Alright, already!

Okay, I must have been really spoiled by losing 6 lbs last week, because every day since Monday (the last time I lost a lb) when I have weighed myself, I've been mildly annoyed that I'm not down anything... I'm staying between 700-1000 calories per day, and I'm working out a lot..doesn't the scale know it's time to MOVE! Maybe I'll send it a letter...I don't suppose it has email...?? ;-)

I'm actually going up on my weights for lifting this week, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of the reason I haven't seen any additional loss this week. It could also be that my body is adjusting to a big loss from last week, so it takes time to start losing again. I'm also back on the fiber, which can cause me to bloat, so that could be part of it to.

Who knows, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, and I know it will come off again. I was just reading several posts on my yahoo groups of people who were banded around the same time I was, and many of them seem to have had a 30 lb loss in the same amount of time. Everyone is different, and I should be happy I'm seeing the success I am...and I am happy.

I think I just feel like since I had to finish up my work out at 11PM last night when I was exhausted, that ought to be worth something! LOL

Back to the gym today. I really prefer Hampshire Hills because I love doing laps for cardio. I checked on fitday.com and the rate in which I am swimming, factoring in my current weight, is better than the bike or the treadmill (at the paces I was on with them). I'm burning about 700-800 calories per hour. I do a half hour, so let's call it 350. Also, my 600 crunches burn 222 calories, and my 30 minutes (average) of weight training (20 mins for legs, 45-60 minutes for upper body) burns another 200 calories, so I'm burning about about 775 calories per day from my work outs.

The body naturally burns about 1200 calories per day just living, walking around, etc, so if I'm taking in between 700-1000 calories per day, and burning almost 2000, I should be losing weight...and I will...hopefully soon! :)

KC

Whopper Jr

That was my lunch today. I was supposed to have a business lunch today, but my morning meetings ran way over, and I had to cancel it. I was frantically trying to get everything done for my first meeting of the afternoon, and I had to drive from Methuen to Boston. The only place on the way was Burger King, McDonald's and KFC. Burger King was the closest to the highway, so I stopped there. They have absolutely no healthy options on their menu. Some offer salads, but I can't eat a salad while driving.

I'm a great multitasker, but not that good!

I ordered a Whopper Jr w/o mayo, as I figured that was the healthiest option on the menu. They had a grilled chicken sandwich, but I knew that would would be worse, and I was right. A Whopper Jr w/o cheese or mayo has 290 calories. A grilled chicken sandwich w/o mayo or cheese has 510. The veggie burger has 490 calories! Other than a small order of chicken tenders, the Whopper Jr is the best option when you have to stop at BK. (source: www.dwlz.com)

I hadn't had bread in a while, other than whole grain toast, and it bothered me. Almost every bite made me feel like I had a lump in my chest. Other than that, it was kind of nice having a burger - it's been a while! I took really small bites, and I enjoyed it. I have no guilt about my 290 calorie lunch - that's the same amount as an average lean cuisine.

Denise

Denise Deatte

February 20, 1968 - February 21, 2008

Yesterday we attended the funeral for Nancy's partner Denise, who lost her life to breast cancer. She fought a very courageous fight. I only had the pleasure of meeting Denise once, but I found her to be a truly illuminating person. I was not surprised to hear friends and family speak one after the other about the profound affect she had on their lives and the ways in which she made this world, and each of their worlds, a much better place while she was alive.

We also heard a letter that Nancy wrote to Denise that was so moving and loving...for sentiments words are often unable to capture, Nancy was able to find those words in her time of deep sorrow.

Attending the funeral of a young person always makes me examine my life. I think about what kinds of things people would say about me when I die, I think about how every day should be lived to the fullest, and how I should be aware of the tremendous love I receive from my friends and family, and of course, the frailty of our lives on earth.

I hope my commitment to honoring my body and my overall health is one that will make my life richer. Life is a precious gift that we each receive. We are all able to choose the life we want to lead, and that choice makes the difference of whether we use our time wisely or if we squander it away.

Yesterday I learned that Denise used each day of her life to bring joy and love into the world. I hope I am making the choices that will enable me to do the same.

My thoughts and prayers are with Nancy and Denise's family during this extremely difficult time.

Fighting with Fiber...again

I haven't been doing great with the fiber since I had my fill. Actually, when I was on the liquid diet, I did very well because there is plenty of fiber in those shakes, but now that I'm back on solids, I'm finding it challenging. The problem is that I'm still tight from the fill, and fiber is very filling, so I'm not having enough room for the protein I need while trying to get the fiber in.

I will figure this out, and perhaps, I should have one shake/day because those are not very filling, but they are high in fiber.

I tried to get a good amount in yesterday, and today it has made me feel bloated, which is yet another strike against fiber. Today, I shall strike back with more liquids than usual. Usual is 80-100 oz of water per day.

Used to being a loser

I had grown so accustomed to losing weight this past week, I was disappointed not to lose anything on Sunday or Monday. Thankfully, I was down another lb today, so now 91 is the total. 9 more lbs to 100!!! That's crazy. I was looking at myself in the mirror this morning, and I almost didn't believe my eyes. The person I saw in the mirror was much smaller than the person I envision when I picture myself.

Usually, the opposite was true for me. When I weighed 90 lbs more, I thought I was smaller than I was, and I was often surprised when I looked in the mirror or saw pictures of myself because I didn't envision myself as big as I was. I have been the size I am now many other times during my adult life. The last time I was this size was 3-4 years ago. I thought I looked pretty good at the time! I don't feel that way now. I don't think I look bad, but all I know is that I have a lot more to lose, and I'm not going to let myself get comfortable with my weight until I'm healthy!

I had a certain goal weight in my head when I started this journey, and believe me, I'll be happy if I reach it and stay there, but now I'm thinking I want to weigh even less than my goal weight. We'll see. I have a long way to go, and I know the last 20-30 lbs will be the hardest, although I can't even imagine being only 20-30 lbs overweight. The last time I was only 20 lbs overweight was when I was 19!! Yikes.

Update since fill #3

The third time is supposed to be the charm, but not for me. I'm thinking #4 or #5, but we shall see. Right after I get a fill, I have really good restriction for 7-10 days, but then it goes away (not all the way away, but it's just not as restrictive). When I finally hit the right spot, the right restriction level will stay with me. It's only been a week since I had my fill, but I already know this wasn't the right one, unless I'm a freak of nature.

Most bandsters have trouble eating breads, pasta, rice, red meat, etc...some from the day they get the band, and others, once they hit their "sweet spot." I have had all of those foods (except bread) since my third fill, and I haven't had trouble with them.

For my lunch, I brought a cup of food in a cup sized container. It was perfectly filling to me. I am going to continue to measure my food to see if my appetite grows, and to monitor it. I'm also ordering a food scale today. I am really good at estimating any type of measurement, but I want to keep myself honest, so this way I'll know for sure.

First BBQ of the season!

I am extremely anxious for spring/summer! Yesterday was so sunny and warm for the weather we've been having, I had to have my first BBQ of the year. I made a low fat red potato salad (recipe posted on http://www.lowphatcooking.blogspot.com/) and marinated steak tips on the grill. For veggies we had fresh tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and celery.

It was funny watching people zoom by on snowmobiles (and golf carts towing children in sleds - that's another story) as I stood in the snow grilling steak tips. It reminded me of the summer, and I can't wait!

To eat or not to eat

For my weekday workouts, I have been working out in the AM before work lately. This has worked out really well for scheduling purposes, but the problem is - I just do not have as much strength in the AM as I do in the afternoon or night. Last week, I was extra weak from my liquid diet, but even today I wasn't the same as I was during my afternoon work outs over the weekend.

I have always heard that you shouldn't eat before working out because you'll just be burning off the food you ate and not your fat, but my MD says that you must eat before working out so that you have the strength to push yourself as much as you need to. I am going to try eating a low fat protein bar before my work out tomorrow AM to see if that makes a difference - I'll let you know!

Ninety!

Today I was down another 2 lbs for a total of 90! Somehow, I lost 6 lbs this past week. I am sure part of that is because I had a fill, but I'm hoping the other part is because I've been working out consistently, and my body is turning into a fat burning furnace! Well, at least that's what I hope! :)

My calves are even more sore today than yesterday. Oooops. Hopefully we will have time for Hampshire Hills because I would love to swim laps as my cardio today. If not, I'll do yoga. The exercise bike or treadmill would not help the issue. Today it's upper body for strength training.

I also need to clean my house and work on my home work for next week. If I can get it done this weekend, then it won't be hanging over my head all week. I actually already started it at 6:30 this morning, so I'm sure I'll be done with it tonight.

My friend Lanie asked me to help her get on a healthy eating program. I asked her to track everything she ate for a week, and she did. Now we're going to meet to discuss it. She is a very healthy eater overall. I think she only needs to make a few minor changes to her diet, and the key will really be exercise. I think that applies to a lot of people with a small amount of weight to lose - just a few modifications to the diet and incorporate exercise and voila, you're there!

KC, future weight loss guru - LOL

PS - 90 lbs:

Back to the mushy basics

I'm finally off liquids and onto mushies. I had 2 scrambled eggs, and it was nice to finally chew again! For some reason, I wasn't that full from them. Usually when I first get a fill, I get full really quickly, but I'm not sure that's the case this time around. I'm guessing my third fill isn't the charm, but we will see. It's still too soon to tell.

I wanted something that would stick to me better without having the empty calories of mashed potatoes, so I made creamy mashed sweet potatoes. The recipe is on lowphatcooking.blogspot.com - I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a sweet potato fan, but they weren't bad! Not a bad option for the mushy stage. I added low fat cheese for protein.

Tomorrow is all day of mushies, and I'll be able to eat a real food dinner by Sunday late afternoon/night. I should have something good...maybe sushi! Although, I don't want to push it since I just had a fill, and some people have trouble with rice eventually, so I should probably try something else as my first meal back.

A few weeks ago, we had chicken tacos for lunch, and they were great! Maybe I'll have that!

For mushy day tomorrow, I am going to have an egg and low fat cheese omelet for breakfast, yogurt for snack, soup for lunch, and sweet potatoes for dinner. I know you are jealous!

;-)

KC

2 NSV's plus 1 SV

NSV = non scale victory
SV = scale victory



NSV 1 - The woman I work with who first noticed my weight loss before anyone else - a few months ago, saw me yesterday, and she said, "You are just withering away!" I'm not quite "withering," but it sure was nice to hear that! Mental note - visit her more often. ;-)

NSV 2 - I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Scottsdale, AZ and to stay at a beautiful resort and spa (with a water slide and a lazy river!! - yes, I'm a kid). Before I lost this weight, I never would have wanted to travel if I didn't have to. I even avoided flying for vacations, unless it was first class, because traveling as an overweight person is such a hassle. Not only are the seats so small, but there is so much walking involved, and it's just an awful experience. I am still overweight, but with nearly 90 lbs of me missing, it makes everything so much easier. I didn't hesitate to take the opportunity to go, and now I'll not only have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about my field of work, I get to visit a beautiful resort community that I have never seen before. It is nice to live life without the restrictions I once had. I'm sure there will be even fewer restrictions as I continue to lose.

SV - I am down another lb to a total of 88. 2 more lbs to 90!

Today I have to spend every free moment that I'm not working, working on finishing my mid term exam, as well as a school project that is also due today. I have been exhausted the past two days from a lack of food, and probably the anemia, so I let myself sleep in today, and I got up at 6:30. I started working then, and now I'm updating my blog, but it's back to work after so I can finish up my work and start my school work.

We are supposed to go bowling with Steph and Carolyn tonight, but I'd really prefer to go to Hampshire Hills instead. I wish they would join...I know it's expensive, but it would be so much fun to have friends that could join us there. We shall see - I may not even have time to do anything tonight because of my school work.

I worked out the first five days of this week, so it's okay if I skip today. I'm sure I'll have time tomorrow, and that will be 6 out of 7, but I'd really like to do 7 if I possibly can. :)

KC

Scottsdale, AZ:

...rounding the corner...

Today I was down 2 more lbs for a total of 87. 87 is super close to 90, which is close to 100! Very exciting!

I am looking forward to tomorrow night when I can finally start getting more protein in. I still feel a bit weak and lethargic. My work outs have not been as vigorous, but we'll get back there - I'm not worried.

XO

In need of protein...

I wrote on my Phatbusters blog today about how weak I felt when I went to the gym. We are supposed to have at least 65 grams of protein each day, but on the liquid diet, that's truly impossible. I'm done all of my meals for the day, and I've had 14 grams of protein and 650 calories. I only ended up having 3 instant breakfasts, plus 3 5 oz cans of low sodium V8. Oh, and I put a banana in the blender with my last instant breakfast of the day in an attempt to get something healthy going on.

I worked out this morning, and when I got home tonight, I changed for my evening work out, but it's not going to happen. I feel so tired - I could go to bed right now, and it's just after 8pm. I am going to continue to work out while I'm on my liquid diet, but I just can't expect as much out of me with so little protein and so few calories.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...oh! Sorry, I fell asleep on you.

I'm looking forward to scrambled eggs on Friday night - when I finally hit mushyville. LOL

KC

I never thought the day would come

that I would choose to eat cabbage soup, let alone the day I found it to be too unhealthy for me...but that day has arrived.

I am supposed to drink 5 sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfasts per day while I'm on this liquid diet. That would equal 750 calories. I am also supposed to have tomato soup or V8, etc... I only had a chance to have 2 cups of CIB prior to leaving my office to drive into Boston today, and I became a little hungry around 2...not too hungry, but hungry enough to know I should sieze this opportunity since the next time I will have a chance to "eat" anything will be when I get home around 8ish.

I went to the cafe, and they had shrimp bisque and cabbage soup. I loathe cabbage, but the Good Lord knows I'm not going to eat a fattening bisque for lunch, so I opted for the cabbage soup, which I thought I could just sip the broth of.

I had a few bites, but it seemed to be a little oily, and I became paranoid that it was filled with butter or oil, and I threw it out. Apparently, it's not a fattening soup, and it only has a little bit of margerine in it (I checked with the food services people after - ONLY because I knew them and I was already saying hello, I'm not *that* bad...). It wasn't as disgusting as I would have thought either.

So, you learn something new every day! I do like that I have had this opportunity to try so many new things!

KC

Work life balance

This is turning out to be much harder than I had thought. It took a while for me to figure out how to make healthy eating work into my crazy work schedule, but I did it, and it's something I finally have "down." Exercise is proving to be much more difficult. Don't get me wrong, I'm committed to it, and I'm making it work, but it's making me feel more stressed out about work.

Between my busy work life, and my renewed committment to excercise and midterms and taxes and every day stuff like car things and paying bills and house cleaning and social plans, I feel like I have no room to breathe. I have overextended myself at work, which is usually just to the detriment of my home life, but now I don't have anywhere to cut into. As I get healthier physically, I refuse to let other areas of my life slide.

I don't think I have ever had my car inspected without first being pulled over and reminded by New Hampshire's finest. I have always procrastinated about all the "life" things, and then found myself in a bind because I backed myself up against a wall. Part of healthy living is being healthy and responsible in ALL areas of life - not just work and diet. So now, in addition to feeling the crunch of going through a busy time at work, and trying to fit exercise and school in, I'm also wanting to fit all the other things in that I let slide in the past.

I think what I need is to take some vacation time to just get caught up on all the stuff that takes forever. I need my oil changed, I need to call about some things that require me to be on hold forever, I need to refile my taxes from 2003 because for some reason MA thinks I lived there the whole year, when I actually lived in NH (yes, 2003), I need to sort through all the stuff I moved up to NH from my house in MA, since I am living with bins in both bedrooms currently, and I am not okay with that!, this exciting list goes on and on - lucky for you, I'll stop here, as you get the idea.

I think I found my own solution - taking a working "vacation" and from now on - living like a responsible adult, which may mean not taking on as much as work, and even giving up some of the things I have currently taken on.

Mom - aren't you proud?! ;-)

Back from the doctor

I had my fill, and my MD was very proud of me! He thinks my attitude is making all the difference. I skipped the support group because it was 7 by the time I was finished with my appointment, and I needed to get home for dinner and the second half of my work out. My port is a bit sore from the fill, so I'm not sure how well I'll do with the second half of my crunches, but we'll see.

I was in the waiting room with many other people who have had the lap band, and unfortunately they are not seeing anywhere near the results I am. I'm lucky because I wanted to get the lap band for 5 years before I finally did, so I was READY when I finally did. I will probably write more about this tomorrow.

When I first had the surgery, my nutritionist told me I should be eating between 1500 and 1600 calories per day. At my last fill, my MD told me I should be eating between 1200 and 1400 per day. Today I asked him how much I should be eating, and he said between 1000 and 1200, but I could tell he would prefer me to be closer to the 1000 calorie end. I have averaged 1050 for the last month, so that's not much of a difference. I am just going to make a better effort to keep it to 1000.

So the third fill is the charm, they say. I think it's going to by my 4th or 5th, but we shall see. You know I'll keep you posted! :)

KC

Anemia

I had bloodwork done last week. My thyroid is fine, but apparently I'm severely anemic...again. This time, my iron level is lower than ever. I'm not sure why... I'm back on the iron supplements, twice the recommended dosage, and I have to start them tonight - on a full stomach. I have a ridiculously sensitive stomach, so I'm not looking forward to seeing what happens after I take iron on a carnation-instant-breakfast stomach. Should be fun. ;-)

I'm surprised I haven't been more fatigued, but what I think has happened is that because I've lost so much weight and I've been exercising, I have more energy than my non-anemic old self, so it's probably a wash. If I weren't severely anemic, I would probably be bouncing off the walls at this point! (Something for all of you to look forward to soon!)

My MD is giving the iron supplements 6 weeks to work, and if she doesn't see a marked improvement in that time, she's going to have to send me for extensive testing. Fun! Let's hope these puppies work! In the mean time, I am supposed to eat a lot of iron rich foods.

More on that soon...

KC

Fill day!

Finally. I am more than ready for this. I was down another lb today for a total of 85, and I've already been to the gym today! I feel good, although I do have a bit of a headache. I was up later than I should have been, and I didn't sleep well, but all in all - we're good.

Today when my MD weighs me, he's going to think I'm only down 70 lbs, rather than 85. I really wished they had weighed me at the beginning of my liquid diet so they could chart how much I've truly lost. My PCP has all the info, so at least there is a record of it!

My BMI is down 12 points too. I am getting very close to the 100 lb mark! I know it may be another two months, but every lb I lose brings me closer. I *really* need to get some new clothes...

Working out

I feel like I'm slowly getting into a good groove (again) for working out. Last week I worked out 5 out of 7 days as planned, and so far this week, I'm two for two. I really need to remember to plan for the gym. Tomorrow, I have a *very* full day of work ahead of me, and after work I have an MD appt that I probably won't get out of until 6:30 or 7. If I decide to stay for the support group after, that means I won't get home until 9 or 9:30. For tomorrow, I'm planning to go to the gym before I go to work. I'm not very good about going in the mornings, because I usually work as soon as I get up, but I'm going to try.

Wednesday is another very full work day, and I won't be home until 7. Once I eat dinner and get changed, I won't get to the gym until 8, but that's okay, I just need to plan to have another long day, so that it's not something I try to talk myself out of. Thursday shouldn't be as bad, and Friday should be okay as well.

I was plannning to be up to 300 crunches/day by this week, but as of today I'm up to 600. I should be up to 1000/day within 2-3 weeks at this pace. I was at 100 2 weeks ago, and I'm already up to 600. As always, my daily workouts are now documented on my phatbusters blog. The blog has really helped me stay on track with my work outs, and I also look forward to watching my progress as I'm able to lift more.

Funny anecdote from today's workout: For a girl, I'm quite strong. In the past, when I lifted, I would always do as much as I possibly could because I think I'm tough...even though I often ended up pulling muscles and unable to continue lifting for long periods of time. I have (pretty much) grown up now, and I'm lifting much less than I used to. I'm still getting a good work out, and I can see my strength building already, but it's just a different way of working out than I'm used to. Today, a young girl at my gym was using 20 lb barbells to do the same exercises I was doing with 15s. My instinct was to put down my 15s and go for 25s, because I'm not going to let some little 20 year old seem stronger than me! (LOL) I got over it, and I stuck with my 15s. I know I'll be up to the 30s in no time anyway!!

Slow weight loss?

My dad asked me yesterday if I was still losing weight. I know he reads this blog, so he knows that I am indeed still losing weight, but I think he was getting at the pace in which I'm losing... After I confirmed that I was still losing weight, he suggested that it wasn't as fast as I'd like it to be, and I agreed for the sake of conversation, but I don't think I actually agreed.

Since the initial weight that seemed to fall off, I've slowed down to a 2 lb/week average for the past 3 mos. Lap band patients generally lose 1-2 lbs/week on average, and 2 lbs is on the higher end. I haven't even reached my "sweet spot" yet with the fills that will provide me with the right amount of restriction, but I have still been losing an average of 2 lbs/week, and that's perfectly fine with me.

Would I love to take a magic pill that made me thin tomorrow? Sure...maybe...only if it would make me thin for life, and it wouldn't. This whole process has allowed me to gradually make changes that I will keep for life. My thinking and reasoning has been transformed, and my instincts are even different. I have read many studies that suggest the slower you lose weight, the better chance you have of keeping it off.

I may lose weight a little bit faster when I finally hit my sweet spot, but if I don't, I'm okay with it. For once in my life I have gotten past my need for instant gratification, and I am at peace with the fact that I am on a journey of healthy eating and living for life. The end result will be a healthier and happier me - whenever I get there. :)

KC

The smallest changes are the biggest

Before I started this journey, I had a wildly different outlook on food and eating, as you can imagine. Even when I followed weight watchers, my take away from that program was that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you stay within your points, and get in the minimum amount of fruits/veggies/fiber, etc, that they recommend.

I think I probably took a lot more latitude with the program than they would have wanted. I cut corners around the nutritional requirements, and as long as I stayed within my points, I always did fine losing.

Last year, Alison was telling me about a person she worked with who was a very healthy eater, and she would feel guilty about eating low fat frozen yogurt for dessert at night. She ate extremely healthy all day long, and she exercised regularly. How could she possibly care about having low fat frozen yogurt (it's not even ice cream!) for dessert? I could not wrap my head around that concept.

Well, here I am, a year later, and I completely understand that concept. I wouldn't feel guilty if I had a small amount of low fat frozen yogurt from time to time, but I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it - it's empty calories.

I asked D to pick up some sugar free ice cream sandwiches if she could find any. We've had a box of sugar FULL ice cream sandwiches in our freezer for some time now, and since I've been looking at them forever, I decided I wanted to have one -just not one that that quite so bad for me. She came home with weight watchers ice cream sandwiches. They weren't sugar free, but they are only 2 points, however, they are 120 calories each! What a waste of calories. I had one because I'd been craving it, and it wasn't very good. I won't have any more of them.

It just made me think about empty calories and how they really shouldn't have much of a home in weight loss. When I get to the point where I am maintaining my weight, then I suppose it's different, but for now, I try to make every bite count.

KC

...and it only took 80+ lbs

This week three people who didn't know I had surgery commented that I looked like I've lost a lot of weight. Other than the one person who noticed around the 60 lb mark, this is the first time anyone else has noticed! I think part of it is the fact that I need to buy new work clothes. The ones I have are tooo big. The other part, as I have said before, is that my weight fluctuates so much that I am just now (well, 2 lbs ago) as small as I was when I first started working at my current job - 3 years ago.

When I first started in my current role, I had just lost a ton of weight, as usual, and I was working out a lot. I ended up working 80 hrs/week and healthy eating and time for the gym fell by the way side. During the past few years, there were a few times when I lost 20 or 30 or even 50 lbs, so anything past my smallest point will probably be the most obvious to everyone.

Moving forward, I suspect that people will notice more and more.

Today someone asked me what my trick was, and I said - eating healthy and exercising! That's the truth, even though I omitted the part about the band. I don't mind telling people, but there was a crowd around, and it's just not everyone's business. Clearly.

Help! I have lost a tiny gymnast!

Has anyone seen Olga Korbut? The 84 lb gymnast? I seem to have lost her?!

Ha! Actually, I just lost one more lb, to make a total of 84, but I am pleased to report I have finally lost a person... a tiny person, but a full grown adult person. I am looking forward to losing bigger people in the near future!

55 Degrees of Delight

As the title of this blog may give you a hint, we loved the restaurant we visited last night! The service was a bit slow, but it was supposed to be a relaxed atmosphere. We probably wouldn't have noticed if we weren't dying to get home to see Lost and our DVR isn't working!

Before we ordered, they brought us a pinapple and shrimp salad on puff pastry. Normally, I would find that combination horrifying, but it was delightful. For the first course, I ordered a baby greens salad, and Darcy ordered a cauliflower bisque. My salad was fine, but the bisque was enchanting! I tried the tiniest bite (because hello, it's a bisque!), and it was so interesting the way their chef coaxed out the most amazing flavors from a simple dish.

I ordered beef tenderloin with horseradish crusted mashed potatoes and baby carrots. The beef was a high quality cut, aged to perfection, served with a dramatic reduction infused with peppercorn that set off sparks in my mouth. The potatoes were good, but I do think on a less busy night they would have been better. Not every effort was made to make each bite count, as was the case with every other piece of the meal.

Darcy ordered seared sea scallops over a creamy lemon orzo with spinach and porcini mushrooms. I am not a seafood fan, but I tried the scallops and they were sensational. I am still trying to determine what spicey mixture lead to the flavors I tasted that were seared into the plump scallops. The lemon orzo was electric. I did not anticipate that blend of flavors to satisfy me, but it did, and then some! I am not one to like crude mixtures of fruit or sweet flavors with inherently salty flavors, but there was nothing crude about this flavor blend.

The chef at 55 degrees creates a magical experience, and my entire meal was only 350 calories. I did not eat many of the potatoes, and the beef was a very small cut, which is precisely why I picked this restaurant in the first place.

I will definitely visit this restaurant again. I am amazed to find this type of cuisine in New Hampshire.

55 Degrees

I found a really cool new restaurant for me and D to go to tonight called 55 Degrees. The food looks exquisite (for NH), and they only serve small portions. The idea is that each person orders 2-3 entrees and gets to try lots of different things. I think that idea is fantastic, and so very NYC! ;-) It's extra fantastic for a bandster, because one meal will be plenty, and I won't spend $50 on an entree that I am only going to eat 1/3rd of! I will report back tomorrow with our feedback!

KC

Spoiler Alert!

If you love your high calorie foods, you may not want to read this post!

An average healthy person should eat about 2000 calories per day. If you are trying to lose weight, you should eat between 1200-1600, depending on your program.

The following popular snacks and foods are higher in calories than you may even realize:

• 1 Reeses Peanut butter cup (big size) - 210
• Corn muffin - 510
• Medium mocha almand iced latte - 290
• McDonald's deluxe breakfast - 1220
• Crispy Chicken club sandwich - 680
• Large french fry - 570
• Large chocolate shake - 1160
• Chinese beef with broccoli - 1120
• Lo Mein - 1820
• Pizza hut meat lovers pizza (1 slice) - 530
• Cheesecake (1 slice) - 1000
• Whopper - 760
• Large coke - 390
• Chicken fajita burrito - 840
• Tuna Melt - 919
• Awesome blossom (1/4 of of full plate) - 740
• Chicken caesar salad - 1010
• Clam chowder (bowl) - 940
• Fajita Quesadillas - 1900
• Large Chocolate cookie dough Blizzard - 1340
• Hot dog - 400
• Chicken parm over pasta - 1200

Source: Dotti's Weight Loss Zone (www.dwlz.com)

When you think about how many calories you are supposed to eat in a day, and how much of a dent these items make, it just hardly seems worth it! :)

Balance ball for weight loss

That is the name of the exercise DVD I just did. I loved it, and if you are looking for a beginners balance ball/yoga work out, I recommened it highly. It is amazing how tall and relaxed and calm I always feel after yoga. I can see why it's practically a religion for some. I will write more on phatbusters.

Hungry Horrors

Today has been a hungry day! Not only am I overdue for a fill, I have PMS, so between the two, it has not been pretty. Luckily, now when I'm hungry, I am okay eating a salad as a snack. In my former life, when I felt this hungry, there was nothing I wanted unless it was unhealthy.

I'm having vegetable "fried" rice and Ah-so chicken for dinner, so that should be filling. I'm not usually as hungry at night.

I was snowed in today. After all the snow, it started raining, and now the roads near my house are flooded because the rain has no where to go. I am trapped. Well, not totally trapped, I would be okay in a really big truck, or I could take a snowmobile to higher ground, but I can't easily leave. I was going to have groceries delievered, but then I realized that he would have to drive through the flooded roads to get here, so that won't work either.

All this is to say that I will not make it to the gym tonight. I took yesterday off because of the storm, and I felt like it, which I was okay with because I'm only trying to work out 5 days, not 7. However, today I'm feeling sick again. All of the cold air has made my cough into more than just a cough, and my chest is tight, and I'm having trouble breathing. Being outside shoveling and getting Darcy's car unstuck this morning was QUITE a work out anyway. I'm going to try one of my new exercise DVDs in a minute, and I'll post my work out details on phatbusters when I'm done.

I guess that's it for now. Be well!

Oh yeah, I had to reschedule my fill, since I'm unable to leave the house. Luckily, they were able to make it for next Tuesday, so that's not too long. Let's hope I'm not this hungry the entire time!

I missed you!

I haven't been able to post all day. The blog site was freezing each time I tried to do a new post. It's something wrong with my computer, because now I'm on Darcy's, and it's working just fine.

Thank you to those of you who noticed, and missed me back. :)

The scale is not my friend

Everytime I start lifting weights, I stop losing weight! I know that it's temporary, but it's not very nice, now, is it? I'm working so hard to eat healthy and get to the gym, even though I'm so busy, and how am I rewarded? By weighing more!

Actually, I don't mind this at all, and I know it's only temporary, and the weight will fall off soon enough, but I hate that I'm seeing my MD tomorrow, and I'm only down 8 or 9 lbs since the last time I saw him. I know I'm doing a great job, and I just want to make sure he knows that too!

Pizza night at the gym

Huh???




Oh yes, the first Monday of every month is pizza night at my gym. I can't imagine why they would think this is a good idea. I get that young men who work out a lot can eat whatever they want and still be fit, but I'm pretty sure they are the only ones who are like that. People are at the gym to get healthy and to look better, and pizza generates results opposite to that.



If you spent an hour on the exercise bike, at level 5, you would burn around 300 calories. That is the same amount of calories in just one slice of cheese pizza. That number grows to 400 if it's Pizza Hut.

So what in the world is the point? I get that they want to do something for their members, and it's easy to set up, and inexpensive, but I bet they could get healthy wraps instead for about the same price. Pretty soon they are going to add the exercise car to the exercise bike area!

LOL!

Anyway, tonight was not pizza night, but when I saw the sign for it again, I had to comment. My work out was fine, and it's detailed on my phatbusters blog.

Hmmm....

Today is day 3 into my workout week, and I am SORE from the past two days. I worked out a lot harder the last 2 days than I had been in my recent work outs, and I think my body may need some rest. Also, my back is killing me from sitting in my car for 4.5 hrs today.

I can't decide what to do, because I want to get all of my work outs in this week, but I don't want to get an injury. It's really my legs that are sore, so I think I will go to the gym, skip the cardio (since that is all about legs), and I'll just work out my arms. That way, I'm honoring my commitment to work out without causing any major damage. Good. Thanks for hearing me out on this one. ;-)

NSVs

In the world of online weight loss, there are scale victories (SVs) and Non-scale victories (NSVs). I have not had a scale victory in a few days, but I did have a non-scale victory this weekend. One of my neighbors came up to me from behind, and she thought I was her husband. (I know my mother is horrified by this, and wondering how in the world that can be seen as a victory of any kind!) Her husband is a big guy, but he probably only has 15 lbs to lose, if that. I took her error as a compliment!

I had another NSV that same night involving the same woman. As I was walking up the stairs, she told me she can't believe how much I've changed, and that she almost doesn't even recognize me anymore. GOOD! Ya'll saw what I looked like at the beginning. We want to get as far away from that as possible! :)

Pictures

Since many of you reading this blog do not see me often, lately I have received requests for some before and "after" pictures. We are no where near "after," but I can certainly provide some before and now pics.

This picture was taken at the start of my liquid diet in September '07:
(Thank you to Kitty for fixing the quality of the picture!!!)

Five months later (now):

Suit up

I started looking at suits today. I can't wait until I can finally dress the way I have always wanted to. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to afford to! I work in HR, and the joke is that all senior HR professionals buy all of their clothes at Talbots, as though it's standard HR issue.

I looked at Banana Republic, Niemon Marcus, Saks 5th Ave, and designer suit web sites, and I couldn't find anything I really liked. I do not have a traditional woman's frame, and I am most comfortable in the style and fit of men's clothing. Suits, however, do not work. I have always had to buy women's suits, and I don't think that's going to change. I am pretty picky about what I want, and I feel like after I've lost all this weight, I'm going to want to love the clothes I wear.

Finally I resigned myself to check out the Talbots site, and I found about 5 suits I actually liked. I can't believe it! What a stereotype I'm going to become! Thankfully, the suits I like are not the ones my colleagues wear. No offense to my colleagues! I just have a very different style... My colleagues are very well dressed. I hope that satisfies as a disclaimer in case any of them ever read this. ;-)

The suits are each about $400-$500. Yikes. I know I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy these, but that's going to hurt. My suits are usually under $150 now. I am a bargain shopper, so I will see what I find, but I should probably seriously consider start budgeting for a new wardrobe.

When I was 17, my dad promised me he'd buy me a whole new wardrobe if I lost the weight I had to lose and keep it off. I wonder if that offer still stands... LOL

KC

Heading back to the gym...

I am sore today from my workout yesterday. Not too bad, but sore enough. I need to remember to stretch before my work out today. Today I'm working out arms, which should be interesting since I pulled a muscle in my right bicep earlier this week. I'll have to take it easy.

We are taking my grandmother to the Lilac Blossom (a nice Chinese restaurant) today for her birthday. As I usually do when eating out, I looked up their menu online to plan ahead for what I am going to eat. I don't understand why all Chinese restaurants seem to think the only healthy options they can come up with are steamed chicken with steamed vegetables. They could easily make a number of their entrees a little more heart healthy by using lighter sauces, and avoiding frying the meats. Oh well. Steamed chicken with mixed veggies it shall be. I wish they had sushi.

D and I went out for sushi yesterday. It was delicious. Everything I had was fantastic: hot and sour soup, salad in a ginger dressing, tuna roll and a california roll. I had one piece of a shrimp tempura roll that was to die for as well. YUM.

My sister sent me a quote she read on a cooking light message board. Somehow it reminded her of my attitude is a decision post. ;-)

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”~ Herm Albright

Ha! That is too funny, and I LOVE it.

Who you gonna call? Phatbusters!

My new work out blog: Phatbusters.blogspot.com

Dreading the weekends

I was reading Alison's blog, and over the past few weeks she has mentioned how the weekends can be tough. I had forgotten that phenomenon until her blog reminded me. A lot of the success of following a healthy eating regimen is related to consistency, and the regimen itself. It makes sense that weekends can be a challenge, because they are far more unpredictable than the work week.

When I first started this journey, I dreaded the first weekend tremendously. I was on a liquid diet, and I couldn't imagine what I was going to do with myself for two days. I got through it, and I had 6 weekends filled with liquid diets, including the month before surgery and the 2 weeks after. Once I was back to solid foods, I was just so happy to have options, I never gave it another thought.

I have healthy food in the house, and that's what I cook, no matter what day it is. If I go out to eat, I pick something healthy, and that's just that. I have the food part down, but as I've shared with you, I'm not doing well with the gym. I'm not sure why. I enjoy working out.

I know I was sick for a long time, and now that I've been trying to get back in the groove, I've had a ridiculously busy week. I haven't been to the gym since last Sunday. Monday - Thursday I did not get home until it was too late, but I could have gone yesterday, and I didn't. There was no excuse for that. I had a lot of work to do, and homework on top of it, but I still could have fit it in if I really wanted to.

TJ has recommended that rather than trying to get to the gym 5x/week to start off, I should aim for 4. I know for sure I can make it on Saturday and Sunday, so that only leaves 2 days during the week that I need to make it in. That's manageable, even with my crazy schedule. I can do a work out tape at home the other days. I'd like to exercise 6x/week.

I'm going to the gym shortly, and I'm going to start an exercise blog. Don't worry - you don't have to read it. :) I'm just going to start it for myself, to journal my exercise and hopefully it will hold me accountable to working out, just like this blog has held me accountable to my healthy journey in general.

I'm bloated again today. I had 30 grams of fiber yesterday (gross), and not enough water, so that'll do it. I'm going to go easy on the fiber today, hard on the water, work out for at least 60 minutes, and see where I land tomorrow.

I have been averaging 1100 calories per day. My MD said to be between 1200-1400 calories per day, but that was with me working out 5x/week for 60 minutes. On one of my lapband yahoo groups, they often say that women should eat between 800-1100 calories per day, and men should be between 1100-1400. I think my MD has given me more of a buffer because I have more weight to lose than most, so he will eventually plan to cut that number back. I have a fill this Wednesday, so we shall find out more then.

Enjoy your day!

KC

Attitude is a Decision

Some of you have told me that I make this look so easy. I attribute that to my attitude. I'm not bragging; it's just a fact. Every day I have a choice to make. Am I going to let things get me down, or am I going to be grateful for those things because they make me stronger? The attitude I have regarding this weight loss journey is the same attitude I have about every other area of my life.

'

There is a reason people call me Sally Sunshine.

'

But I'm not a sally, and I don't see everything as sunny. I purposely choose to look for the best in every situation. I was driving to work with Darcy the other day, and she kept getting so upset about traffic and the way people were driving. I get it - traffic is one of the most annoying things in life, and people driving like jerks or idiots is right up there. Traffic is part of life. You can choose to plan your commute around it, greatly reducing the amount of time you spend in it, or you can drive during rush hour and sit in it every day. If you don't encounter traffic too often, you can handle it better when it happens.

'

Every individual has power over his or her life. We contol our destiny much more than we give ourselves credit for. Never in my life have I ever wondered "why me?" I have had fantastic ups and devastating downs, and my choices brought me to each.

'

I have chosen to make this journey just a little piece of my life. I choose not to focus on the fact that it's inconvenient to have to plan each meal so thoroughly, or that my life on the road would be so much easier with fast food. I choose not to focus on the fact that I have to retrain my mind to pick healthier choices at my favorite restaurants. I choose not to mourn the loss of the bad food I used to eat. I choose to see that food as fattening and gross like the people who eat it, and I used to be one of them.

'

I don't let myself feel regret over these changes. I make food more delicious than ever. I don't feel like I'm missing out on things, because I choose not to feel that way. It starts with a choice, and then it becomes reality.

'

Attitude is a decision.

'

Attidude is a committment. It takes practice. I've been practicing my whole life, so it's second nature now. It's not too late to start.

'

KC

No Wolf Zone

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, things at work are heating up. I had 12 meetings yesterday. That's just silly. Seriously. I had three scheduled from 12-1 alone! With all the fancy footwork I was doing to quickly get around to each one, I wouldn't be surprised if Bellichick comes knocking at my door...I heard he could use some help.

Trying to have lunch on days like these is nearly impossible. I probably should have just brought a meal replacement bar and some fruit for lunch, but I didn't have any bars, so I brought chicken. I can't skip a meal because I get dizzy and I can't focus. That's really not an option for me, though I did consider it yesterday. I had 2 minutes to eat my lunch, and one of them was spent heating it. I tried to wolf down my food as fast as I could, but I was getting those terrible chest pains. It was a nightmare.

I ended up just having a few bites and throwing the rest away. I have never been one to build time in my day around lunch. I just fit it in whenever I can, and I always work while I'm eating. Since my schedule is heating up, and since I am no longer able to eat like a rabid dog, I will probably need to factor in at least 10 minutes for lunch on my busiest days. Lesson learned.

I lost another lb, so it's 83 now.

KC

No love from the scale

I wasn't expecting it either. I got home from work at 8, and had dinner at 8:45 which never results in a happy ending with the scale the next day. I didn't make it to the gym either. Even though I was still sore yesterday, I could have made it to the gym. By the time I was done with dinner at 9, I was exhausted and I went to bed.

Today I have another very long day, and I don't expect to be home before 8pm again. I'll have my dinner, and tonight I need to clean my house because I'm having company tomorrow (and Friday), so again, there will be no time for the gym.

My work schedule is heating up again. I used to work 80 hours/week with this job, and then things finally got under control. I had a much more manageable schedule for about 8 months. Now, I am almost back where I started. I have taken on way too much, and I just started up with school again too, so my time is tight, to say the least.

I think my only solution will be to start working out in the AM, but I really hate that idea.

I shall give this more thought.

I know this is more of a weight loss blog (ya think?) than anything else, but I would like to give a shout out to my boy TJ. He's quit smoking for over a month now, and I know that is harder for him than this journey has ever been for me. He has really made amazing changes to get past this addiction, and he struggles with it every day. His journey is an inspiration to any of us who are trying to get healthy. If he can do it, we certainly can!

Keep up the awesome work, TJ!

Kristen.

The rollercoaster that is weight loss...

Today I'm up 3 lbs of water weight. I have no idea why. I didn't have a lot of sodium yesterday, I was at 1100 calories for the day, I drank all the water I'm supposed to...who knows. It could just be a lady thing. Maybe we should tell them I'm not a lady. ;-)

I usually drink my water during the day, and I don't have any at night. I wonder if I drank water after dinner, if that would help. I will have to experiment and see.

Sadly, I am still sore from my 60 minutes on the treadmill from Sunday. I don't understand why. If I did 30 minutes, I wouldn't feel anything. It's not like it's THAT much more. I'm hoping that I'll be okay by tonight, because I'd like to do another hour. I'm definitely better than yesterday. Yesterday I was hobbling around like an 88 year old.

I have just 8 days until my next fill, so I'm thinking I won't be down another 8 lbs by then. Oh well. I can still try! If I don't lose any more weight, I will have only lost 7 lbs since my last fill. I'd like to at least get to 10, so that's 3 more lbs.

Wish me luck!

5 months

I started this journey five months ago, but it feels like it was longer!

As of today, I'm down another lb to make 82 total. Eight more lbs until I get my fill (hopefully!) I'm quite certain this is the first time I ever *lost* weight after the super bowl. LOL

Speaking of the super bowl...let's not go there.

This lifestyle is hardwired (eating wise...still working on the gym). The last month, I averaged 1100 calories per day, made up of 44 grams of fat, 109 carbs, 15 grams of fiber (hey, that's better than the 7 it was before!), and 70 grams of protein. I averaged 1629 mgs of sodium per day, which is below the AHA recommended 2000 or less.

Happy 5 month anniversary, KC, as well to you, gentle readers. :)

KC

I did it!

I just walked three miles in under an hour on the treadmill. My back and legs are fine - the only problem I am having is my feet. I need new sneakers for this training program, and I think I'm going to end up with many many blisters from today's stint. I know that to many people, walking three miles in under an hour is not exactly a giant feat. I think only those of you who have been near the size I was at the beginning of my journey (or even my size now!) can truly appreciate the significance of this accomplishment.

Just five months ago, I couldn't stand for more than a few seconds without being in tremendous pain. Now, without even working up to it, I was able to walk three miles. I know that the reason my back and legs aren't in pain is because I stretched thoroughly before the work out. The 3 day site offers great stretching instructions on their site, and I followed all of them prior to my walk today: http://07.the3day.org/site/pp.asp?c=pmL6JnO8KzE&b=2183351

Steph and Carolyn won't be joining us for the walk after all, but if any of you are interested, let me know! The more the merrier.

KC

Breast Cancer Walk

I have always wanted to do the Breast Cancer Walk, but it was never an option for me because I wasn't able to. This year, I believe I am going to do it. I didn't realize that the 3 day walk and the Avon walk were separate. Here are my options:

1. Avon 2 day walk: 40 miles in 2 days (or 26.2 in 2 days for those unable to do 40), minimum fund raising goal $1800, in late May

2. Susan G. Komen 3 day walk: 60 miles in 3 days, minimum fund raising goal $2200, in August

Pros of Avon Walk:

1. Slightly less money required to be raised. I'm not worried personally about raising the minimum, but Darcy would need to as well, as she has decided to join me, and we have invited Steph and Carolyn as well, so it may be easier to have everyone join in if there is slightly less money needed to be raised.
2. It's only 2 days, and I don't know if I could be ready for a 3 day walk. I still have a ton of weight to lose.

Cons of Avon Walk:

1. It's in May, and that gives us less time to prepare.

Pros of Susan G. Komen Walk:

1. We would have until August to raise all that money.
2. We would have until August to train.

Cons of Susan G. Komen Walk:

1. It's 3 days long, and I have no idea if it would be realistic for me to plan to walk 60 miles in three days.
2. The fund raising requirement is greater.

I have read the training guidelines, and it says these walks are geared for people who can already walk 3 miles at a time at a 3 mile an hour speed. If you are unable to do that, you may not be a good fit. As referenced in a previous post, when I was separated from my friends I had to walk 3 (or so) miles home (mainly up hill), and I did it in under an hour. However, I didn't have a choice about that.

Today I'm going to go to the gym and make sure I can do it again. The recommended training time is 24 weeks, and there's only 15 weeks before the 2 day walk. I think I may be leaning toward the 3 day walk, but I need to consult my team to see what they think.

Stay tuned, as I'll be hitting you up for donations soon. Save those pennies! ;-)

KC

This year, Darcy and I will be walking for Denise, our friend Nancy's partner. Denise has fought a brave and courageous fight against this terrible disease for many years, and now she is in the final stages of her life. The doctors do not anticipate that she will be with us for more than another week. While tremendous strides have been taken to fight breast cancer, we still have a lot more work to do. Please join me in offering your support through your thoughts and prayers to Nancy, Denise, and the rest of their families who are going through the hardest time of their lives right now.

WaToy

The Darce and I went to the movies, and we saw Untraceable. I liked it, though I did cover my eyes for at least 10% of it. I loved the ending. I had half of a small popcorn. I know movie theater popcorn is really horrible for you, but it's something I love, so I decided to have it while using portion control. I built it into my daily calorie intake, and even with the popcorn I was only at 1071 calories for the day. (1200 - 1400 is the current range I have been given by my MD to stay within.)

I am a part of a yahoo group that I've mentioned before, and most bandsters seem to have the same philosophy I do about eating healthy in general, but from time to time allowing something that isn't as healthy - in moderation. A few bandsters, however, are purists and they believe that every single meal (without exception) should be made up of a serving of lean protein, veggies, and a low calorie source of fiber/whole grain. I say - live and let live, but I do think that the purists will have a hard time following a completely rigid diet over time. A 100% rigid diet has *always* resulted in failure for me.

I'll say it again: Progress...not perfection.

My strategy has been to study the eating and healthy living habits of healthy thin people I know, and these people make healthy choices almost every meal. If they decide to have pizza on Friday night, they are back to healthy eating the next morning, and they may even work out a little extra to make up for it. That is now how I live, and it's working well for me. I can envision living like this for the rest of my life, and I do envision it. Do not underestimate the power of visualization related to your goals, whatever they are.

As you can guess from the title of this email, I have gotten a bit off track. ;-) After the movie, Darcy and I went to the WaToy for dinner. The WaToy is a local Italian restaurant. (kidding - just seeing if you're still with me!) I was full from my popcorn, but I didn't want Darcy to feel silly eating alone, so I ordered steamed chicken and snow peas. As it is, we were the *only* people in the restaurant. Apparently, they temporarily lost their liquor license, and no other customers felt it was worth staying. I loved being the only customers. I'm going to track restaurants that have lost their liquor license and visit them all! ;-)

When my dinner arrived, it was lathered in an unidentifiable brown gravy. How is it that they offer a dish served in their "Healthy Meals" section that is drowning in fat and sugar? The waitress looked at me funny when I ordered it (and she's worked there forever), and she kept asking me if it was just chicken and snow peas. Ah, yes. Your menu, not mine. I think that no one has ever ordered it before. I'm pretty sure they had no idea what I was asking for, so they whipped up some ridiculous sauce to serve with it.

Thumbs down to the WaToy, although overall I had fun there, and I did enjoy my tea!

Live from Goffstown, KC

PS: Darcy has requested more pictures in my blog. That's her favorite part. I don't have the heart to tell her that a blog is actually more about the words part. (Interesting factoid: did you know the word blog was shortened from the original "web log?")

This is what my dinner was supposed to look like:

This is more along the lines of what my dinner actually looked like:

Meal Plan

I posted my dinner plan for the week on my recipe blog, as well as any applicable recipes that went along with it: www.lowphatcooking.blogspot.com

Check it out, and please let me know if you try any of the recipes. I would love your feedback!

Don't label me

I am one of the fastest shoppers I know. I can buy two weeks worth of groceries in the time it takes others to get through the produce section. I'm not terribly great about bargain shopping, and I didn't used to read the labels on items, so that was part of it. I also know my grocery store very well, and I can remember all the items on my list usually without even consulting it.

This is no longer the case.

Well, I still remember the items on my list, but now I'm a label reader, and I research lots of different items to pick the most nutritious. Today we were at the grocery store for an hour, and I only bought $50 worth of food! Everything I purchased was an ordeal, and Darcy stood patiently by as I read label after label. If the roles were reversed, I would have had a fit and probably ran out of the store in horror.

I'm not patient. We know this.

I think/know it will get easier in time. I will get to know which brands and items are the best. Did you know that Campbell's Healthy Request soup has less fat and fewer calories than their 98% fat free version? They are both labeled as 98% fat free, but the Cream of Celery soup, for example, is 2 grams of fat per serving of Healthy Request vs. 3 grams of fat in the other 98% fat free version. How can the Healthy Request have 1/3rd less fat, while they are both 98% fat free? It's not as though the amount of fat in the full fat version is so high that one gram of fat doesn't change the percentage. Strange. Anyway, I usually just get the 98% fat free, but now I'll get Healthy Request going forward.

Another strange thing is that the Whole Grain Barilla Plus (which is supposed to be extra healthy) has more fat and calories and LESS fiber than the regular Whole Grain Barilla, and it's $1 more!

So read those labels, kids! They can't lie on the labels, but they have more wiggle room with the selling points they put on the front of packages. Some items say they are fat free, and they really aren't. In general, I avoid fat free products per the advice of my nutritionist. They are usually chemical bombs, and you need to have some fat in your diet.

For the super bowl, we are having some friends over, and they are on weight watchers, so I'm just making a few healthy snacks. Usually, the super bowl is a big piggy-stuff-your-face fest, so I hope they aren't disappointed. I'm making a delicous home made salsa (I'll post the recipe), and I bought reduced fat whole grain tortilla chips to have with it, veggies and low fat dip and whole grain english muffin pizzas made with healthy choice sauce and low fat cheese.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

KC

Speaking the WW Language

I know that many of you reading this blog are either currently in the Weight Watchers program or you have been in the past (who hasn't?!), so I thought for fun (mental note: examine definition of fun) I would calculate all the points I have eaten since the day I returned from vacation:

1/23 24
1/24 15
1/25 33
1/26 20
1/27 30
1/28 16
1/29 28
1/30 20
1/31 15

Average over 9 days: 22.5

It was interesting for me to see how much the points fluctuated from day to day. My calorie range fluctuates from 800 - 1400 calories per day, but I'm most often around the 1000 calorie mark. The amount of fat in the food I eat greatly affects the points value.

So there you have it folks!

Hate for Whole Grain

I have always been a whole grain hater. In the past, I only ate white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc... The whole world was on a whole grain kick, and I resisted with vigor. I didn't care that it was heart healthy, and good for your digestive system, and prevents a million diseases...it was gross!

Now that I'm a healthy eater, I incorporate whole grains into my life regularly. I have gotten to the point where I don't mind whole grain pasta (but it's not the same as regular), and I tolerate the gross bread I eat that has seeds in it, and could possibly double as a straw hat, and the whole grain wraps I have found are not bad at all, but I draw the line at what I just experienced.

I made Steak and veggies for dinner the other night, with wheat pilaf as a side. I try to have protien, fruit or veggie, and a whole grain at each meal. This was the night I was starved for protein, so I had a hamburg snack at 4pm...well, I was too full from that to eat the dinner I made, so I had it for breakfast today. The steak and veggies were delish, but the wheat pilaf...wow.

Wheat pilaf is a fiber filled nod to the more familiar and tastier rice pilaf. Wheat pilaf does not have any rice; instead it is made with bulgar - a whole grain. It's basically, boiled whole grain with a few pieces of orzo. No wonder it has 8 grams of fiber per serving! It actually tasts similar to oatmeal, not what you would expect from a pilaf.

I was in the grocery store holding the wheat pilaf box in one hand and the whole grain brown rice pilaf in the other. The whole grain brown rice pilaf only had 2 grams of fiber, so I HAD to go with the wheat pilaf. Ew. Big mistake. I want you all to try it just to experience what I did.

Alas, I am not a quitter, so I am going to give wheat pilaf another try. This time, I'm going to make a chicken casserole with 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup and chicken, with the bottom layer wheat pilaf. I think that will work just fine. I wish I liked broccoli. That would be a good addition. That's okay, I can serve veggies on the side.

Wheatever.

Choking on the Chicken

Last night I brought dinner to my Grandmother's house. She loves the Lobster Boat in Litchfield, NH (also Merrimack and Nashua), and she wanted a lobster roll and onion rings. I'm not much of a seafood person, so I always get chicken fingers when we eat at the Lobster Boat. We haven't eaten there since I've started this process though. I looked at the menu, and everything was seafood except burgers or chicken fingers. I wasn't in the mood for a burger, and I knew the chicken fingers were only very lightly breaded with a small amount of flour, and I was only going to have a few, so that's what I ordered.

Normally, I dunk the chicken fingers in the tartar sauce, but I wanted to avoid the extra calories, so I ate them dry. Well dry they were! I really don't have much restriction yet from my band, so I don't have any limitations on what I can eat like most bandsters do (yet). The one thing that does apply to me, however, is that I cannot eat foods that are dry. They get stuck, and it's very painful.

As I was eating my chicken last night, it got stuck. When food gets stuck, it feels like there is a truck driving over your chest cavity. You don't know if you want to vomit or just die, but you definitely feel like you should be in the ER - even though you know deep down that it will pass. My dear Grandmother is such a worrier, and I knew she would freak out if I got sick in her bathroom, or if I let on that I was in pain. I sat calmly at the table trying to return non-verbal communications in response to her conversation so that she wouldn't know there was something very wrong. I thought about motioning that I forgot something in my car, so that I could work through this while not in front of her, but then I thought it would be rude to leave her in the middle of dinner.

As I was relaying this story to Alison, she said I would probably die before I would inconvenience someone or let them know I was in pain. LOL - I'm sure Darcy would disagree with that statement. (and my Mom) :)

After five minutes, it finally passed, and the color returned to my face. Hopefully I spared her the trauma of my experience. Moral of the story: use LOTS of tartar sauce with chicken fingers.

No!

Just kidding - avoid dry foods, and the healthier the better.

I ate 795 calories yesterday, and I missed the gym. I left her house, and I just barely got home in time for Lost (takes precedence of the gym -duh). I will go today.

I'm down another lb, so it's 81 total. 9 more to lose before my next fill. Wow - that would bring me to 90 lbs. Sweet!

KC