Monday, May 30, 2016

Warm Fuzzies and Progress

There's nothing like getting a warm fuzzy to keep one motivated to reach a goal.
On Saturday, Keith and I went to the market. I decided to do a few days of chicken, a pork recipe with a decent calorie count, and the Baja Lasagna again. 
So, I weighed myself not only on the scale outside the market, but also at the one near the pharmacy. That one is a "sit down" and weigh, blood pressure station. The scale outside the market is a huge "stand on" thing. 
The outside scale reported 244. What? One pound lost? In a month? Ha.
The BP/Weight station inside reported 239. Even though my start weight was weighed on the outside scale at 245, a conservative number would be about 248, give or take. My calculations (if the station inside is accurate) would be a weight loss of about 6 to 10 lbs. 
While we were loading groceries in the dinghy, a buddy of Keith's walked by. He watched me get in the dinghy and said, "you've lost weight". I was surprised. I had taken a look in the mirror when I had my shower, and I didn't notice or see any changes (a disappointing thing, I might add). I responded with a surprised, "you can tell?". He said, "oh yeah. You've lost weight". 
Woohoo! Progress! And it's showing, too. 
There's nothing like a warm fuzzy to keep one motivated to achieve a goal.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Using eReaders for Weight Loss


This is a Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon, similar to the one that I purchased last year.
I bought it because living on a boat does not afford me a huge bookcase full of books. And I've never lived anywhere that I didn't have some type of bookcase without a minimum of three shelves of reading materials.
Little did I know when I bought my e-reader that it would come in handy for cookbooks. And not just any cookbooks (although I do have a select number of various cookbooks), but cookbooks geared toward health and weight loss.
A few of these books I bought at very reasonable prices (99 cents to 4.99), but I often scour Amazon's Kindle Store for free books. It's amazing the number of free books you can order. I have diet cookbooks, juicing cookbooks, smoothie cookbooks, etc.
Now, reading recipes from a Kindle can get a bit difficult. I have Kindle on my laptop, too. And whether on my e-reader or my laptop, I can bookmark the pages with recipes that interest me. I can either write them down or display them on my laptop as I'm cooking.
And, once everything is cooking, and I have a few minutes to spare, I switch over to my favorite book and read.

I've been doing fairly well with my eat-style program. I say fairly well because, although I'm keeping my calorie intake well below 1800 calories, and I'm staying away from soda, sweets, and the like; I'm having a bit of trouble getting lunch included in my program. This makes my calorie intake too low, and I am losing too fast.
I have my porridge in the morning, followed by water and vitamins. Then I get so busy with computer work that when I finally "look up", it's getting close to dinner time. I need a time management adjustment, I think.
We finished off the rest of the Turkey Meatloaf last night. Keith and I both agreed that it was our least favorite, so far. I will make it again as it cooked up wonderfully in the Stove Top Oven, but I will be adding more spices to it. Ground turkey is very, very bland. The only way to eat it is to spice the heck out of it.
I'll be heading to shore for shower and store shortly. Until I decide on another new recipe, I'll just be getting some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and season them up. 
I've been having the Mandarin Orange porridge for the past week. Since Keith picked up another bag of frozen blueberries, I'll be switching over to the Maple Blueberry porridge. Our favorite.
And I'm hoping to get those lunches back in gear, too, and trying out new recipes for that.
This month will be the start of the fitness center, too.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Loose Skin?

My internet research on losing weight, and healthy eating led me to something I had never heard of before in my life. Loose skin.
What the blazes is loose skin?
Allegedly, loose skin is what you get for all your eat-style changes, weight loss, etc. etc.
How nice.
But there was one thing that bothered me in all of the photo's of people with "loose skin".
They still looked "fat".
If you listen to the doctors, the ONLY way to get rid of "loose skin" is to have surgery. Ooooo, more money in their pocket. 
Sorry, sounds like a racket to me. You must lose weight, they say. Gastric bypass or any other high cost surgical procedure is what you need (more money). Oh, now you've lost it too fast and the skin is not toning to the loss. Now, they say to have surgery to remove the "excess" skin. More money - for them.
Look, common sense tells me to lose weight slowly. Common sense tells me to eat healthy (uh, that's food that's good for the body). 
Common sense tells me that while I am losing weight to take care of the body - inside and out. That includes hair, nails, eyes, and skin.
For healthy skin limit sun exposure, drink plenty of water, increase your vitamin E intake (and/or use skin creams with vitamin E added), increase your vitamin C intake, too. Definitely eat fruits and vegies. And exercise. Lose weight gradually and exercise that skin. Focus a portion of your exercise that pertains to thighs, stomach, upper arms. 
I only see this whole "loose skin" worry as something concocted by doctors for more money out of your pocket - and into their pocket. 
Skin is actually thin. The photo's that I see claiming "loose skin" is just plain fat.
If you reach your weight goal and you see "loose skin", stay on your eat-style program. Lose some more. It's fat you're seeing. Not "loose skin".
Last week, Aunty Acid (from Facebook) posted about a couple from Michigan who, combined, weighed 704 lbs. The article was a little confusing. They met in 2013. At the time, he had already lost 72 of his original 420 lbs. She weighed in at 282. They each already had a tummy tuck to remove the "loose skin", but it wasn't enough. They had a GoFundMe page to raise the 8000 dollars it would take to pay for another tummy tuck for both of them. 
One part of the article stated that to help lose the weight they took long walks and rode bikes.
(I don't know about y'all, but I tried riding my bike last year. I had a difficult time of it, and when I saw my reflection - my first thought was a cartoon hippo on a bike at the circus. I quit riding).
Later in the article, the woman said that she noticed the "loose skin" kept slapping her as she tried to do her sit-ups.
Honey, that "loose skin" is fat.
A tummy tuck is cosmetic surgery to get rid of fat (and, now, they've added the "loose skin" angle). It is losing weight quickly, similar to crash diets. Your skin has not adapted to the missing fat. And as fast as it was removed, the skin will not ever adapt to it. It disappeared too fast.
I can almost bet that they were only focusing on losing weight as fast as possible, and not on the other aspects of their body i.e., skin, hair, nails.
Oh, and their photo's of "loose skin"? It was quite obvious that it was pockets of fat that they still needed to lose.
Losing weight is more than just shedding fat. And the body is made up of more than just size.
Pay attention. Use common sense. Take your time. And treat your whole body, not just the size of it.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

New Dinner Dish

So, last night I made R.S.'s Baja Lasagna. Well, sort of....as Keith missed getting the green chilies needed for the recipe. Uh oh....substitution time.
If you are like us (and I hope you aren't), a trip to the store is an all afternoon, slightly different affair than most people. Living on a boat, and not owning a car, we need to be creative in the way we do things when ashore. Such is the case with grocery shopping.
First, a list.....always a list. For living on a boat, the list is important as it keeps from overbuying for all that limited space. For losing weight, I make that list, than I go back and note items that I can save calories by marking low-fat, no fat, non fat, reduced fat.......well, you get the idea.
I also note on my list the exact measurement of what I need.....8 oz., 1 lb., etc. 
Controlled buying and controlled portions go hand in hand.
So, no green chilies, and he bought canned whole tomatoes instead of canned ready cut. I could have worked around that, but since I didn't have the chilies, I opted for a jar of mild Picante sauce. 
He also, with his eye sight as bad as it is right now, picked up regular shredded cheese instead of reduced calorie. Gotta work with what I got, now.
We both liked it. I portioned it out to the 8 servings it stated on the recipe, so we will be having it for the next 3 nights besides last night. 
This was also a no meat dish which didn't sit well with Keith until he ate it. Aside from the fact that he thought there were too many beans in it (I used Red Kidney, but pinto can be used, too), he thought it was good. We had lo-cal cottage cheese with it, too.
Tonight, I'll add a vegie with it, and fruit. Tomorrow, I'll do up the Spanish rice.
My plan for when the Baja Lasagna is gone, is to do a Turkey Meatloaf from R.S.'s Food Mover Cookbook. 
I sent Keith to the store for some of the ingredients.
I'll let you know if I have to modify the recipe or not.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Sometimes, You Just Gotta Muddle Through The Day

Every so often (or maybe more often than not), the day just doesn't work out the way you planned it....or, in my case, the night.
I usually make up my summer porridge at night, when Keith is asleep and I can actually do it without me getting in his way and vice versa (it's a small boat). 
I had been diligently making them because we've been getting some pretty hot weather. Day before last, it had reached 109 degrees F on the heat index. The heat index is the "it feels like" temperature, and I pay more attention to that than the actual temperature. 
So, the evening of this 109 day, I'm at the computer and I hear thunder. Oh great....here comes the weather that's been predicted for the past four days. I switch over to NOAA's website and, sure enough, it's almost here.....and a lot of it.
Dress, scurry, batten down, put out the pots for our various leaks, close hatches and port holes.....a normal routine for thunderstorms. Only this time is a little extra. 
Keith's been working on a new dinghy topside. He's now bringing down every power tool he has....with cases. And all materials that can't get wet. Oi.......no room. So, it's piled on the floor in the galley. Uh oh. Now, I can't get in to make the porridge. Well, I'll think of something for tomorrow's breakfast. Adapting, changing, doin' without.....it's the nautical way.
Even though the weather was to improve by morning, it actually didn't improve until early afternoon. 
Breakfast was a bottle of water, and I didn't get my vitamin pill until lunch (which was about 1/2 cup of tuna mix - no bread - and some fruit). 
Fortunately, by dinner, all was well. The cabin was back to normal, and we had the last of the chicken breasts with Spanish Rice Rice-a-Roni (1/2 cup), and summer crisp corn. Well, I thought it was the last of it, but, as it turned out, we had enough for last night, too....same meal. Only this time, after we ate, I accidentally knocked the left over rice on the floor while cleaning up. Ugh!
So, I finally got the porridge made last night, and tonight will be a new dish - Baja Lasagna from R.S.'s cookbook. 
So, what's my point?
Sometimes, under circumstances not good for meal planning, or it just messes up your plans - adjust, adapt. But always, always keep portion control in mind, even if you have to guesstimate the calories. If you know your food, the guess should be close to reality. 
Adjust. Adapt. But only until the situation gets back to normal.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Pinterest and Recipes

I love pinterest. I call it the clearinghouse of the Net. You can search for anything on Pinterest and have a gizzlion websites at your fingertips zeroing in on exactly what you're looking for. Love it.
That's why I use it for a weight loss, healthy eat-style tool. Most of everything from my last post came from finding it on Pinterest. Diet, weight loss, healthy recipes, low-calorie recipes, exercise, meal prep containers, summer porridge (aka refrigerator oatmeal or overnight oatmeal), and the list goes on and on. Find a pin, click on the pic to hi-lite, click again to the origin of the pin. There you can find more ideas, info, etc.
There are some recipes that I veer away from that claim low-cal, healthy, or great for losing weight.
First, anything with sugar. Even a little sugar goes a long way with body fat for me. Now, I'm not talking about natural sweeteners, such as pure honey. I'm talking about refined, such as granulated sugar. I also steer clear of confectioner, powdered, etc.
Second, any recipe that takes a weight loss substance, such as protein powders. I'll be more specific. Any program that claims their specially designed (with the "help" of nutritionists worldwide - think Herbalife) protein or weight loss powders added to a recipe will shed the pounds miraculously in a matter of days or weeks. 
A lady I once knew gave me these flavored powder packets and protein powders once. She said she lost weight with them. Okay, she wasn't as big as I was, but if she did lose weight with them, she stopped too soon.  Just sayin'.
Anyway, these packets claim the "scientific" method for losing weight. So, I did try them - once. A half hour after I had added one to my smoothie and drank it, I was in the bathroom (sitting, not standing). It came close to dehydration. Scientific, huh? I threw it all out.
Third is nut butters. Granted there are nuts that are high in protein - but also high in calories. Any thing, like nut butters, that come with a "general rules" list to watch out for, isn't worth my worry. I like the KISS system. Here's a chart for nut butters that I got from wikipedia:



The calorie range in these are about what my snack calorie range equals out to. I don't need these in my recipes as I find so many other good recipes without them. Sometimes, it just has to be handled like a store sale. Why are you buying 10 of the same item on sale if you've never used or will EVER use that item to begin with? It's not a savings if it's not used. It's a waste of money. Same here. You're not losing calories, you're gaining them.
Common sense tells me that I am not going to lose weight with every weight loss claim on the market. I go with what works for me, what makes sense to me. Balancing the nutrition I need with a controlled caloric intake is what works for me.

The past few days, I haven't recorded my food intake. Let me summarize. Breakfasts have been Summer Porridge, followed by water with my daily vitamin. Some of these porridges are quite filling actually. When lunch rolls around, I'm not hungry. However, some do wear off by lunch time, so I'll have a slice of bread with my tuna and either a couple of tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese OR some chunks of watermelon OR about 6 grapes. 
Dinner has been boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with these Grill Maker seasoning packets that a friend sent me. Since our grill on the stern doesn't work right now, I just rubbed the seasoning on the chicken, wrapped them in aluminium foil and cooked them up in the Stove Top Oven. They came out very good. I liked the fact that all the fat juices ended up outside of the foil wrapped chicken into the bottom of the oven container. The chicken was very moist. However, if you heat them up in the microwave, place a wet paper towel over them to retain the moisture. And heat it slowly, maybe 30 seconds at a time. Heating all at once just covered in a dry paper towel will dry it out.
I drink water all day, but I'm still not up to what I should be drinking - 4 eight ounces instead of the 8 eight ounces required. I was just never a big water drinker, so I am struggling a bit with this. 


Monday, May 16, 2016

Know What You Eat

 I love to troll the Net for things that will educate me, help me to eat healthier, and lose weight. 
I found if you're going to do all of that, at least know your food. 
These are some of my favorites from around the Net. Most of them have the website they came from. I recommend a visit to the sites for more information. 
























Impatience and Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, I've always been impatient. My heart tells me to take it easy, it can't be done overnight, it's a slow process to keep it off, and a eat-style change to maintain it.
By the way, I like the term "eat-style" better than "life-style". Losing weight does not mean that you need to change EVERYTHING about you. It's a separate choice to change your hair, make-up (if you're female...or not), style of clothes (okay, granted, losing weight will give you more choices on style of clothes - you just don't have to change your "look"), what you read, where you go, what movies you watch....etc., etc., etc.
Okay, let's jump back in the "subject" box. Losing weight is a slow process. The further away from your target goal on the scale, the longer it will take to lose. Impatience and weight loss go hand in hand, and it's more intense as life goes on; mostly because of the idealogy of people changing over the generations. I grew up with the idealogy, "I want it now". That concept progressed through the years to "I want it yesterday". Now, everyone wants it "last week". 
This idealogy does not fit into any weight loss program. Losing weight takes time, and there's no getting around that fact. There will definitely come a time when that impatient you will start justifying certain things. Things, such as, "If I skip this meal, it's just less calories and faster weight loss" or, at the other end of the spectrum, "If I eat this item (unhealthy or weight gain sugary/fat), I have lost x amount of pounds already it won't make a difference". First one, no, it won't; second one, yes, it will.
Changing your eat-style means you have to know yourself. Liken it to a person with a serious alcohol or drug problem. Ask yourself honestly, "Can I eat just one cookie? Slice of pizza? A couple potato chips? If you can't - drop them from your eat-style, permanently. 
I have a major sweet tooth. And my sweet preference is chocolate. I can't sit and have one chocolate chip cookie. I will eat half a bag - with a glass of whole milk. Does that statement make you want some? Make you hungry? Than both you and I need to dump that from our eat-style program. Forever. Because if we don't, it's a tunnel that leads to Justification Land for eating other foods that is high cal, high weight gain addiction. Believe me, it's not that you can't stop. It's the fact that you justify not stopping. 
Why do I paint such a silly picture of food addiction? Because that's what I use to avoid it. I will look at Keith's bag of cookies. I focus a picture in my mind that I'm walking through that tunnel. And I picture in my mind sitting next to a chocolate river in Justification Land (think Augustus Gloop), eating chocolate cookies, cakes, pies, etc. Who cares if I lose weight? I'm doing it for me, after all, not for anyone else? I want....I want....I want.....
Yes, you are doing it for you. Only you can accomplish your weight goal. Only you can prevent a setback. Only you can avoid the depression of falling back into eating the wrong stuff. 
And what is to gain from not falling back? Oh, let's see, now......health, feeling better, looking good, more energy, not being looked at like you are some type of disgusting alien from another planet.
Anyone who has been or is overweight can attest to this fact. Being treated as if you don't belong because of your weight is a common, every day occurrence. I know, I've lived with it all my life.
Some people embrace and accept their "overweightness". That's fine, to a certain extent, they are accepting themselves. But it does lead to an unhealthy state....always.....sooner or later.
So, I paint this absolutely silly, ridiculous, and stupid picture in my mind to remind me WHY I am doing this. 
I want to be able to walk around without having to sit down every few yards. I want to feel good, have energy, accomplish simple tasks without sweating up a storm because of the weight I carry around on my body. To have a better choice of clothing, than just limited items that hide my size or attempt to make me look thinner. To not have people give me that "look" because of my size. To discover another part of me I never knew before.
That's what reaching my goal means to me.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Maintaining and More Porridge

I missed posting yesterday, but weekends will be like that from time to time. It's not that we're doing anything exciting, it's just that Keith is staying on the boat more often on the weekends to work on the dinghy. Naturally, this takes up more of my time.
Last night we finished up the last of the Tex Mex Tuna Casserole. I liked it just the way it was, but Keith added salt and pepper to his portion. 
One night I added green beans, the next, a can of squash and onions, and last night, a can of red beans and rice. Keith had 3/4 of the can whereas I had the rest. 
Tonight I will be making up some chicken I have in the freezer section. After that, I will need to plan my next menu's. 
So far, we had had three mornings of Summer Porridge - Maple Blueberry, Almond Mango, and Apple Cinnamon. Since we like them all, we rate them by listing our top preferences. We both agree - 1) Maple Blueberry 2) Apple Cinnamon, and 3) Almond Mango. 
I will be making the Maple Blueberry again tonight as I need one more ingredient for the Mandarin Orange Porridge. Also, we will give the Mocha, and Pineapple Coconut a try, although I'm not sure if Keith will try the latter. He's not a big coconut fan.
I'm doing pretty good at melding my caloric intake with the food card allotments from Deal A Meal, but I do struggle with the dairy cards. An allotment of only two a day makes it difficult to plan any other dairy into the day when I have the porridge in the morning. However, I do not use all of my allotment cards with the meals so far planned. In fact, if I used every protein card and starch card I'm allowed, I'd be wallowing on the bed feeling like Porky Pig. 
I do need to up my vegie intake, though. I'm not getting near enough vegies in my diet right now.
I need to veer away from the low cal cottage cheese for a side dish for dinner, and add vegie's in its place.

Friday, May 13, 2016

I have a Winning Breakfast

I have found my new breakfast. Last night I made my first ever Summer Porridge (recipe from the blog "The Yummy Life"), Maple Blueberry. 
As the fresh blueberries were so expensive (10 bucks for three very small plastic containers), I opted for the frozen, patting them dry on a paper towel. 
Surprisingly easy to put together in my small galley, I set them on the freezer shelf in the ice box (our freezer section does not have a door, so the stuff in it just stays super cold, very rarely freezes anything). This made them just the right consistency for this morning's breakfast. 
So, this was my review of them on my fb page:

So, about an hour ago, I ate my first ever Summer Porridge. I am reposting the link below. Last night I made the Maple Blueberry. 215 Calories, 4 g fat, 48 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 12 g protein. I placed mine on the freezer shelf of our ice box for maximum cold without freezing. Our freezer section is open - no door. The porridge solidified perfectly. So, I took my first bite. hmmm...emmm....another bite.....oooooo.......gobble, gobble.....gobble. We have a winner. My new breakfast. Refreshing, delicious, healthy, good calorie range. A little high on the carbs, but I'll survive. I can't wait to try the other flavors. Tomorrow will be the apple cinnamon. Keith came back to the boat and had his serving. I had to laugh as he cautiously tried a small spoonful, than a bigger spoonful.......and ate it all up. The Summer porridge is two thumbs up from the both of us. Keith says he still prefers his eggs and bacon, though. Fine, as long as he eats the porridge at least 3 times a week because chia seeds are heart healthy with Omega 3 fatty acids. Good for both of us.



Next time I make the Maple Blueberry, I will 

top them with extra blueberries before 

putting them in the icebox.

So, that was my breakfast. I don't have an

equivalent for my R.S. food program, so I 

had to guess. I used 1 protein, 1 starch, 1 

fruit, 1 fat, and 1 dairy.  A lot of cards, I know,

but so well worth it. 

As for the chia seeds - didn't even taste 

them. 

For lunch today, I had my usual tuna 

sandwich on 1 slice of whole grain bread, 

and about 8 grapes.

Dinner will be the Tex Mex Tuna Casserole

with vegie and lo cal cottage cheese (last

night I nuked some canned green beans with

a tablespoon of diet butter and no salt Mrs. 

Dash). Tonight, I probably will do the canned

squash.  

Things are right on track.


Thursday, May 12, 2016

New Recipe and New Tool

Yesterday, I took a trip to the store. I am slowly (at least it feels like "slowly") adjusting to shopping with weight and health in mind. When I went to pick up the dairy (milk, sour cream, cottage cheese), I immediately and carefully searched for "low fat, non fat, and no fat" on the labels. I avoided just going and grabbing whatever was on my list, and took time to look for healthier and less calorie labels, reading those labels carefully.
It's a start.
We had polished off the Shepherd's pie the night before, so last night I made R.S.'s Tex Mex Tuna Casserole. The two-person vote (Keith and I) was that it will be made again. I might add an extra tablespoon of salsa, though. The flavor that came to the forefront were the green chilies in it. Not heavy, just light. It made 8 servings, so they are divided into the meal prep trays and we will be having it for the next three nights.
I am definitely going to have to find a more accurate scale. I stepped on the one that I used a couple of weeks ago at the market. It can't possibly be accurate, as it showed I supposedly gained 2 pounds. In a week and a half? Dieting? Highly unlikely. I'm fairly certain it's way off, as it is placed in the market that's easily accessible to small children playing on it. Maybe I can find one at the fitness center.
My Deal a Meal program arrived in the mail. I am now using the cards as of today. Even though I have the Food Mover program coming, I find the cards are easier to carry with me when I am out and about. 
Even though I figured on a 2000 cal a day after the 1500 cal a day starter week, the cards for 2000 were way too many for me to lose weight. I decided that the 1600 cal a day deal is better (still giving me plenty of cards to work with), and I'll increase at various levels of weight loss, but not ever going to the 2000 level, unless it becomes obvious that I am losing too much or not eating healthy. 
I had bought everything I need for the Summer Porridge. I will be making them tonight. I wanted to last night, but I was so tired, and my neck and back pain was really giving me fits. I can't wait to try them out tomorrow.
I love my canning jars. I need to buy another set because I do more with them than just Porridges and storing fruit. I am using them to store left over ingredients from recipes, vegies, cheese, Keith's lunch meat, etc. I am trying to replace all the ziploc bags I use to store things in the icebox. 
I also want to use them to store cupboard food, too. 
I know the general rule is no glass on boats, but I am reading more and more about cruisers and liveaboards using glass for food storage. A healthier alternative to plastic, metal, etc. I do need to get the heavier plastic lids as opposed to the metal canning lids. I have read that they hold up better.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

As Luck Would Have It.......

I am getting 3 lbs. of Chia Seeds from a friend on fb. She's sending them to me. I was raving about wanting to try the Summer Porridge (Oatmeal breakfast I mentioned in the previous post), and I posted a link to another blog about them. She got a hold of me and said she couldn't use that much. She sent them yesterday. 
So about that blog I ran across. After watching vaious YouTube Videos on making Summer Porridge (love that name; better than Oatmeal Breakfast whatever), I couldn't find anything that mentioned how many calories were in them. So, I did a Google search and found this blog that gave at least 12 different recipes for the Porridge - all within the 275 or less calorie range. 
If these are as good as they look, I have found me my breakfast for weight loss. Has that been a hassle? Yes, it has.
I don't like grapefruit. In fact, every time I think of it, it makes me gag. Years ago, that was a diet breakfast staple. Ugh!
I tried breakfast smoothies, but most called for a tablespoon of peanut butter. They were good, but I can just look at a jar of peanut butter and gain weight. I will be getting PB2, though, and try that out. 
But these summer porridge recipes - low fat, good protein, a little high on the carbs, low calorie. They are right up my alley. And I can get my chia seed intake without a hassle. 
I wonder if it's cool to post a link of a blog on a blog? I'm really stoked about trying these out. Here's the link:

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal


Until I test out the PB2, I'll try every one of them except the ones that call for peanut butter and cranberries (I'm not a big fan of cranberries, either). 

So, a recap on my food intake:
Night before last was the same as the night before that: serving of Shepherds Pie, 2 tblsp of non-fat cottage cheese and some grapes and watermelon chunks. Last night was ditto, but instead of watermelon, I had 3 orange slices.
I had a half an orange for breakfast yesterday, and you know what I noticed? I ended up hungry about an hour later. I really wasn't hungry when I had the orange, but I could definitely feel it afterwards. I've had other food do that to me, too. I will have to make notes on what does this.
For lunch, the tuna I had made a few days before went bad, so I mixed up a small can of tuna with some low fat mayo and ate it right out of the bowl. 
Apparently, it wasn't the tuna that had gone bad, but the trinity mix vegies I had in it. I had taken a spoonful of it, and it was "Ugh". I spit it out and drank a small cup of low fat milk to get rid of the taste.
I am expecting the mail from Texas to arrive either today or tomorrow. It will have my diet program and recipe book, so I can start planning some variety in the menu. The chia seeds should be here on Friday, and I expect the original Deal A Meal program to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

I know one thing. I am ordering more canning jars. They are great for storage in the ice box and cupboards. 

Monday, May 9, 2016

R.S's Shepherd's Pie

So, one of the few R. Simmon's recipes that I found on the Net (until my cookbook arrives) was Shepherd's Pie. It has a pretty high exchange of cards (1 Bread, 3 meat, 1 vegie, 1 fat, 1 Joker), but I thought I'd give it a whirl anyhow. I figured that by making it, I would be avoiding making something less healthy.
This recipe's main meat is ground turkey (although very lean ground beef can be used). Other ingredients include mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. The potatoes are boiled, mashed and provide the topping for the mixture. I used Chieftain Red Potatoes.
The calories are 358 per serving and there are six servings in the dish. 
So, I ended up using my new meal prep containers to measure as closely as I could the six servings, so as not to spoon too much onto the dinner plate. I think it worked pretty well. I added a couple red grapes, two cubes of watermelon and 2 tbsp. of non-fat cottage cheese.
My lunch was a slice of Italian bread (so I probably went over on the bread allotment) with my tuna mix (probably over on the meat allotment, too) with 2 tblsp. cottage cheese and three watermelon pieces. 
I also had 4 ounces of fruit juice in the morning.
One thing I can say about the Shepherd's Pie - it is quite filling. Next time I make it, I'm cutting back by one potato (it takes 5 small) and adding more spices. Maybe a bit of oregano in the filling, and more black pepper and no salt Mrs. Dash when mashing the potatoes (which also includes fresh parsley).

Tonight and tomorrow night's dinner will be the leftover servings from the S. pie - probably the same stuff as last night's meal (fruit, cottage cheese). 
Today, I didn't eat anything except for 4 oz. fruit juice when I woke up. I've just been drinking water all day. I might have a pudding cup in a little bit (in fact, I know I will because it sounds good right now).
My plan after the Shepherds Pie is gone is to do the R. Simmons Tex Mex Tuna Casserole.  It's 8 servings @ 256 cal per serving. It will take 1 bread, 1 meat, 1 fat, and 1 dairy card. 
So far, Keith has liked the chicken recipe from a few days ago, and the Shepherd's Pie. We eat and talk about various modifications to make it better.
It always seems to boil down to more spices, though. 

I've also started using my canning jars to store the fruit and left over ingredients from various things I use (such as the beef broth from last night). 
I found some vids on YouTube for mixing breakfast oatmeal with fruit and such in the jars, too. I have to research a bit, though, because calories weren't mentioned at all. If it does work out for my program, I'll have a new breakfast to try out.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

A Couple of Downloads

I ran across these in my internet search for meal planning. If you look at the top of the page, it will have a link to a free download for low-carb recipes, too.

Encyclopedia of Meal Prep

Yesterday's Progress

So, yesterday, I ate a bit more than I have been eating this past week.
I started with 2 oz of fruit juice and water until lunch at noon-ish. Lunch was tuna on a slice of whole grain bread. I mix the tuna with low cal mayo, a dab of mustard, a chopped onion and celery mix, and a chopped bell pepper (red, yellow, green) mix that I get at the grocery store. The mayo is 2 tblsp or just enough to moisten the tuna (sometimes it's a little under or over). The mustard is in a squirt bottle, so I just do a small squirt or two. The vegies are just enough to color it up here and there. 
With the tuna, I also had two tblsp of no-fat cottage cheese and 3 fairly big chunks of watermelon. These are the bigger chunks that come out of the round plastic containers of pre-cut melon that I get at the store.
I drank water until dinner, which consisted of one boneless, skinless chicken breast that was dredged in a flour poultry seasoning mix, cooked in a frying pan w/low-fat margarine and olive oil (tblsp ea). The chicken was removed and mushrooms and onion (1 cup ea) and a tsp of rosemary were sauted until tender. The vegies were removed and the pan was deglazed with wine, then everything was put back in the pan, spooning the mushroom and onion on top. I laid small slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken and covered the pan for 5 minutes. 
I had a palm size chicken breast, so instead of just having half, as was my original plan, I had the whole. The recipe said 492 cal. I had it with 2 Tbls. of my cottage cheese and 2 oz. of low-fat choco milk. 
I drank water for the rest of the evening until I had one of my pudding cups (80 cal). 
I was basically guesstimating at the calories with some of these items, but I'm pretty sure I stayed within the 1500 cal range. 
I will continue to stick with low cal cooking/meals, until I am fully set up to be more specific on meal planning.

Keith took my "before" photo. I won't post it, though, until I reach my goal and he takes my "after" photo. He's being very supportive - even had the same lunch I did yesterday. He is also being very careful to say "when" and not "if" I lose weight when we talk about it. That is very encouraging to me and helps a lot with motivation. 

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Target Start Date Next Wekk

I called our mail service today. Our mail will be sent out Monday, including my Richard Simmons orders from ebay, so I have an offi.cial target start date for Wednesday or Thursday of the coming week. 
I was going to make chicken last night. A recipe I found online that was 492 cals for a boneless, skinless chicken breast with mushrooms, onions, etc. I was going to have 1/2 it with some low cal cottage cheese, and save the other half for lunch or dinner today. That did not happen. I couldn't get the stove lit (we have a propane stove on board the boat). Keith couldn't find the problem because of his cataracts, so I fixed him a couple hot dogs in the nuker. I was going to make up some tuna, but I just didn't get around to it, and so dinner went by the wayside for me last night.
I know, I know. Not wise. Unhealthy. I was just feeling very fatigued last night. Believe me, this will not always happen.
Keith did get the propane going first thing this morning, so dinner is, once again, on for tonight. I did have 2 oz. of fruit juice this morning. Lunch will be a slice of bread w/tuna, low cal cottage cheese and some watermelon chunks. 
I spent some time cleaning out the ice box. I threw away two grocery bags of stuff - old, expired, multiple stuff not needed and taking up space. 
The ice box has always been a thorn in my side from day one of buying the boat. At first it was just an ice box with no refrigeration. That meant loading it with ice to keep things cold - and cleaning it out when the ice melted. Keith added refrigeration the following year, along with a raised insulated flooring that slightly slopes and causes everything to slide forward. The small freezer section to the refrigeration unit was attached to the inside top of the ice box, taking up at least 1/3 of the space I once had for storage. Since the conversion, organization has been a royal pain. Usually, it's digging to find what I need, and reorganizing every week. 
My other concern, beside the ice box, is vegies. See, I have no teeth. I lost them all when we were team driving (story for another time). Vegies are difficult for me to eat right now. I can east canned corn and green beans, but cauliflower and broccoli are out. So are carrots. I don't like peas and spinach, but I can eat canned squash. 
I am going to have to experiment with fresh vegies, steamed or nuked, to see if I can eat them. 

Friday, May 6, 2016

My Tools

So, this is what I ordered.

This is sectional. It will be enough to portion control a main dish, vegie, and either a grain, starch, or fruit.

These are fairly large at 28 oz, but will be enough to hold fruit, vegie, or something such as a 1/2 a sandwich for on-the-go. I might use them to store fruits and vegies in the coldbox on the boat.

For liquid storage, or to portion control storage of smoothies, oatmeal, fruit, etc. for breakfast. Good for shake mixing, too. Store a variety of chopped vegies, and at breakfast time, add one egg and shake and pour.


 A staple item in my tools.



I've never used this program before, so I will need to view and adapt when I get it.

A Brand New Start - Again

Starting this again. At least I'm consistent in my attempts to lose weight. 
At the beginning of the week, my DH (this is how women who sail refer to their significant other) inadvertently insulted me on my weight. 
It hurt my feelings.
So, after a short period of depression (an a night of silent treatment to DH), I got mad. When I get mad I take action.
I got online and google searched Richard Simmons Cookbook. The original cookbook. I had it years ago, and liked the recipes. I found one on ebay and ordered it. 
I could not find his original Deal A Meal program (which I also had years ago), but I did find his Food Mover program. That will dofer. I ordered that, too.
My nephew had a post on FB where he was joking about his #mealplan. So, I checked that out. I found portion-controlled containers on Amazon for make ahead meals. I bought a couple of sets of those with some canning jars with lids. The jars are for make ahead smoothies, storage, and shake mixing ingredients.
Since I have to wait for all of this to be delivered (I was too pumped up to wait to start controlling my eating), I decided a fast of just water would be good. 
I fasted for two days, cleaning out my system pretty well. I got online and managed to find a couple of Richard's recipes, and one other that sounded good.
Grocery store trip consisted of fruits, vegies, boneless and skinless chicken breasts, ground turkey, canned tuna in water, a giant package of bottled water. Absolutely NO processed foods, soda, alcohol, candy, cake, cookies, or other snack foods of that type. 
I also weighed myself on the scale while there.
245 lbs.
Oops.
My BMI with my body type (large) means I have to lose 100 lbs.
So, I got started. 
First, beverages. 
I always have a drink in front of me. Always.
It used to be Sprite......or a beer......or a Wahoo (Rum, Amaretto, Pineapple Juice, on the rocks).
Now, it's water. Once or twice a week, in the morning, it could be 2-4 oz of lowfat Choco milk (I haven't done 4 yet, just 2. I am waiting for a significant weight loss for 4). 
Morning, or evening, it could be 2 oz of 100% fruit juice. Mostly, it's water.
I am getting used to carrying water with me every where I go, too. 
Living on a boat, I carry a fairly good size tote bag with all items sorted in ziplock bags. I put one or two bottles in cold and don't worry about it getting my bag contents wet at all.
If I get hunger pains, I'll grab about 6 grapes.....or a couple slices of Mango or orange slices. Late night might be several chunks of watermelon.
So far, lunch and/or dinner had consisted of one slice of bread with a tuna mix of just low cal mayo and small bits of onion and celery, or bell pepper, a dab of mustard, and lightly seasoned with the No Salt Mrs. Dash. I switch bread slices from whole grain with the Italian pre-sliced loaf as the whole grain is actually more cals than the Italian. I just want the grain benefit from the whole grain bread.
I also add two tablespoons of low fat cottage cheese and a couple pieces of fruit (see above) to the plate.

This is not my permanent diet plan. When all of my orders arrive, I will be able to plan, prepare, and utilize everything into a better and healthier way to lose weight.