Week 42

Down 2.1% this week. Floating average of 1.77% down over four weeks, 1.09% down over six weeks. 

This is surprising, but not shocking, just like two weeks ago but in reverse. Then, I saw my daily weight not budging even though I was on track. This week, I've been eating the same way, but watching the numbers drop almost daily. In fact, today was the first time I haven't lost at all in almost two weeks.

So big losses two weeks in a row.  I'm three and a half pounds from the goal I set for Dec 8. I know I can do that, but I'm not sure if the numbers will get there by that time.  Maybe, maybe not.  It doesn't matter, because I know I will get there and beyond. The "beyond" part is what really matters to me.

The plan for today:  moderate breakfast, small lunch, nice dinner. We're going to the in-laws', so I don't know what all they will have, but I know it'll be good, and I plan to enjoy myself. I anticipate that the appetizers will be my biggest challenge.

Shopping

I went out shopping with a friend last night and had a really good time, got a couple cute things on clearance, found a couple cute things to add to my Christmas list. One of the places we went was Macy's because I had a gift card.  Their woman's department is nice but not amazing. You know what is amazing?  Their online catalog.  There are several dresses I see there that I'd love to try on, because I'm not buying something I can't try on.

For example: this dress looks really cute in the picture. But how do I know that waistband will hit me in the right place?  How do I know the neck isn't too low?  Same issues with this one.  I love the whole wrap concept, but since I've never tried one on, I can't know for sure how it will look.

I'm not about to kick out $$$ for five dresses so I can try them on at home and return four.  I guess it's just that much more incentive for me to get out of the plus sizes.  Easter shopping is going to be fuuuuuuuuuuuun.

Reconsidering

As I was walking out to my car at the end of the parking lot the other night (the other cold and windy night), I remembered something:  I really dislike being cold. When I mentioned this to Jeff, he said, "You live in Michigan. You're just now realizing this?" No, I've known this for a long time. But when planning to join a gym, leaving the house when it's below freezing and getting into a cold car is one of the things I didn't take into account.  It's also one of the things I do my best to avoid. Once there's snow on the ground, I'll like it even less.

So, I'm going to give workout DVDs another look. When I got them last time (and never used them), I still had nice weather to tempt me outside. I'm hoping that the cold will encourage me to use them more. I've put holds on three different ones and can hopefully pick them up soon. Hopefully I can find something I really like.

Ciabatta Rolls

Holy cow, these things are AMAZING. I made them Sunday night/Monday morning. Yes, they take a little time. Yes, they're a little work. But did I mention the AMAZINGNESS?

When I first took them out of the oven, they had a very crisp crust. Like, break it open hard. But really good.

After they sat for a while, the crust went from hard to fabulously chewy. That's the kind of texture I love, but that I find really hard to get, especially out of my own oven.

The flour is kind of messy when you eat them, which is just another reason to break them into bite-sized pieces with your hands instead of tearing into them with your mouth.

Unfortunately, I ate three that first day. Since then, I've been more restrained, but it's been seriously hard to resist them.

For Thanksgiving, we're bringing rolls and dessert. I'm going to make these and another recipe that has a slightly sweeter, more tender yield. I'll try to post more step-by-step pictures. For dessert, pumpkin pie is a no-brainer. I was going to bring something healthier as well--maybe even the Cook's Illustrated Cheesecake that is supposed to be so fabulous.  But then I thought about pecan pie.  Then I thought about Dutch Apple Pie. Then I thought about Black Bottom Pie. At this point, I have no idea what we'll end up bringing.

Week 41

2.22% loss this week. Four week floating average is at 1.34% loss.

Yeah, that's what I thought. A week of nothing in spite of good habits = a huge loss the following week. I don't think I'm destined for nice, even weight loss for a while. Once I get closer to my goal weight and start slowly increasing my calories, I'm hoping for more moderate, consistent losses.

I just finished a big breakfast of fried potatoes with mushrooms, scallions, red peppers, ham & eggs (410 calories for a huge plate of food).

Lunch is going to be kind of a splurge. When I got home from work last night, Jeff was making hamburgers on the George Foreman, and they smelled wonderful, so I'm having a cheeseburger & salad for lunch. Originally I was going to use a ciabatta roll (look for a post about those tomorrow) for the bun, but I'd rather have one with dinner, so I'm just going to slap the patty on top of the salad ( 371 calories).

Dinner will be leftover minestrone soup with a little ham thrown in for protein, a roll, an apple, and a couple rolls of Smarties (368 calories).

I still have about 150 calories left for the day, and I need to get some protein, but I've hit my limit on fat. I don't think I'll be able to get any exercise today unless we stay home instead of going to see my Dad. We'd all rather go see him, but I haven't talked to him yet this morning, so I don't know if he's up for visitors.

Beef Stir Fry

I can't begin to say how often we have stir fry.  Beef or pork, it's a great way to make a healthy dinner we'll all eat.

This version used:
10 oz sirloin steak, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 cup sliced red and yellow bell peppers
2 cups green beans
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

To make it, I browned the meat over high heat, then took it out of the pan before it was cooked all the way through. Then I added some olive oil, and let it get hot over medium heat before adding the onions. After they got translucent, I added the garlic & ginger. That came out of the pan and got added to the meat. I added the bell peppers and let them get a little color before throwing in the green beans. Then I added a few tablespoons of water and slapped a lid on the pan so the vegetables could steam a little. Then I cleared some space in the middle of the pan for the hoisin sauce.  I added the meat & onions back in, and stirred everything thoroughly to coat.

We ate it over brown rice, and there are two servings left. I'll have one for dinner tonight, and Jeff will have the other for lunch tomorrow.

Per serving (1/6th of the meat/veg + 1/2 cup brown rice): 245 calories, 28 carbs, 6 grams fat, 18 g protein, 3 grams fiber.  I'll also have an apple in the car.

Just for comparisons sake, tonight's family dinner while I'm at work will be BBQ meatballs. One serving, which is 4 meatballs and a few tablespoons of sauce, is 315 calories, 21 carbs, 17 grams fat, 16 grams protein, and 0 fiber. I love meatballs, but 4 isn't much of a dinner. That doesn't even touch on anything on the side. I'm glad I've got leftovers.

Another Option

I'd like to know how Planet Fitness says "No Commitment" on their billboards, but you still have to sign up and pay an annual fee.  Do I need a new dictionary, or do they?

Anyway, I remembered another option:  our local rec center has a small workout room. Signing up for that is $75/year, which is incredibly cheap. They have weights and treadmills, though I haven't been in to look at it in a couple years, so I don't know the specifics.

I would be all over this, but there is one downside: they don't open until 9AM. Yes, that is a substantial drawback for me. I really like getting my exercise in early, before the rest of the day starts. I don't want to take one or two hours out of our school day every day. Yes, the kids could come with me and work in the library. Yes, they could stay home and work. But that's still time that I'm essentially unavailable to them. I feel like I'm gone a lot already because of work, and they're getting the short end of the stick.

So . . . Planet Fitness = more $, more distance, but less disruptive to our lives. Community Center = close, cheap, but not good for the schedule. I'm going to put it to the family over dinner tonight. I seriously can't remember the last time we all sat at the dinner table at the same time. I better make something delicious.

Week 57

0% loss this week, which is unsurprising but still confusing.

It's unsurprising because I've been weighing in all week, and watching the numbers bump up or down a little bit, but not moving the way I would expect. So this is actually not bad, considering I was up a pound and a half yesterday.

It's confusing because I've been "in the groove" all week. I've been eating right for the most part, staying under my calorie goal, drinking water, exercising. Normally, I would expect to see at least some loss. (this is one of the reasons I do get on the scale every day--if I saw that number today with no warning, I would have thought the stinkin' thing was broken)

But I have to take into account that enormous loss last week, and that this might just be my body's way of keeping balance. I'm at .56% average loss over the past four weeks.

So I'm going to keep on doing what I need to do. I might not get a walk in today, but I'm going to try. I don't know how my food is going to go, either.  I didn't eat breakfast until almost 11AM, which doesn't leave a lot of time to eat lunch or make dinner before I have to run out again.

Go Wings!

Just got back from a Wings win, 5-0 over Anaheim. We actually left halfway through the third period, right after Franzen scored the last goal.

Got over 4 miles in today, woot!  Hoping to get the same tomorrow, although it will be even busier than today.

#5 Thing I'm Thankful For: That the Nemo's bus filled up fast, and we got home fast, so I didn't have to use a public restroom!

Time

 No exercise yesterday. None today, either. Much as I want to, there is NO TIME. Between the kids' school, my work, Girl Scouts, and hours of available daylight, it isn't happening. I'm hoping to get two BIG walks in over the weekend. God knows I need them.

#4 Thing I'm Thankful For:  that I'm working so much right now, even though the demands on my time are extreme.

Week 39

2.77% loss this week. That brings my four week floating average to 0.95%.

Yay, right?  Big loss, I'm happy, woo hoo. So why do I feel weird? (Because I am weird.) When I have a small loss or a gain, it gives me new determination to stay on track. When I have a big loss, I feel almost guilty. "I'm losing too fast!"

There certainly is some drive to "get there" as quickly as possible. I'm always thinking ahead, to what my weight could be in another month or two if I stay on track. Balance that with the "keep it healthy" mentality. I think for the most part I do keep it healthy. I try to eat balanced meals and get reasonable exercise.

But it's that "too fast, better slow down" idea that sometimes sabotages me. I'm more likely to end up going overboard. I think I'm going too fast, so I balance it by eating more, or eating stuff I otherwise wouldn't.. Then I slow down or gain for a few weeks. Then I get motivated again and lose big. And again and again and again.

I'm going to stay moderate again this week. We're having a birthday dinner at my in-law's this weekend. I have no idea what kind of food we'll have, so I'll just have to do my best with it. My mother-in-law knows how hard I'm working to be healthier, so she's very supportive.

I guess I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing. Staying mindful & making good choices.

#3 Thing I'm Thankful For: My great family (especially daughter #1 who did most of the work) who cleaned the kitchen again last night!

Cranberry Balsamic Pork

Eat at Home did it again. Her Ingredient Spotlight is cranberries today, which really gets my mouth watering. There are so many things you can do with cranberries--I think it's the tartness that gives them that flexibility. Basic cranberry sauce is almost my favorite part of Thanksgiving (nothing beats my stepmom's stuffing), but the following recipe is the one I pull out when company is coming over. Simple, delicious, impressive.

Cranberry Balsamic Pork

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 4 - 6 center cut, boneless pork chops
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Salt & pepper chops.  Saute until just brown on both sides. You don't want them cooked all the way through, or they'll be tough by the time you're done. Remove from pan. Add onion & rosemary. Saute until translucent. Add broth, cranberries, and vinegar. Add pork back to the pan and cook on medium until done to your liking. Serve with rice, noodles, potatoes, or--our favorite!--spätzle.

Winter Exercise

I'm still walking outside--the weather is actually pretty nice in the afternoons. But like I've said before, "Winter is Coming." If there is any ice or snow on the ground, I won't be exercising outside.

Then what DO I do? I can think of a couple options.

• Option 1: no exercise.

• Option 1: gym membership. I saw a Planet Fitness billboard advertising $10/month. No bells & whistles with that, and I can only use the one facility where I sign up. That's not a deterrent to me. Having to drive 20 minutes to the nearest one so that I can exercise is a deterrent. However, if they're open early, I could return to my "exercise before everyone else wakes up" routine. I don't know how busy they'd be at that time, though. 
• There is an added bonus here of weight machines. Cardio is good, but I'd like to build some muscle as well.

• Option 2:  videos/Wii Fit games. There are a million of these available. Zumba, Gold's Gym, Insanity, TurboFire, Exerbeat, Just Dance . . . I have no idea which would work for me. I wouldn't have to drive to exercise, but I don't think I'd use them while everyone else is asleep. Many of them incorporate weight training using your own body weight, which I theoretically like, but I'm not sure how well it would work in practice.
• A benefit here is that you pay once and that's it. You can even borrow from the library. Yeah, I did that. Twice. I checked out two different fitness DVDs, and never put them in the player once.
• A big drawback is that I'm fairly uncoordinated. Yeah, I know, big surprise. Shut up. But I always hated aerobics, because following the actions was annoying.

At this point, I'm leaning toward the gym. It's a little more expensive, and I'd have to leave the house. But I know me, and I think I'd use that option more than the other.

#1 Thing I'm Thankful For: that my immediate family is healthy, and that my parents are both doing better. My mom is doing pretty well with chemo, and my Dad will hopefully be released from the rehab facility soon.

#2 Thing I'm Thankful For: Microwave Rice Packs. A minute and a half in the microwave, and I have deliciously warm feet when I get into bed instead of misery.

Like the white socks?

Both girls went out with separate sets of friends and had a good time. We got surprisingly few trick-or-treaters, especially considering that our neighbors said they saw a good 200 kids. The only thing I can think of is that we had a green light bulb in the porch light. It was kind of dim (and quite spooky), but I didn't think it was so dark that people would think we weren't handing out candy.

So we still have some candy left. Both girls made out like bandits, so there is tons of temptation around here. My plan is to limit myself to one piece per day. Most fun-size bars have fewer than 100 calories, so I can work that. I'm looking at a really substantial loss this week, and I'd like to not sabotage that.