I think I've dropped about a trouser size in the two weeks that I've been watching the food intake. The Go Lean hot cereal in the morning has really made a difference. I have been getting frozen fruit and thawing about 1/2 a cup at night and then adding it to the cereal along with a banana. That gives me about three of the six servings of fruit and vegetables that I need for the day. About 10, I'll have half a grapefruit or an orange and some tea and that works just grand.
I was proud of myself yesterday. I had the hot cereal and then went to attend an auction where they had all the sugar coated breakfast doughnuts and pastries one could want. I passed them up for two bottles of water. Of course I was starving on my way home at 2, so I stopped at Big G's in Winslow and had a small chicken finger basket (2) and sweet potato fries. MMMMMM its good to cheat. Greg and I had a grilled chicken and spinach salad for dinner. I dredged the chicken in panko for effect and it worked out beautifully.
Today for soup, I made a puree of Bob's Red Mill soup mix (split peas, lentils, pasta, and other stuff), carrots, celery, turnips and butternut squash and low sodium chicken broth. I made it a few days ago and pulled it out of the fridge today only to find that it was the consistancy of ...well it was hard??!!?? We scooped it into cups and microwaved it to a hot beanie consistancy and it was good and hearty and so filling for only about 350 calories for a cup full.
I used an online calorie counter yesterday that asked several questions before calculating what my daily calorie intake should be for me to lose 1.5 lbs a week. It asked me m/f? asked me my current weight and the target weight, and how much time I was planning to lose the weight. How tall I am (6'6") and what my exercise regime is during an average day. (light to moderate) I plugged in 75 lbs as a target loss and a target date as next January 1. After the calculating, the counter came up telling me that I could eat 3300 calories a day and easily hit my target weight in 11 months. WHAT??? I can have cake too???? is about all I thought when I saw that...I'm probably taking in around 2000-2300 calories a day now. I never realized how high in calories beans are....they are just low in fat calories...the best.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
I have to tell you that I skeptical about my split pea soup. It looks a bit like baby food, but I tell you its delicious! It is so filling that just a 1/2 cup of it was enough for me for this last meal.
My plan is to treat this whole eating thing not as a diet plan, but as a temporary shift in eating habits. I've been listening and reading a lot on how Americans have really upped the portion levels in the last few decades and have the three squares a day down pat. A program on NPR last week (I wish I could remember more about the program) had a health official talking about the Joy of Cooking and how in the original version, their chocolate chip cookie recipe yielded 2 dozen cookies. Today, the unchanged recipe is listed as yielding a dozen cookies! That hit home with me. I have decided to dispense with the "three squares a day" in favor of five smaller meals with a handful of nuts in between instead of peanut butter and toast! For instance, this morning I had the Go Lean hot cereal with a cut up banana and flax seeds in it. 3% fat, 20% protien, and 16% fiber. That was just a few hours ago. I just came back from walking the dogs and I had a 1/2 cup of my pureed split pea soup. Its 1pm and I am totally full. We'll see how long this lasts. It'll be a week tomorrow. \
For the split pea soup I sauteed 1/2 a yellow onion in a tablespoon of olive oil and then added about 2 cups of rinsed and picked over dried split peas, the leftover red lentil and green bean salad I made two days ago, a handful of shredded carrots, and low sodium chicken broth. Then I added a capful of curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and I think that's it. The soup has to cook awhile for the peas to cook (I suppose you could soak them overnight) and I found myself adding more chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
After I covered it and it simmered for about 45 minutes, I let it cool and then liquified it. The soup is super thick and really tasty, a real rib sticker.
Around 4pm, I will cook a 96% lean burger with lowfat cheese and then have a spinach salad with tomatos and carrots around 7 or so. Perhaps a half a grapefruit before bed.
Since Greg has to eat this way too for his high blood pressure and reflux, its been easier to stay on this new eating plan. I feel better already. About 2 months ago I cut out bottled iced tea from my diet, so I am not craving sugar as much as I have in the past.
Eating this way makes it easier to survive going out too. We treated ourselves and went to Seng Thai last night and I tried to be as good I felt nessesary, So I had the Thai chicken with carrots and pineapple with brown rice. Tastes good, not as bad as a pizza! We drank water and skipped the pot stickers and cripy potatoes :-( But it was mmm mm good.
My plan is to treat this whole eating thing not as a diet plan, but as a temporary shift in eating habits. I've been listening and reading a lot on how Americans have really upped the portion levels in the last few decades and have the three squares a day down pat. A program on NPR last week (I wish I could remember more about the program) had a health official talking about the Joy of Cooking and how in the original version, their chocolate chip cookie recipe yielded 2 dozen cookies. Today, the unchanged recipe is listed as yielding a dozen cookies! That hit home with me. I have decided to dispense with the "three squares a day" in favor of five smaller meals with a handful of nuts in between instead of peanut butter and toast! For instance, this morning I had the Go Lean hot cereal with a cut up banana and flax seeds in it. 3% fat, 20% protien, and 16% fiber. That was just a few hours ago. I just came back from walking the dogs and I had a 1/2 cup of my pureed split pea soup. Its 1pm and I am totally full. We'll see how long this lasts. It'll be a week tomorrow. \
For the split pea soup I sauteed 1/2 a yellow onion in a tablespoon of olive oil and then added about 2 cups of rinsed and picked over dried split peas, the leftover red lentil and green bean salad I made two days ago, a handful of shredded carrots, and low sodium chicken broth. Then I added a capful of curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and I think that's it. The soup has to cook awhile for the peas to cook (I suppose you could soak them overnight) and I found myself adding more chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
After I covered it and it simmered for about 45 minutes, I let it cool and then liquified it. The soup is super thick and really tasty, a real rib sticker.
Around 4pm, I will cook a 96% lean burger with lowfat cheese and then have a spinach salad with tomatos and carrots around 7 or so. Perhaps a half a grapefruit before bed.
Since Greg has to eat this way too for his high blood pressure and reflux, its been easier to stay on this new eating plan. I feel better already. About 2 months ago I cut out bottled iced tea from my diet, so I am not craving sugar as much as I have in the past.
Eating this way makes it easier to survive going out too. We treated ourselves and went to Seng Thai last night and I tried to be as good I felt nessesary, So I had the Thai chicken with carrots and pineapple with brown rice. Tastes good, not as bad as a pizza! We drank water and skipped the pot stickers and cripy potatoes :-( But it was mmm mm good.
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