One reason I think it is so hard for me to get motivated to exercise is that I would rather exercise in the morning at the start of my day, but I am not a morning person, so it is difficult for me to get up in the morning. By the time I get out of bed, all I have time to do is get ready for work and leave. I usually have my breakfast at work, so I save time that way, but I still can't manage to get up an hour earlier than I normally do so I can fit in a half hour workout and still have time to shower and get ready for work.
Exercising after work, just doesn't seem to be an option either, and I hate to sound like I am making excuses. When I get home, I usually have to take care of watering the plants and I usually end up puttering in the garden for a half hour, pulling weeds or taking pictures. By then, it's time to get a quick dinner on the table and then I must clean up the kitchen afterwards. By then, I just want to relax and usually have a hobby I am working on or might read for a little while. This doesn't take into account the days I run errands or get caught up on the phone with someone. I know it's important to wind down before bed, so I do try and do that so I can get to bed by 10pm, but even then, I am usually wide awake for an hour because I just don't feel tired.
So, over the next few weeks, I am going to examine my sleeping pattern and try to get it better so that I can wake up in the morning to exercise. I'm sure I'm not the only one struggling with this.
For starters, I know that exercising must be a priority with me, and since I seem to be finding all kinds of excuses not to do it, it must not be a priority. I don't want to ruin all the hard work I've done in losing these 68 pounds so far, so I need to get motivated to exercise regularly. I would love to hear what others say about this topic, so please feel free to drop me a note and tell me your thoughts and recommendations.
Weight Loss Update 7/12 - 7/18
I lost another 2 pounds this past week and Gary stayed the same. I don't know just how accurate this weight loss total will be since I had some stomach upset the night before weigh in and that could have been mostly water loss.
Once again, I did not count calories or points and just ate what I felt like, watching portion sizes as usual. I really want to try and watch what I eat this week, as I feel like I may be on the road to over eating once again. I also want to make sure my metabolism is kept guessing so that it stays up. I was reading an article about a diet that is called the Every Other Day diet. Some parts of it made sense to me, but other parts just seemed like a gimmick.
How I understand it, the Every Other Day Diet is basically an eating plan where you really watch what you eat for 2-3 days in a row, then you eat what you want, within reason, for the next day or two so that your body does not get used to your eating plan and this approach is supposed to help prevent plateaus. To some extent, maybe this does work, because basically, I have been doing the same thing over the last couple of weeks and have still lost weight. There is supposed to be some real detailed information about how to use good fats and proteins to your advantage, but I don't see shelling out $50 to buy that information, when I probably have already read it in some form or another already.
What I really need to focus on is exercising. I don't know why I have gotten out of the habit over the last month, but I do realize that if I don't start back up soon, it will be harder and harder to eat what I am eating and keeping the weight off. I think I need to do another post about motivation.....
Once again, I did not count calories or points and just ate what I felt like, watching portion sizes as usual. I really want to try and watch what I eat this week, as I feel like I may be on the road to over eating once again. I also want to make sure my metabolism is kept guessing so that it stays up. I was reading an article about a diet that is called the Every Other Day diet. Some parts of it made sense to me, but other parts just seemed like a gimmick.
How I understand it, the Every Other Day Diet is basically an eating plan where you really watch what you eat for 2-3 days in a row, then you eat what you want, within reason, for the next day or two so that your body does not get used to your eating plan and this approach is supposed to help prevent plateaus. To some extent, maybe this does work, because basically, I have been doing the same thing over the last couple of weeks and have still lost weight. There is supposed to be some real detailed information about how to use good fats and proteins to your advantage, but I don't see shelling out $50 to buy that information, when I probably have already read it in some form or another already.
What I really need to focus on is exercising. I don't know why I have gotten out of the habit over the last month, but I do realize that if I don't start back up soon, it will be harder and harder to eat what I am eating and keeping the weight off. I think I need to do another post about motivation.....
Recipe - Turkey Black Bean Mexicana
This recipe was sort of an accident. But an accident that tastes great, so I think I will post it anyway. What I was trying to do was create a black bean and turkey burger, but the burger mixture was too soft and fell apart during cooking. I solved that problem by baking the patties in the oven. If you decide to make them into burgers, do not add the can of tomatoes and green chilies.
It is a little on the spicy side (put not hot, in my opinion), so you can reduce the seasonings by half if that is a problem for you.
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Makes 8 Servings
~ 20 oz. pkg ground turkey 93/7
~ 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
~ 1 cup diced red onion
~ 1 tablespoon worcester sauce
~ 1 tablespoon cumin
~ 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
~ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
~ 1 teaspoon chili powder
~ 1 (14.5 oz.) can of tomatoes and green chilies (with juice)
In a blender combine the black beans, onion, worcester sauce and spices. After the mixture has formed a paste-like consistency, mix in the turkey. Add the meat mixture to a pre-heated non-stick frying pan and cook on medium heat until there is no longer any pink showing from the turkey, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes and green chilies and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve using the suggestions below.
Uses:
~ Serve on tortilla chips garnished with sour cream, cheese, fresh pico de gallo, and guacamole
~ Make a burrito, topped with all your favorite things
~ Omit the tomatoes and green chilies, form into 8-5 oz. patties and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
~ Omit the tomatoes and green chilies, add 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of egg substitute (or 1 egg) and form into a loaf. Top with a mexican blend of cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. Serve with salsa on the side.
It is a little on the spicy side (put not hot, in my opinion), so you can reduce the seasonings by half if that is a problem for you.
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Makes 8 Servings
~ 20 oz. pkg ground turkey 93/7
~ 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
~ 1 cup diced red onion
~ 1 tablespoon worcester sauce
~ 1 tablespoon cumin
~ 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
~ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
~ 1 teaspoon chili powder
~ 1 (14.5 oz.) can of tomatoes and green chilies (with juice)
In a blender combine the black beans, onion, worcester sauce and spices. After the mixture has formed a paste-like consistency, mix in the turkey. Add the meat mixture to a pre-heated non-stick frying pan and cook on medium heat until there is no longer any pink showing from the turkey, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes and green chilies and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve using the suggestions below.
Uses:
~ Serve on tortilla chips garnished with sour cream, cheese, fresh pico de gallo, and guacamole
~ Make a burrito, topped with all your favorite things
~ Omit the tomatoes and green chilies, form into 8-5 oz. patties and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
~ Omit the tomatoes and green chilies, add 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of egg substitute (or 1 egg) and form into a loaf. Top with a mexican blend of cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. Serve with salsa on the side.
Recipe - Pesto Couscous
This recipe is so easy, I'm surprised I did not think of it sooner. I had never thought of it before, or even heard of it being done before, so I decided to post it in case it was of interest to others. I will try to post several more recipes in the next few weeks using the Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto recipe I posted last week.
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Makes 4 Servings
~ 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
~ 1 cup couscous, plain
~ 2 tablespoons Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto
~ 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garnish
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and add the pesto and couscous. Stir, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Makes 4 Servings
~ 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
~ 1 cup couscous, plain
~ 2 tablespoons Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto
~ 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garnish
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and add the pesto and couscous. Stir, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Weight Loss Update 7/5-7/11
I lost another 2.5 pounds this week!
In a way I am surprised and in other ways I am not. Let me explain.
This week I decided to stop tracking my food. After 8+ months of tracking everything I ate and measuring everything I ate, I was just plain tired of doing that. But, I think it was necessary, because now I feel like I have a good handle on portions and what is a normal amount to eat. With portions being outrageous in restaurants, it's hard to know what a proper portion size is, especially if you ate out a lot like we did. I think we would have naturally lost weight all on our own if we had stopped eating out cold turkey, but that's not realistic for us, nor do we want to stop eating at restaurants.
So I stopped tracking my food, but I was still sort of mentally keeping track, and measuring most portions that I ate (such as meats and uncooked pasta). I know about how much I eat at each meal, so I felt pretty good about being able to control my portion sizes. I also listened to my body and ate only when I was hungry. Sometimes I felt like I ate more than I needed to because I knew I had so many calories left for the day. In some ways, that may have been causing me to plateau on those weeks when I didn't lose a thing.
I was also really careful to make sure I ate enough, because I didn't want my metabolism to slow down because of lack of food. I think that has got to be the biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight: starving themselves. That's why I don't understand this new fad I've been hearing about calorie restriction to help lengthen your life. If I can't eat when I'm hungry, who wants to live that long anyway....I mean come on....it doesn't even make sense to me for a long term solution to weight loss and good health.
You should eat nutrient rich foods until you feel full and satisfied....I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out. It also doesn't make for a best selling book or weight loss system, so I guess that's why we still see so much junk in the media about losing weight and staying healthy. Common sense doesn't sell, apparently.
So, after one week of not counting calories or WW points, I feel pretty good about where I am heading. I hope I can continue to stay on track in this manner.
In a way I am surprised and in other ways I am not. Let me explain.
This week I decided to stop tracking my food. After 8+ months of tracking everything I ate and measuring everything I ate, I was just plain tired of doing that. But, I think it was necessary, because now I feel like I have a good handle on portions and what is a normal amount to eat. With portions being outrageous in restaurants, it's hard to know what a proper portion size is, especially if you ate out a lot like we did. I think we would have naturally lost weight all on our own if we had stopped eating out cold turkey, but that's not realistic for us, nor do we want to stop eating at restaurants.
So I stopped tracking my food, but I was still sort of mentally keeping track, and measuring most portions that I ate (such as meats and uncooked pasta). I know about how much I eat at each meal, so I felt pretty good about being able to control my portion sizes. I also listened to my body and ate only when I was hungry. Sometimes I felt like I ate more than I needed to because I knew I had so many calories left for the day. In some ways, that may have been causing me to plateau on those weeks when I didn't lose a thing.
I was also really careful to make sure I ate enough, because I didn't want my metabolism to slow down because of lack of food. I think that has got to be the biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight: starving themselves. That's why I don't understand this new fad I've been hearing about calorie restriction to help lengthen your life. If I can't eat when I'm hungry, who wants to live that long anyway....I mean come on....it doesn't even make sense to me for a long term solution to weight loss and good health.
You should eat nutrient rich foods until you feel full and satisfied....I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out. It also doesn't make for a best selling book or weight loss system, so I guess that's why we still see so much junk in the media about losing weight and staying healthy. Common sense doesn't sell, apparently.
So, after one week of not counting calories or WW points, I feel pretty good about where I am heading. I hope I can continue to stay on track in this manner.
Recipe - Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Yesterday I showed you how to make a simple pesto sauce. Today I show you how to use that sauce.
Makes 2 Servings
~ 4 oz. Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Pasta
~ 1 teaspoon olive oil
~ 8 oz. chicken breast, sliced thin
~ 1/2 cup fat free half & half
~ 2 tablespoons Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto
~ 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
~ 2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
~ salt, pepper and garlic powder to season chicken
~ fresh parsley for Garnish
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain pasta after cooking. Slice and season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside while you are making the pesto. If you missed that recipe, check it out here.
Place the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and saute the thinly sliced chicken pieces on medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes until there is no pink showing on the outside of the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, add the half & half, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir and cook chicken for another 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Sauce will begin to thicken slightly over time. Toss the chicken and cream sauce with your cooked penne. Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Serve immediately as the pasta will soak up the sauce otherwise.
This is a super easy and quick recipe, especially if you make up a batch of pesto ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
I believe that if you use a good quality full fat cheese in the pesto, you can get away with the fat free half & half to make your cream sauce. The cheese in the pesto will melt and thicken the half & half as it cooks.
Yesterday I showed you how to make a simple pesto sauce. Today I show you how to use that sauce.
Makes 2 Servings
~ 4 oz. Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Pasta
~ 1 teaspoon olive oil
~ 8 oz. chicken breast, sliced thin
~ 1/2 cup fat free half & half
~ 2 tablespoons Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto
~ 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
~ 2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
~ salt, pepper and garlic powder to season chicken
~ fresh parsley for Garnish
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain pasta after cooking. Slice and season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside while you are making the pesto. If you missed that recipe, check it out here.
Place the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and saute the thinly sliced chicken pieces on medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes until there is no pink showing on the outside of the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, add the half & half, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir and cook chicken for another 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Sauce will begin to thicken slightly over time. Toss the chicken and cream sauce with your cooked penne. Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Serve immediately as the pasta will soak up the sauce otherwise.
This is a super easy and quick recipe, especially if you make up a batch of pesto ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
I believe that if you use a good quality full fat cheese in the pesto, you can get away with the fat free half & half to make your cream sauce. The cheese in the pesto will melt and thicken the half & half as it cooks.
Recipe - Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto
Print a 3x5 card version of this recipe by clicking here.
Garlic scapes are in season right now at my local farmer's market, so I decided to make some pesto with them. If you don't know what a garlic scape is, it's the top green shoots from garlic. They remove the scapes to get the garlic to grow larger. I've also been told it's a special variety, so not all garlic scapes are suitable for cooking with. They have a mild garlic flavor that is just wonderful.
Makes about 1-1/4 cups of pesto
~ 1/2 cup fresh basil (packed tight)
~ 1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped (about 5-7 scapes)
~ 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
~ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tablespoons pine nuts
~ Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
The smaller you chop the garlic scapes, the easier it will be to chop them in the blender. Add the pine nuts, scapes and basil to a food processor or small blender and pulse until all the pieces are chopped up. You may need to use a spoon to move the mixture around so that it gets chopped up faster. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to the mixture and continue to pulse until it's relatively smooth. Add the olive oil slowly to the mixture, pulsing as you go. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. It can also be frozen for several months.
Garlic scapes are in season right now at my local farmer's market, so I decided to make some pesto with them. If you don't know what a garlic scape is, it's the top green shoots from garlic. They remove the scapes to get the garlic to grow larger. I've also been told it's a special variety, so not all garlic scapes are suitable for cooking with. They have a mild garlic flavor that is just wonderful.
Makes about 1-1/4 cups of pesto
~ 1/2 cup fresh basil (packed tight)
~ 1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped (about 5-7 scapes)
~ 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
~ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tablespoons pine nuts
~ Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
The smaller you chop the garlic scapes, the easier it will be to chop them in the blender. Add the pine nuts, scapes and basil to a food processor or small blender and pulse until all the pieces are chopped up. You may need to use a spoon to move the mixture around so that it gets chopped up faster. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to the mixture and continue to pulse until it's relatively smooth. Add the olive oil slowly to the mixture, pulsing as you go. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. It can also be frozen for several months.
Weight Loss Update 6/28-7/4
This week, Gary and I were not really actively trying to lose weight. I lost .4 pounds and Gary lost .1 pounds. I am pleased that we were able to maintain our weight pretty easily. I pretty much ate what I wanted, but still tried to make smarter choices.
For some reason, I cannot get into the swing of regular exercising. I have been doing a lot of puttering around the house and in the yard, but nothing major. For now, I am OK with that, and will continue to eat well, but I will not force myself to exercise. If I do, I know I will begin to regret this new healthier lifestyle we have been living, and I don't want that to happen.
I think it's important to understand, that you don't need to push yourself 100% of the time. As long as you stay on track most of the time, you should be OK. Since I have not been exercising regularly, I make sure I eat a good breakfast each morning and stay below 2000 calories a day. This helps keep my metabolism up and keeps me from gaining weight.
As with anything I do, there will come a time when I will feel more motivated to lose weight. But for now, I am happy maintaining. Which is a triumph in itself. If I can maintain this weight for several months, then it should make it easier to maintain a lower weight when the time comes.
With all the wonderful fresh produce coming into season, I hope to be experimenting with recipes again. I hope to have some new recipes for you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out the ones I've already posted. They are listed to the right of this screen in the sidebar.
For some reason, I cannot get into the swing of regular exercising. I have been doing a lot of puttering around the house and in the yard, but nothing major. For now, I am OK with that, and will continue to eat well, but I will not force myself to exercise. If I do, I know I will begin to regret this new healthier lifestyle we have been living, and I don't want that to happen.
I think it's important to understand, that you don't need to push yourself 100% of the time. As long as you stay on track most of the time, you should be OK. Since I have not been exercising regularly, I make sure I eat a good breakfast each morning and stay below 2000 calories a day. This helps keep my metabolism up and keeps me from gaining weight.
As with anything I do, there will come a time when I will feel more motivated to lose weight. But for now, I am happy maintaining. Which is a triumph in itself. If I can maintain this weight for several months, then it should make it easier to maintain a lower weight when the time comes.
With all the wonderful fresh produce coming into season, I hope to be experimenting with recipes again. I hope to have some new recipes for you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out the ones I've already posted. They are listed to the right of this screen in the sidebar.
5 Ways to Lose Weight & Be Green at the Same Time
One of the most beneficial things I have done since starting to watch my weight is to read and educate myself about food and exercise. Knowledge is a powerful thing!
I've said this in in the past, but the more I read about processed foods the more I want to stay away from them. They really are not healthy and have a cumulative effect when it comes to harming your body. One processed food item eaten once or twice a week, probably doesn't do much harm, but eating several processed food items every single day can have a negative effect on your body and your life.
While thinking about all this, I discovered that many of the things we should be doing are actually better for the environment and go hand in hand with the "Green" movement that is becoming so popular today. I'd like to think that I have been following green practices most of my life...before they were the fashion to do so.
So here are some of my tips on how to be green and lose weight at the same time.
1. Buy whole foods that require very little packaging such as oatmeal, fresh fruits and veggies and fresh meats and seafood. Buy in bulk when possible and bring your own bags when practical. I've found a wonderful Etsy seller who has a line of reusable cloth bags that are great for produce. I use several of her products (the reusable produce bags, reusable mop pads and biodegradable scrubbie pads). You can check out her shop here.
2. Shop at your local farmer's market. Not only will you get locally grown products that help to support your local economy, but you will pay less and the products are fresher, so they are healthier for you. These products don't have to be trucked into the area, so that saves fuel as well as pollution that would be put into the air.
3. Instead of buying bottled water, filter your water and put it in your own reusable containers. Water is essential to losing weight and very important for your body to function properly. So drink up, but do it sensibly.
4. Instead of driving everywhere you go, consider walking or biking when doing short errands. The added exercise is good for you and less pollution in the atmosphere is good for us all.
5. Consider shutting off your TV for an entire day each week. Studies show that many people eat more while watching TV. If you are active doing other things, you are less likely to eat and you will save some electricity in the process. Play some games with the kids or take on some of those home improvement projects that never seem to get done. You'll burn some calories in the process and save energy to boot.
I've said this in in the past, but the more I read about processed foods the more I want to stay away from them. They really are not healthy and have a cumulative effect when it comes to harming your body. One processed food item eaten once or twice a week, probably doesn't do much harm, but eating several processed food items every single day can have a negative effect on your body and your life.
While thinking about all this, I discovered that many of the things we should be doing are actually better for the environment and go hand in hand with the "Green" movement that is becoming so popular today. I'd like to think that I have been following green practices most of my life...before they were the fashion to do so.
So here are some of my tips on how to be green and lose weight at the same time.
1. Buy whole foods that require very little packaging such as oatmeal, fresh fruits and veggies and fresh meats and seafood. Buy in bulk when possible and bring your own bags when practical. I've found a wonderful Etsy seller who has a line of reusable cloth bags that are great for produce. I use several of her products (the reusable produce bags, reusable mop pads and biodegradable scrubbie pads). You can check out her shop here.
2. Shop at your local farmer's market. Not only will you get locally grown products that help to support your local economy, but you will pay less and the products are fresher, so they are healthier for you. These products don't have to be trucked into the area, so that saves fuel as well as pollution that would be put into the air.
3. Instead of buying bottled water, filter your water and put it in your own reusable containers. Water is essential to losing weight and very important for your body to function properly. So drink up, but do it sensibly.
4. Instead of driving everywhere you go, consider walking or biking when doing short errands. The added exercise is good for you and less pollution in the atmosphere is good for us all.
5. Consider shutting off your TV for an entire day each week. Studies show that many people eat more while watching TV. If you are active doing other things, you are less likely to eat and you will save some electricity in the process. Play some games with the kids or take on some of those home improvement projects that never seem to get done. You'll burn some calories in the process and save energy to boot.
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