On being hungry and on being “allowed” to eat something

Quick bullet points:

• I lost 1.4 pounds this week.
• I ran 16 miles
• I journalled my food everyday, even though I overate on a few days.

This week I remembered what it is like to be hungry.  It had a been a while.  It is a familiar feeling to me and it is a sign that I am eating correctly on that day.  I’m not talking about being famished.  I’m saying that if you eat lunch at 1 pm, at 5 pm when you’re driving home, you should be hungry.  It’s how a healthy body works.  I don’t believe what WW says about always feeling satisified and never feeling hunger.  They say that hunger makes you overeat.  I disagree.  I think that hunger is a signal telling you that you are operating at a calorie deficiency.  And what makes you lose weight?  Calorie deficiency or burning more calories than you take in. 

At a recent engagement, someone asked if I had eaten a piece of cake.  An observer said to them, “She’s not allowed to eat that.”  To which I said, “I am allowed and I have already eaten two.”  It’s not easy to lose weight and eat two pieces of cake, but this week I can proudly say that I have done just that.  I also ate the rest of the meal offered at the same function and some other snacks and things throughout the week.  But I also know that those pieces of cake and the pasta salad and the other items that I ate (half a can of mixed nuts, a fundraising hoagie, a steak, a big chunk of chocalate) all count against me in the game of weight loss and that I have to write those foods down and count them.    The rest of the week was full of fruits and veggies and whole grains and lean meat and fish.  If it had all been full of those good Weight Watchers “Power Foods” I would have lost more than the 1.4 pounds that I did lose.

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Yay for good weather & new grocery store finds!

Can I get a what, what for two or more days of nice weather in February?  It was in the 40s on Tuesday and at least 55 yesterday.  I got to walk both days and am feeling good.  I’m actually down three pounds already, but I can’t say it will hold.  It may be all water.  No biggie if it is, I need to lose the water weight first, then I’ll tackle the fat. 

It’s incredibly windy here this morning, so since I’m going to work later today, I’ll work out at home.  45 minutes of Wii Fit action should do it.  I love the free run, where you jog in place while you watch TV.  About as good as a treadmill.

Food’s been pretty good too:  cooking every day, and still snacking, but I bought some 1 point Breyer’s Fat Free ice cream.  I can eat a whole cup for 2 points and I throw some berries on top and some Fiber One and it’s a three point sundae.

I’ve found three new grocery store items that are to die for.  One is Jumbo Krispies:  giant rice crispies that are whole grain and only 1 point per cup.  Yippee!  Also, my new favorite bread is Arnold Select Sandwich Thin.  They look like a cross between a hamburger bun and a pita and are so good.  They are also only one point.  And finally, have you tried the new Fiber Plus Antioxidant Bars? They are better than Fiber ONe bars, by far.  They actually taste like real food and not like waxy chemicals (even though they are).  Yay for the scientists, I mean “chefs,” at Kellogs!

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Three great recipes & a life update

So I’m having a good week, although I still haven’t exercised much. I did do a quick Yoga wake-up video on Thursday, but that’s it. We planned to go to yoga on Friday but the boss kept us in a meeting too long and we missed the beginning. Angela (a colleague) has worked out a room for us in our building that has a TV & DVD player so that we can exercise on our lunch hour. We plan on doing this twice a week until it is warmer outside and then we plan on running outside, all with the goal of running a 5K this year. Yes, I know that was part of my goals for last year, but now I have a training buddy, so I’ll be more inclined to complete this.

I’ve had good food days this week. Last night was a snacking struggle. I wanted mass quantities of something sweet, but that’s hard to find for very low points. I ended up making some sauce out of peanut butter and chocolate syrup and pouring it over a bag of light popcorn. 7 points. Not terrible, but more than I wanted to spend on a snack.

Today’s recipes are three of my oldies but goodies: Two chili recipes (one complex, one easy) plus a family favorite that I make all the time, Spicy Cabbage. Even non-cabbage eaters will like this, guaranteed.

Cajun-inspired Chili
1/2 lb. pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 links of andouille sausage
1 green pepper, chopped
2 banana peppers, chopped
3 small or 1 large onion, chopped
2 cans of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can condensed tomato soup
3 cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 c. of water
2 packets of chili seasoning, whatever kind you prefer
1 tbsp. Frank’s Red Hot
salt & pepper, to taste

Throw it all into a crock pot and cook on high for six hours. Makes 10 cups at 4 points per cup.

Chili
2 tbsp. light butter
1 c. chopped onion
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded & sliced
12 oz. 95% ff ground sirloin
12 oz (1 bag) frozen cubed squash
29 oz. chili-seasoned canned tomatoes (I used Del Monte)
16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. mushrooms, drained

Seasoning:
Chili powder
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions & celery and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add jalapeno. Allow to soften, about 5 mintues.

2. Add the ground beef and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the beef to brown with the vegetables, stirring frequently.

3. Add the squash, tomatoes, bean and mushrooms. Add seasoning at this point. I don’t measure seasoning, I season to taste, so this might take some experimentation on your part. Allow to come to a full boil, then turn the heat down and let the chili simmer for 20 minutes.

The whole pot is 25 points. Makes six 1 1/2-cup servings, for a total of 4 points per serving.

Spicy Cabbage
1 small head of cabbage, sliced
2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsps. cajun seasoning

Put all ingredients in a big ole soup pot and cook for 20 minutes or so on medium, stirring occasionally. 1 point per cup.

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Doing the needful & some food faves

So I’m working the program this week. I’m even going to (finally) work out after I’m done with this post. I’ve begun taking my vitamin at night and now, either due to sleeping through the nausea or not having any because of having eaten all day, I feel great. We’ve also added a nice salad to almost every dinner, as well as cut out most of the convenience foods that we were eating (except for Lean Cuisine for lunch because I’m lazy.)

Some fave foods that I’m using to help me get it together: Jello Sugar Free Cinnamon Rice Pudding, Generic Light Butter Popcorn (so much cheaper!), kohlrabi (great roasted or raw in a salad), cabbage (I know, but it’s so good raw or cooked!), blueberries, and the new Kellogs Fiber Plus Antioxidant Bar in Dark Chocolate Almond.

I’ve been talking with my friend, Kahuna, who is also doing the needful, and together we’re going to get through this week. Although he’s been “on” Weight Watchers for a couple of months now, if he does it right this will be his first real week on program. He wasn’t counting well or journalling much before. I wish him luck.

How do you like my new banner? My new friend, @TraceRT, whom I met on Twitter, designed it for me. I LOVE it. Thanks to him. Adn since he said he didn’t want a plug, this is the best I can do for him. So follow him on Twitter and make sure you tell the world of his awesomeness, as I said that I would.

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Burger Recipe + Food Blog 2009 Entry 3

Let’s start with the food…

Daily Points Goal: 20

Yogurt 2
Apple 1

Lean Cuisine 5

Salad made of all veggies 1
Low-fat Sweet & Sour Dressing 1
Hamburger 5 oz cooked, 95% lean beef 5
English Muffin Bun 1
White Beans & Rice 3

Popcorn 3
Chocolate & PB Chips 4

Total Points: 25
Remaining Weekly Points: 20

Exercise: 0

Still no exercise. My knee is a mess and I haven’t been sleeping. Although, if I could exercise, I would sleep better. The old Catch 22. I guess that part of the plan will start next week. Food is going well this week though, I’ve cooked every night and returned to eating more veggies, so I feel good about the food (and the food makes me feel good.)

I made terrific, perfectly cooked hamburgers last night. They were completely juicy and tasty. The key to this is to get your heat at a perfect medium-high, then let them cook for 5 minutes on each side and DON’T FLIP THEM, OR SQUISH THEM OR ANYTHING. Seriously. Leave them alone. As usual, I served them on a 100 Calorie English Muffin (1 point instead of 3 or more for a hamburger bun.) I’ve also become a giant fan of Tony Cachere’s various Rice & Beans mixes. They have less than 175 calories per serving, more than 5 grams of fiber and taste AMAZING. You can eat any of them for less then 3 points per serving. Add beef, or sausage and have yourself a delicious high fiber main dish. His seasoning is the bomb, too, and I thank Natalie for that. You should all thank her, too.

Hamburgers

12 oz. ground sirloin (95% lean)
2 tbsp. light bbq sauce
2 tbsp. Italian-style breadcrumbs
Salt & Pepper

Mix beef, bbq sauce and breadcrumbs together by hand. Pat into two super giant patties. Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes each side. Salt & pepper to taste.

Serve on a 1 pt English Muffin with relish, mayo, mustard, etc. but don’t forget to add the points for these things!

Burger Patty: 5 pts.

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WW Daily Food Entry # 1

Daily Points Goal:  20

Yogurt 2

Lean Cuisine 4

Salad made of all veggies 1
Low-fat Sweet & Sour Dressing  1
Soft Taco Shells 5
Taco Meat made from lean beef & cut with veggies put through the chopper 4
Cheese 1
Rice & Beans 2

Popcorn 3

Total Points: 23
Remaining Weekly Points: 32

Exercise: 0

Deliciousness Level:  High

Those tacos were good.  I cut the meat with some leftover cooked onions, celery & carrots that were leftover from making meat sauce.  I put them in the food processor and ground them to almost a paste. The meat tasted richer and it added a lot of bulk. 

I have to miss my meeting today and go on Thursday to the Extra-Corny Meeting instead. I’m bummed, but a staff meeting was scheduled for 1 pm and the meeting is at noon.  I’ll never make it back in time.  Let’s all hope for a reschedule.

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January 2 & Recipe 2

So although New Years was a complete food-a-thon, I’m feeling the power of a new year and am ready to get off this 7 pounds or so.  I actually haven’t ben on a scale today, so I’m not quite sure what I weigh.  On New Years Eve, I was only up 4 and was okay with that.  I’m guessing now that I’m up 7.  I’m still okay with that. 

Today’s food feature is ground beef!  Yay beef!  A lot of people avoid beef when they are dieting because of its high fat content.  But extremely lean beef (less than 7% fat) is only 1 point per ounce, just like ground turkey breast or chicken breast.  Oh and by the way, watch out for ground turkey.  If you already don’t know this, anything simply labelled “Ground Turkey” can be made up of all sorts of parts, dark & light meat and possibly organ meat and is full of fat and is 2 points per ounce.  Only things labelled Ground Turkey Breast are low in fat and points. 

Anyway, today we’re having Whole Wheat Pasta with Meat Sauce.  I’m really lightening this up by putting a carrot and celery through the chopper and adding them to the meat.  It’s great filler and I think it makes the meat taste fuller and better. If you’re a real bulk eater (like I am) add another stalk of celery or more onion.  I’ve been making this for years (since I was in high school) but I’ve recently modified the recipe to be lighter, eliminating wine and some of the fat.  It’s still not very light but I couldn’t make more changes without seriously compromising the flavor.  This is a time-consuming one, it takes over two hours with all of the chopping.  Most of the time is spent just letting the sauce simmer though. 

Meat Sauce

1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
1 c. onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp ham, finely chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
16 oz. 5% fat / 95 lean ground beef
salt & pepper
1/2 c. skim milk
1 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes with their juice (I like the fire-roasted, makes it spicier)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. thyme

1.  Heat the butter & oil in a big saucepan.  Add the onion, cok for 4 minutes.  Add the ham and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the carrot, celery & garlic.  Cook another 4 minutes or so.

2.  Crumble the beef into the veggies.  Cook until no longer pink.  Season with salt & pepper.

3.  Pour in the milk and cook until it evaporates.

4.  Stir in the tomatoes and the herbs and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered for about 1 1 /2 hours. 

7 points for 1/ 4 of the recipe.  Serve over 2 oz. whole wheat  pasta for a 10 point dinner.  Add some brocolli or something to make it a veggie filled meal.

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