since eaten my way in 3 and 1/2 years to 173.4 pounds. My heaviest ever. Considering I am 5'2'', this is extremely unhealthy. I have transformed my body from a size 4 to a size 12-14 and gained 39 pounds, simply from shoving my face full of stuff that I shouldn't.
I could blame the meds, I could blame the university lifestyle, I could blame my family for feeding me yummy foods...but at the end of the day, I put the stuff in my mouth and now its comfortable on my ass...which has increase 8 1/2 inches since my size 4 body.
Well, I have had enough. I am beginning my weight loss journey because I want to take off 33 pounds and be a comfortable 140 pounds.
Some of you may ask why not aim for my 125-130 pound body and the answer to that is this: at that weight I was skipping meals, barely eating and generally not very healthy as my anxiety revved up my metabolism. Therefore, in order to be anixiety-free and healthy I am aiming for 140 pounds. When I was at this weight, I was a size 6 and looked my healthiest, in my opinion.
Switching gears now...this blog will serve as my motivation, my confessional and hopefully be an outlet to others who struggle with their weight. I invite you to follow my journey to watch my butt shrink!!!
Sources: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults-adultes/8060-eng.htm
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