Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Days 12 & 13

Days 12 & 13

Today's Starting Weight: 170.0 (Did Not Weigh In Either Day)
Weight lost to date: 12.5 lbs


I have found that especially when I am cooking for my boyfriend as well as myself that I gravitate towards the seafood counter in the supermarket. It is an easy way to cook something delicious and satisfying without having to worry about its preparation. Generally, baking or broiling most fish works like a charm without the use of oils or other fats. This approach worked again this weekend when we decided on shrimp and scallops. Pair these with some steamed spinach or a salad with your veggies and you have a full meal, not to mention that he is happy and so am I! I use Bobby Flay's Shrimp Boil (see below for recipe) to cook shrimp for a "shrimp cocktail" minus the cocktail sauce; the cooking method is super quick and the shrimp have an amazing flavor when you eat them. I also use these shrimp as a protein on salads and also chopped up with some diced red onion, lemon and cilantro in lettuce wraps for lunch.


On another note, I really feel disconnected without weighing in on the weekends, I will have to get a scale this weekend. 



Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
2.5 oz. shrimp & 5.5 oz broiled flounder
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.


Bobby Flay's Shrimp Boil


Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt -- I use sea salt instead and only a little bit, not 2 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 2 lemons, quartered
  • 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 quarts cold water. Add the salt, coriander, peppercorns and lemon wedges, squeezing the juice into the pot first, and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the shrimp, and simmer for about 4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Drain the shrimp in a colander, transfer to a bowl, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Day 11

Day 11

Today's Starting Weight: 170.0
Weight lost to date: 12.5 lbs
The hard boiled eggs were super easy to eat while I was working, mission accomplished. I also love these little orange grape tomatoes called Zima's, they are a little sweet and a little tart at the same time. My boyfriend made a delicious dinner, slow cooked steak that is simply scrumptious! I am so lucky to have someone who is also concious about healthy eating, and he's a great cook! Now if only I could tackle that scale issue! I doubt that we will have the time to pick a scale up this weekend, and I am nervous about not weighing in for two days again...

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
5 oz. slow cooked steak
1 lg. salad (including cucumber, tomatoes and radished, dressed with Walden Farms Balsamic Vinagrette)


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.

Day 10

Day 10

Today's Starting Weight: 170.5
Weight lost to date: 12.0 lbs
 
 Well, I feel much better after getting on the scale today than I did at this time yesterday. A 1.5 lb weightloss is good any day of the week! This week I am working at an alternate location and have to bring a lunch that I can eat as I work. I have decided that I am going to bring 3 hard boiled eggs each day. I will peel them and cut them in 1/2 at home so I can just pull them out of my tupperware container and keep on going. I happen to love hard boiled eggs so if this week goes well weight wise and hunger wise, I may prepare this lunch more often. Also, I bought the Morton's Salt Substitute to start using. Clearly its not the same as real salt, but it does help add some additional flavor to the food Im eating. 

Today's Diet

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
2 oz. grilled shrimp & 5.5 oz. broiled flounder
1 c. zucchini
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Day 9

Day 9
Today's Starting Weight: 173.0
Weight lost to date: 9.5 lbs

Ugghh. Up .5lbs. This is a disappointment to say the least. I am not sure why this happened. I have been sticking to the protocol from start to finish. Could this be residual backlash from Day 5's deviation? I get on the scale at roughly the same time each day and have been good about making sure that I am taking the drops at roughly the same time each day. I am drinking all the required water and I have not had caffeine at all. I am not giving up though, I will continue to persevere and I will get back on the scale tomorrow morning. I talked to a friend who is also on program (she started one day ahead of me) and she is also a little frustrated. While she has not gained anything at all, she has had days where she has stayed the same. I encouraged her to get a food scale so that she was making sure that she was getting enough to eat, and not just guessing.  


Here's the low down on my diet today


Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
5 oz. baked chicken
1 c. asparagus
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.


** As I was writing this out, I realized that I used sea salt yesterday at both lunch and dinner. Although the protocol says that you can use a small amount of sea salt as it does not retain water the same way that table salt does, perhaps that is part of the +.5 lb problem. I did use some today at lunch but I will not use it at dinner this evening and I will cut it out completely tomorrow. Lets's see if that makes any difference. **

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Day 8

Day 8
Today's Starting Weight: 172.5
Weight lost to date: 10 lbs

WAAHOO! 10 lbs down in 8 days! I am back in full swing and as excited as ever. I am eating the same breakfast everyday and this might seem boring to some people, but for me it works. I am a person that does not usually eat breakfast at all and now I am looking forward to it. I eat my cereal at home and while it is a much smaller portion of cereal than most people would eat, its a good start to the day. Usually between breakfast and lunch I will have my first fruit serving. I am partial to strawberries and apples because they are allowed in the biggest quantities. Between lunch and dinner I will have my second fruit serving of the day, this helps to hold me over without being super starving by the time dinner is ready. I have also learned to take my drops before I start cooking or preparing my meals so that I am not watching the clock, waiting the specified 15 miniutes before I can eat or drink.
 
Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerioes
1/2 c. almond milk
1/2 c. pineapple

Lunch
3 hardboiled eggs with a sprinkle of sea salt
1 c.  grape tomatoes
1 apple

Dinner
5 oz. chicken
1 c. roasted zuchini
2 large handfuls of spinach, steamed

Water Intake
90+ oz 

Days 6 & 7

Day 6
Today's Starting Weight: 174.0

Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

Whew! I got on the scale at my moms house when I got there around 11am on Easter. I have not gained but I have also not lost any weight. This makes me happy because I was really sweating the scale after last nights dinner. Today I will not eat anything until dinner time, when I will eat steak and a lg. salad. 

I get right to work in the kitchen helping get the Easter meal prepared and as a total foodie and passionate cook it is tremendously difficult to rely on someone elses taste buds as I cook. I make due but I realize that I am cranky and easily agitated; duh, I'm hungry! This is incentive enough not to make this deviation a habit. I stick to my drops regimen and my 90+ oz. of water for the day. 


Breakfast
-----

Lunch
-----

Dinner 
5 oz. fillet mignon
lg. green salad


Water Intake
90+ oz.


Day 7
Today's Starting Weight: Unknown (did not weigh in)
Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

I am ready to get back on a scale and see the numbers going down. Tomorrow will be a very telling day about the total effects of my deviation from protocol. I am looking forward to it and am hoping to have the time to try out some of the recipes from the Stimulock program.

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. pineapple

Lunch
5 oz. grilled chicken (on top of my salad)
lg. green salad with vegetables (cucumber and tomato) w/ walden farms dressing

Dinner
5 oz. lean steak
1 c. asparagus

Water intake
90+ oz. 

 

Days 4 & 5

Day 4
Today's Starting Weight: 174.0 lbs
Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

Today I am gearing up for a hard few days to come. Tomorrow night is dinner at my boyfriends parents, an altogether a hard night not to eat what the family is eating. Besides the fact that his mom is an amazing cook, I am not entirely ready to divulge the fact that I am "dieting" to the whole clan. I am not ashamed, but being ever-self conscious I don't want to draw attention to the fact that I NEED to diet. I am 100% sure that everyone would be supportive and champion my endeavor, however, that means that they too agree that I am in need of a weight loss regimen. Ouch. I've decided to keep this one under my hat for now and allow myself to deviate from the protocol for only one meal, dinner.  This will mean that on Sunday (Easter) I will eat only dinner comprised of a steak and a large green salad. This is the prescribed protocol for those who go off program even slightly. There is another option, but it is much less appealing to me. This will no doubt make joining my family for Easter Dinner much harder, but I am willing to play the "I'm just not feeling that well" card and eat only the aforementioned steak and salad. Luckily, this in on the menu anyway, my mom makes a great roasted fillet minion that I already can't wait to sink my teeth into. 
Additionally difficult is the lack of scale that I will have access to. My boyfriend does not own one and I have never seen one at his parents. That means that I will go without weighing in most weekends unless I break down and insist that we buy one for his house with our ever growing pile of Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons. Who can say no to a scale when it is 20% off? 

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk

Lunch
5 oz. fillet of sole (broiled with lemon slices on top)
1 c. veggie ragu

Dinner
8 oz. lobster (steamed, without butter)
large green salad with veggies (tomatoes and cucumbers) and Walden Farms Dressing

** I was able to find the mother load of Walden Farms Calorie Free dressings and CHOCOLATE DIP at Shoprite in NJ, I have not been able to find any of these products yet in NYC. I will say that the Balsamic vinaigrette that I tried first was really good, but surprisingly a little on the sweet side. I also purchased the calorie free ranch and raspberry vinaigrette. I have not bought the chocolate dip yet, but I am totally getting it next time.

Day 5
Today's Starting Weight: Unknown (did not weigh in)
Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

I am hoping this does not backfire in my face! As I mentioned earlier, I am eating breakfast and lunch on protocol and am deviating to eat the dinner that my boyfriends family is preparing...Chicken Enchilladas. Holy mother of all that is good and delicious, these things are freaking amazing. They are so good that it is necessary to make 25 of them at a time to feed a family of 8. Few people can eat more than one at a time, you are truly stuffed after just one creamy, cheesy wrap of baked chickeny goodness.
Breakfast and lunch luckily go according to plan... but apon arrival at the bf's familys house, the 5 layer dip and chips comes out and the Easter baskets are allowed to be dipped into. Here I am in the kitchen watching a hoard of hungry boys devouring the pre dinner goodies and I show amazing self retraint. Two weeks ago, I would have been right in there with them chowing down on some guac and salty chips and washing it down with a few beers (and I wonder why I have a weight problem!), but the new me says "no thank you" and "Yes, I am serious, I am not drinking alcohol for the foreseeable future" to which the hoard begins needling my boyfirend about finding a girlfriend who is not a "communist". "So this is what it's like to have brothers" I think to myself. I am totally used to the family dynamic at this point, and I love every second of it. My boyfriend has a hilarous, chop-busting set of brothers who love eachother in a way I have never seen before, and his parents are so welcoming and loving that it reminds me of my own parents when I was growing up.  
Dinner is ready a little while later and it is worth every ounce of extra hard work I have to put in. The enchilladas don't dissapoint and the rice and beans are spot on. I have one enchillada and about 1/2 c. of the rice and beans. I drink seltzer with dinner and am 100% content with this. The scale will tell the full effect of this meal, and I will accept it without complaint. 

Breakfast
1/2 c. mulitgrain cheerios
1/2 c. skim milk
9 lg. strawberries

Lunch
lg. green salad with vegetabes (cucumbers and tomatoes) w/ walden farms dressing

Dinner
1 chicken enchillada
1/2 c. rice and beans
 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Day 3

Today's Starting Weight: 175.5 lbs
Weight lost to date: 7 lbs

When I weighed myself this morning I was happy to see a 1 lb weightloss. I am now sure that the initial drop was because of lost water weight. I would be very happy with a daily 1 lb loss, and although some doctors and weightloss specialists say it is safest to lose 2-3 lbs a week. At this point I am not hungry in between meals and I am not working out, I feel that my body is getting the energy and nutrients it needs.

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios 
1/4 c. almond milk
1 lg apple

Lunch
7.5 oz canned tuna in water mixed with red wine vinegar
1 c. asparagus
 
Snack
dried apples
Dinner
turkey breast seasoned with taco seasoning in lettuce wraps
fire roasted tomatoes with zuchini and mushroom ragu

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Day 2

Today's Starting Weight: 176.5 lbs
Weight lost to date: 6 lbs

I know this number sounds insane and totally unhealthy, but since this is only my first weigh-in on the program after the loading phase I will chalk it up to losing water weight. I have been super busy and have not taken my measurements yet, but I will do that tomorrow and will post the info. 

Today's Meals:

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/4 c. almond milk

Lunch
4.6 oz grilled chicken with Mrs. Dash seasoning (I didn't have enough for the whole 5 oz.)
1 c. zucchini
12 lg. strawberries

Mid afternoon snack
1 lg. apple

Dinner
5 oz. taco seasoned turkey breast
1 c. asparagus
2 c. steamed baby spinach

90+ ounces h2o

Monday, April 2, 2012

Day 1 Pictures and Weight Tracker

Day 1: Weight 182.50

Today wasn't too hard!!  I certainly had enough to eat (5 oz of chicken is WAY MORE than I had thought) and I have been able to drink all 90 oz. of water throughout the day without feeling like I was running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I think trying to measure the veggies was the hardest part, I wish they had calculated the amounts of vegetables in ounces also.


Todays Diet:
Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
12 strawberries

Lunch
5 oz. grilled chicken
1 c. zucini
1 large apple

 Dinner
5 oz. grilled chicken
1 c. asparagus
2 c. uncooked spinach

90 oz. h2o throughout the day






Weight Loss Reinvented


I am embarking on yet another Weight Loss Journey. BORING! I know I know, been there, read that blog. That being said, and having given up on one two many occasions I am here starting strong, ready to tackle this issue once and for all. 

This is not going to be your run of the mill, counting calories and working out like a crazy person for a few weeks, diet. This is a new experience entirely. I will begin a program called Stimulock, which has a restricted diet, but does not include workouts for the most part. I don't hate working out, I don't even dislike it, but I have an insanely busy NYC schedule that keeps me on the go from early morning till late at night. The secret to Stimulock is supposed to lie in the use of drops taken three times a day and held under the tongue for a specified amount of time. You begin the program in the Loading Phase, and stay here for two days. Then you move into the "diet" phase and stay here until you have reached your desired weight. I plan on staying in the "diet" phase for 30 days, after which point I will reassess and decide if I will continue or if I will move onto the next phase.
Tonight I will post my starting weight, and some pictures; I will continue to do so for the next 30 days. I am staring this journey with an open mind and with the support of my family and friends, my only hesitation is caffeine restriction, no java and no diet coke to help me get through the day, caffeine counteracts the effectiveness of the drops and could slow down my weight loss, so Ill go without for the foreseeable future.  


Wish me luck!