Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Hi everyone! It's time to lay out your fat pants because things are going to get real starting Thursday. I don't even want to talk about my "cute" second chin that visits this time of year right now.  I'm feeling super depressed about my belly so I'm trying to make these last weeks of 2014 fly by so I can officially get back on track.  I am trying to keep the winter fat storing to a minimum so I am counting calories today through Wednesday.  I'm just hoping I can resist everything until then. Obviously, Thanksgiving is going to be a day in which I defy all logic and show my family that I truly have no stopping point if I put my mind to it.  I will try to regain composure on Friday but it seems likely I will have pie or something.  Saturday is the Iron Bowl and to imagine counting calories that day is just absurd.  I'm so nervous about the game.  Last year was a total disaster and we HAVE to win.  The picture above is of me and my Dad at the homecoming game last weekend.  So, I have no recipes.  I have only a request of prayer and positive thoughts that I see you all on the other side of this weekend alive and well and still able to fit into my stretchy jeans.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention how thankful I am for my family, friends, job and health! Roll Tide and love to all!

Feeling Saucy

Hey y'all! Happy Monday and Roll Tide. I had to slip that in there because Alabama beat the number one team on Saturday.  We still have a long way to go but we are sneaking our way back to the top.  Meanwhile, in wretched diet land, I'm still struggling.  I am an avid football fan but I have to admit, when football season bleeds into holiday season I am weaker than ever on my diet.  This year, I'm borderline depressed because of my inability to stay strict.  I used to have so much motivation.  I did count calories yesterday and while I'm sure I ate more than I should last night, I had several hundred calories left before dinner.  I also made myself get out of bed and go to this Body Attack class at the gym.  So, the weekend wasn't a complete disaster but I'm thinking I need a change in a big way.  I know a couple things.  I am so tired of counting.  I don't want to count calories or points or exercise minutes any more.  I've been doing it for years and it's no longer motivating me.  I also know I can't be trusted to eat right without some kind of structure.  I have been heavily investigating the slow carb diet.  I'm not generally a fan of "diets" but this diet has a cheat day, includes a glass or two of wine and includes food I like to eat.  Most importantly, there's no counting.  I feel like my body needs a shock out of this plateau.  My mind also needs a shock.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but I'm working hard to get my mind back to the place it was when I stepped on that scale all those years ago.  I'm terrified of gaining all my weight back.  I'm still looking so we will see.  Having said that, I'm not just eating what I want until I decide.  I'm counting today and I'm still in the fight.

Over the summer, my primary care physician wrote me a prescription for Topamax.  He knows me well and he knows I've lost a great deal of weight and that my current challenge is keeping it off.  He also knows that I'm frustrated.  He told me that the pill could possibly make me jittery and nauseated.  I think I shared previously that the side effects were much worse than I anticipated.  My face would go numb and I began developing horrific headaches.  It only mitigated my hunger for a few days.  I couldn't taste soda at all.  I would have these periods of time where my mind would completely space out.  Since I didn't see any weight loss from taking it, I weened myself off of it.  When I returned to the doctor a few weeks ago, I told him how much I hated the pill and that I was irritated with myself and with him for not being totally aware of the side effects.  I told him I was still struggling to stay motivated and he wrote me yet another prescription for Belviq.  I told him I was skeptical and he said nausea was a possible side effect. Before jumping on another Rx, I did some research on the side effects.  From Consumer Reports: "Risks galore. What's more, the drug can cause several side effects including, headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. If you have diabetes, add hypoglycemia, back pain, and a cough to that list. The drug's label also states that Belviq may cause a slowed heartbeat, heart valve problems, painful erections, and if you take more than is prescribed, hallucinations, euphoria, and slowed thinking. Those last risks promoted the Drug Enforcement Agency to classify the drug as a Schedule IV controlled substance, meaning that it poses a slight risk of dependence. Finally, Belviq may also interact adversely with other medications you take, such as drugs used to treat depression, migraines, or colds, and supplements, such as St. John's wort and tryptophan."  I know that not everyone is susceptible to side effects but I told him my reaction to Topamax so I'm not sure why he flippantly recommended this.  I'm not filling it.  My problem is a psychological one.  It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.  I love my doctor but his reliance on pills to "fix" weight issues is disturbing.  There is no such thing as a quick fix.  

This week I added some store bought spaghetti sauce to my zucchini that I made into strands of pasta with my new Veggetti. Once again I got a LOT of tasty food for a pretty low calorie count.  This contraption is definitely one of my obsessions.  I will note that though I prefer the taste and texture of yellow squash, the zucchini is firmer so it's easier to use in the Veggetti and squash also has a ton of seeds that get everywhere so I think I'll stick with zucchini. The squash also looks more like pasta but I'm not exactly one of those people that makes pretty dishes.

I used some of that same marinara sauce to dip my skinny mozzarella sticks in.  I have made and showed these before but I made a good batch and wanted to remind you what a quick and yummy snack they are! It also allowed me to finish up those wonton wrappers finally! I only used two light string cheese sticks to make 9 mozzarella sticks.  I love these things!

Have a good week!

Bye!

Don't Skip Breakfast Y'all

I wanted to first give a shout out to all veterans past, present and future.  Thank you for what you do!

I found this picture on Instagram yesterday and it could not be more true for me right now.  Last week I was aiming for a perfect week.  I did not anticipate getting sick though and that put a wrench in my goal.  I have a pretty intense chest cold.  I usually only get sick about once a year so I guess now is the time.  The way I had my calories set up on my Lose It app doesn't  really give me enough calories if I don't exercise so I've done some readjusting.  I exercised  on Friday even though I felt terrible because I didn't want to skip my weekly run.  Other than that, I haven't exercised since Wednesday.  This is unlike me.  I just couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed.  Of course I ate too much.  Sigh.  I still feel really bad today but tomorrow I have to do something active no matter how I feel.  I feel as if I could lose it all...like I'm on the verge. I'm so tired of being obsessed with food and fighting for perfection when it seems like I don't have the power to reach it.  I changed my app so that it thinks I want to lose 1/2 pound a week rather than two.  This gives me more calories per day.  By all means, I don't need to eat more or gain weight but without exercise, I was giving myself only 1,140 calories a day.  I think I need to practice eating normally so I'm giving myself a bit more wiggle room but also taking away cheat days in hopes to find a balance.  I'm really struggling right now.  My goal this week is to follow the rules Tuesday through Sunday.  I know I can do it, I just need an attitude adjustment.

I am a firm believer that everyone should be eating breakfast.  If you're working out or going to work in the morning, skipping breakfast depletes the small amount of energy you have when you wake up.  Even if it's just a couple hundred calories, get something in your body in the morning.  I have showed you a breakfast burrito that I make.  I eat a lot of egg beaters, smoothies and other breakfast options.  One thing I love to make is an egg white omelet.  This is something that only takes about five minutes to make, gives you protein and tastes really good.  It makes you feel like you're getting a "real breakfast."  Another great thing about the omelet is that you can incorporate a ton of different flavors in it. I used Egg Beaters and just poured about 6 tablespoons in the bottom of a sprayed or non-stick skillet.  Once they were firm enough, I carefully flipped it, added low fat cheese, bacon bits and some ham and I had a tasty omelet.  

If you're in more of a hurry there are plenty of options in the freezer section.   Special K has a whole line of breakfast sandwiches that won't destroy your calorie budget.  I like the one with ham and pepper jack cheese because it has the best balance of flavor and calories (200).  Jimmy Dean also has several lighter breakfast sandwich options but the Special K sandwiches are just a bit lower.

Another breakfast sandwich idea is new and it comes from Ihop.  This French Toast sandwich is filling and has just a hint of maple.  If you are one to crave McGriddles, this might help fulfill your needs.  They have a couple other options but the Ihop breakfast options aren't meant to be light, it just so happens that the ham, egg and cheese one isn't bad.

One breakfast option that I think is smart to avoid is the gluten free waffle from Van's.  I'm not sure what kind of psychedelic diet trip I was suffering from when I thought it would be a good idea to get gluten free waffles but I got them and they were disgusting.  First, there's barely even a hint of the apple cinnamon flavor that was promised on the box.  Second, the consistency is that of a piece of dried out cornbread that's been sitting out for a week.  I've been trying to eat them from time to time since I bought them and I'm too cheap to get rid of them and I've also noticed they don't even stay with you very long.  I have found that eating veggies is great but when it comes to gluten free food, there aren't too many options that substitute for bread products that aren't really just terrible.  I suppose if I added a lot of butter and about a cup of syrup they would be edible but that sort of defeats the purpose doesn't it?

Bama gave me a near heart attack this weekend vs LSU and I don't expect it to be much different on Saturday when we pay Mississippi State.

Roll Tide Y'all!  Have a great week!

FAUX PASta

Well, as I suspected, the candy and temptation of my beloved Halloween weekend meant that my diet was on the back burner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I knew I wouldn't do well.  It's my favorite holiday.  I'm not going to beat myself up too much though because I look forward to Halloween all year and I like to go all out.  I am back on today and my goal is to have a perfect week.  I need to be good.  It's time to buckle down because I have a few weeks to trim down before Thanksgiving.  

I purchased a device that turns squash and zucchini into pasta-like strips and I am so happy I did.  You will probably see recipes in which I use this device a lot because it's been amazing so far.  The first thing I did was mix it with light alfredo sauce and chicken because that's what I had in the cabinet.  I used too much liquid I think so it turned out more like a soup but was still yummy.  

The next day, I put it in a skillet to sauté and added the same alfredo sauce and then sliced up some delicious chicken sausage to put in there.  Using the squash and zucchini instead of pasta saves you so many calories and you can definitely eat more.

I saved the best for last.  I am over the moon about the lunch I made for myself today.  I am obsessed with Chinese, Japanese and Thai food so I made a little stir fry for myself.  All I did was take a squash and some chicken and I sautéed it with teriyaki sauce and a little bit of soy.  When it was cooked through, I added peanut sauce on top.  I bought peanut sauce because A) it's delicious and B) it's a much better alternative than the yum yum sauce in my fridge.  One tablespoon of shrimp sauce can be anywhere from 80-90 calories.  You can have two tablespoons of peanut sauce for 60 calories.  Y'all! This was soooooooo good.  It was packed with flavor, I had a huge amount, it filled me up and the best part is, the whole dish was 395 calories.  Also, now that I've made it, I could probably do less soy, teriyaki and I could probably get away with one tablespoon of peanut sauce and save even more calories.  I could have also split it with someone but I love filling up a big plate of food and eating it without any guilt.

So, Halloween was a ton of fun as usual.  Ian went as the Dude from the Big Lebowski and I went as Maude (played by Julianne Moore in the movie) and I went as the version of her when the Dude is dreaming and she's dressed as a viking.   I had a lot of help from Cassandra and I'm pretty sure my insides are shimmering gold but it turned out pretty cool.  I also went to the Bacon and Beer festival in Tuscaloosa on Saturday and that was also a lot of fun.

Bama plays LSU this weekend so REAUXLL TIDE!!! Until next week...

Here's hoping I behave! Bye!