Menu Monday

So I’m trying to plan my meals with my 3 goals in mind (1) weight loss for me and my husband, and healthy eating in general for the whole family (2) organic and (3) on a budget. I’ll post recipes after we eat them (if I don’t have a link posted already). I try and do at least three meatless meals a week. And you will notice that I almost always have at least one Indian meal on there (since my husband is from India).

Sunday- Cheddar and apple panini with low fat baked onion rings (vegetarian)
Monday- Baked “fried” chicken (breasts only) with steamed brocolli
Tuesday- Indian cauliflower and potatoes & chickpea curry with Indian bread or rice (vegan)
Wednesday- Slow cooker steak with roasted carrots
Thursday- Less-meat, more veggies Taco bar with fruit salad (my recipe will be posted on Friday)
Friday- Order in pizza (meatless)
Saturday- Left overs

I’m linked up at orgjunkie.com

Slow Going

So I’ve neglected posting anything for the entire month of February. I don’t know if I was just avoiding it because I was failing at my diet, or if I was just too busy. In either case I have decided that I do better when I’m held accountable for my actions. Whether it be in my diet and exercise, or my spending. And so I need to start updating here again, even if no one is reading. It means it’s out there for anyone and everyone to see. It’s not just me looking at the scale.

A few weeks ago I decided that the vegan thing wasn’t working out for me and my family. For one it was really hard to make two meals every night. My husband wasn’t entirely on the vegan bandwagon. And my toddler is considered borderline underweight so I wasn’t about the change his diet when it was successful at putting the pounds on him (in a healthy way). Secondly, it was expensive. And this wasn’t meshing with us saving money each month this this year. And the icing on the cake was when I read that people with PCOS (me) should avoid soy and meatless diets.

So my plan went out the window and I had to adopt another.

I started doing the myfitnesspal app on my phone and continued to exercise almost every day. I started doing Zumba (taking one or two live classes each week and doing it on the Wii, and continued to do the elliptical a few times a week). At one point I was down 7 lbs. Then the kid got sick, my parents visited, and my mother in law sent a bunch of sweets from India. So right now I’m down a total of 5lbs.

Is that where I wanted to be at this point? No. Definitely not. But I’m trying to look at everything in perspective. While I’ve lost these 5lbs I’ve managed to overcome my fear from attending a class at the gym. I’ve managed to get our budget under control and stick to it. I’ve made progress on my degree. And I’ve managed to keep myself sane and my family alive. All these things along with a real 5lbs weight loss (not just water weight), is a good start to 2012 in my book. Oh yea, and my husband has lost 10lbs since I’ve changed our eating habits and started us on the budget (packing lunches instead of buying them is how he lost that weight I think).

I want to say “now that things are less crazy, I can speed up my weight loss”, but I can’t because life never seems to calm down for us. I will say that for the next few weeks I’m really taking a hard look at my diet and will try to be diligent about tracking it on my phone and here. Because I’m becoming more and more convinced that that will be the key to my weight loss, along with dealing with my sugar addiction (duh). Even when I am so goo about going to the gym every day, it doesn’t affect my weight nearly as much as when I’m being successful with my diet.

So the obligatory run down.

Weight lost so far: 5lbs

Weight to lose for 1st goal: 0lbs (I made my first goal, and I still owe myself a manicure)

Weight to lose for 2nd goal: 10lbs (Hopefully by Easter, reward: hot tub/massage night with the Man)

Goals this week:

1. Drink even more water (still don’t understand why I can’t drink 8 cups a day!)
2. Continue to burn at least 500 calories a day 6x a week with cardio exercise
3. Log every single thing I eat in myfitnesspal and stay under my calorie goal
4. Start a strength training routine and do 2x a week

And can I just say that I’m so sick of this. So sick of dieting. So sick of this being on my mind constantly. And so sick of being fat. I wish I could just say “I’m done”, but I’m guess that I’ll never, ever be able to say that. Sad

Getting some momentum!

So I did pretty good with my goals for last week.

Goals for last week week:

1. Work on drinking more water-Still don’t know why it’s so hard and I didn’t do great, but I did drink more.
2. Keep pushing myself at the gym so by the end of the week I can run 10/20 minutes on the treadmill.- Started C25K and went to the gym every day except Friday.
3. Build up enough confidence to go to a class at the gym.-Went to Zumba last week and I’m headed to the gym for Yoga this morning.  I think I’ll do Zumba and Yoga every Monday. Yay!
   
4. STICK TO MY DIET 100%- I did better than last week, maybe 85-90%. I even ordered steamed veggies when we went out for Chinese on Saturday.

And the result? As of yesterday I lost 3lbs last week!

And I am so excited about it. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.

Weight lost so far: 4lbs

Weight to lose for 1st goal: 11lbs (in 17 days!)

Goals this week:

1. Drink even more water.
2. Do C25K 3x this week (finish “week 1″)
3. Continue to follow diet
4. Work on eating more salads

It’s not much but it’s something!

So it hasn’t been a week since I technically started my weight-loss efforts, however I think I’m going to start updating on Monday. Not only is it just convenient because it’s the beginning of the week, but it’s also a good motivation to be good over the weekend. In fact I’ll actually weight myself right smack-dab in the middle of the weekend on Sunday morning. The weekends are my Achilles’s heel of weight loss and I’m hoping that this helps.

So since Wednesday I’ve lost…

1 Pound

One single pound.

Not necessarily what I was hoping for but it’s something. And truth be told I was down 3lbs on Friday morning. But the weekend hit, along with an unexpectedly emotional day on Saturday which lead to ice cream and wine that evening. Which lead to cheating on Sunday. Which lead to this horrible result today. I think I’ve stuck to the diet 70% of the time, but that’s obviously not good enough.

I’m trying not to get discouraged by this. In fact I’m trying to get it to motivate me even further. This is the best evidence that it is my food choices and binging that is keeping this weight on.

So I’m back on the diet today with more focus and commitment. And I started exercising again. Really exercising. Usually I just phone it in at the gym, lazily spending 30 minutes on the elliptical or the treadmill while reading or watching TV. But today I worked out. I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical at a pace at which wasn’t conducive to reading. I took my glasses off so I couldn’t watch TV (which I’ve noticed is full of cooking shows and commercials for really yummy food). I challenged myself and for once just paid attention to my body and the music I was playing. Then I headed to the treadmill and actually ran! Maybe it was just for 3 minutes at a time, and only 6 minutes total, but I pushed myself to my limit both times and was on there for a total for 15 minutes and walked/ran a mile in addition to my harder-than-usual elliptical workout. When I left the Y I was sweaty and hot but I felt great!

So here’s the usual run-down:

Weight lost so far: 1lb

Weight to lose for 1st goal: 14lbs (in 24 days! eek. God that’s 4lbs a week…)

Goals this week:

1. Work on drinking more water (I’m still trying to figure out why this is so hard for me)
2. Keep pushing myself at the gym so by the end of the week I can run 10/20 minutes on the treadmill.
3. Build up enough confidence to go to a class at the gym.
4. STICK TO MY DIET 100%

 

Thai Yellow Curry with Tofu

Since I’ve been on this particular diet I’ve been on the hunt for tasty vegan recipes that are chock full of veggies. They have to be tasty because my husband and toddler have to eat it too, or else I have to cook two meals. Last night we ate a Thai Yellow Curry that was really easy and tasty. I pulled the recipe from a few other ones I found on the Web to make it (1) vegan (2) low-fat and (3) easy.

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 1lb extra-firm tofu cut into bite-sized cubes (I used our store brand organic, drained and pressed)
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup cut up pineapple
• 1 sweet red bell pepper cut into strips
• One medium yellow onion cut into strips
• 1 can light coconut milk
• one cup water
• 2-4 tbs Thai Yellow Curry paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbs chopped ginger (I used a paste)
• 1 tbs shopped garlic (I used a paste)
• Salt to taste (optional, I didn’t use it and it tasted great)

Directions:

1. I used a small amount of canola oil to coat my wok (about 1 tbsp) and pan-fried the cubed tofu for 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and place on paper towel to drain.
2. In the same wok, place 1/2 the can of coconut milk (preferably the heavier stuff at the top) + the curry paste+ ginger and garlic in the wok and heat until boiling. Stir frequently.
3. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the water and bring to a boil again. Add in everything else and stir to mix everything together. Add more water if needed to adequately cover the veggies to cook.
4. Bring to a boil. Cook and cover on medium for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are cooked.
5. Serve with your choice of rice. I used brown and it was yummy and healthy. My husband prefers white basmati.

You can add other veggies to this recipe, or you can use a different type of curry paste if you like more spice (red or green). If you’re not on a diet and want a richer version you can use full-fat coconut milk and more oil while frying the tofu.

New Year, New Me… Again…

I refuse to go back through my old posts on this blog to find out how many times I started on a new weight loss program. But if I did I’m sure it would be no less than 3 or 4 times. And yet here I am, still at the same weight I was two years ago.

To say that it’s frustrating is an understatement. For the most part I thought I was doing well. I thought I was eating right. I thought I was doing the right exercises. I thought I should be losing weight. All to no avail.

However recently I read a very interesting and informative book. I’m not going to mention the title here on the blog, because I’m not endorsing it and I’m not affiliated with it at all. However it really educated me on how bad my diet really was. And how drastically changing it was really the only way to lose weight. Because even though I was getting enough exercise, it only made me ravenously hungry and would lead to overeating on stuff I shouldn’t be eating in the first place.

So what’s my plan this time you may ask? Well… I’m going vegan. Sorta. I guess you can say that I’m veganizing my meals most of the time. I’m giving up meat, fish, and eggs completely. And for the most part I’m giving up dairy, with the exception of allowing fat-free yogurt and cheese a few times a week. I’m also giving up most processed foods. So I’m staying away from any foods that come in a package, from the freezer, or restaurant meals. Oh, and no oil (which is harder than I thought it would be).

So what am I eating you may ask. I’m eating a lot of beans, fruits, veggies (both raw and cooked) and nuts. Here is an example of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: Large smoothie made with un-sweetened almond milk, frozen berries, 1tbs natural peanut butter, and a squirt of honey

Lunch: Large “taco” salad with lots of greens, a spicy mix of beans, carrots, and tomatoes, 2tbs cheddar cheese, and 1 crushed up corn taco shell with some melon on the side

Snack: Apple with 1tbs almond butter, iced black unsweetened coffee (trying to give this up but I need one cup of coffee/day at the moment)

Dinner: Indian veggie curry (no oil), boiled indian-spiced sprouts with tomatoes and 1 whole wheat tortilla, mango

Dessert: 1oz dark chocolate

I’ve been really good about sticking to the diet this week (ok… so it’s only Wednesday. Still counts!). I’m going to add exercise to the mix next week, but for this week I’m just focusing on my diet. I’m also trying to increase my intake of water.

I’m not going to lie. I’m hungry. Really hungry. I went to bed talking to my husband about how I was craving Mexican and could probably eat a whole pizza. But the thing is, on this diet I can have unlimited fruits and veggies. However my palette is so messed up I don’t want to eat these things even when I’m hungry. Fruit is no longer sweet because of all the sugar I’ve binged on in the past. And veggies are even more unappetizing unless they are dipped in something unhealthy. My hope is that I will slowly start to like and crave these foods so I will only have to put up with this hunger for a week or two.

So here’s the usual numbers and before photos (I’ll add measurements next week after I find my measuring tape):

Before:

Weight: 215

BMI=39.3 (Severely Obese)

Goals:

#1: 200lbs (-15lbs, BMI=36.6) – March 1st, Reward: Manicure

#2: 190 (-25, BMI=34.7, obese) – April 9th, Reward: Hot Tub & Massage night with the Man

#3: 180 (-35, BMI=32.9) – May 25th (friends wedding) Reward: New dress for wedding

#4: 170 (-45, BMI=31.1) – July 1st Reward: New Bathing suit

#5: 160 (-55, BMI=29.3, overweight) – August 4th (Cousin’s wedding) Reward:  All out for black-tie wedding (outfit, hair, nails, etc)

#6: 150 (-65, BMI=27.4) – October 1st Reward: Professional family portraits

#7: 140 (-75, BMI=25.6) – December 1st  Reward: New Wardrobe!

#8: 135 (-80, BMI=24.7, NORMAL WEIGHT!!!)- January 1st, 2013 Reward: Family vacation to somewhere warm

Oh yea, and baby #2!!!!

This means I’m giving myself the next year to lose 80lbs. To be honest, I will be happy when I get down to 150. However going by my height, my ideal weight should be around 130. So I’m going to try to aim for that. And I split it up this way because thinking about 80lbs in total is daunting. But thinking about it in 10-15lb increments makes it more manageable.

And it may seem stupid and counterproductive to lose all this weight in order to get pregnant again. But I want a healthy pregnancy this time. I want a healthy baby. I don’t want the possibility of something going wrong because of my obesity to hang over my head the entire pregnancy. I think that more than anything will keep me motivated, because I’m definitely having moments of babyfever lately.

So keep reading! I’ll post my progress every week. I’ll also be posting what I’m eating and good healthy vegan recipes at least once a week. And pictures once in awhile. Oh, and if you want to know the specific diet I’m following or the book I read that inspired me to do this just leave a comment with your e-mail and I’ll give you that info.

If you are starting this new year with a weight loss goal good luck and stay strong! We can do it!

I’m Back!

Happy (Belated) New Year!!!

I’ve decided to return to blogging in 2012. While I left for a variety of reasons, I’m return for just one. I think I’m actually more productive when I’m blogging than when I’m not.

Big shocker right?!? My instincts would say the exact opposite. In fact one of the reasons I stopped in the first place was that I was busy and thought I just didn’t have the time. But over the last few months I’ve noticed I’ve become less organized and more prone to waste time doing nothing in particular if I’m not writing here. Without menu Monday my meal planning went out the window. Without talking about organization projects I just stopped doing them. And without recording my weight I stopped stepping on the scale. So I’ve decided to come back to my tiny little corner of the internet. I’ve got big goals for 2012 and I’m hoping that this blog will help me achieve them!

There is lots more to come in the near future, but for now I’ll leave you with my favorite photo of 2011.

Menu Monday

Sunday:  Turkey sandwiches

Monday: Tomato soup with grilled cheese and apple panini

Tuesday: Healthy baked chicken nuggets with baked sweet potato fries and spinach salad

Wednesday: Saag paneer with cauliflower fritters and Indian bread

Thursday: Lightened up Shepard’s Pie

Friday: Out

Saturday: Leftovers

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I’ve been gone for awhile.  Most of the reason being that we’ve been so busy.  I’ll write a longer update post later, but in the meantime here’s one thing we’ve been up to.  Getting the Spawn to sleep in his own big-Spawn bed!  Here he is enjoying his new bed.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

While trying to come up with some fun food options to encourage my picky toddler to eat, I made some homemade blueberry fro-yo pops.  The Spawn loved them.  This was also when we discovered that had learned to say “cheeeeese” when getting his picture taken.  I have no idea where or when he picked it up, but it’s too freaking cute.