LOW CARB – WEEK TWO – DAY ONE

Well the weight loss for me is more than enough motivation to carry on with the low carb style of eating.  I can really understand how some people make this a way of eating as opposed to using the word DIET!

Had a long, busy day and still managed to keep to my goals, infact I actually went too low on the carbs.  Something I have read shouldn’t be done regularly, but when I recorded everything just prior to bed that’s the way it worked out.  At gone 11pm at night I didn’t see the point of eating for the sake of eating!!!

Breakfast 1.9 Carbs

Omelet (1/2 cup of Egg Creations Southwestern, 2 slices of bacon), 1/2 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)

Morning Snack 1.4 Carbs

Sausage, Spinach & Feta Breakfast Bake

I had an errand to do on the way to work today, so I stopped at Safeway and picked up some lunch.  They had a delicious looking Cobb Salad ( I figured it met all the criteria – chicken, egg, cheese etc.  When I flipped it over it was just 3 Carbs.  It was a pretty large salad when I put it on a dinner size plate at lunch time.

Lunch – 3 Carbs

Safeway Take Out Cobb Salad

That salad kept me going for a long time and I completely forgot about getting my snack out of the fridge to eat.

We are having my 5 year old granddaughter overnight.  My husband went to pick her up, while I did the grocery shopping for the week.  We met up when I was finished at Swiss Chalet for some dinner.  I thought this was going to be an easy place to eat for me.  I went on their website when I got home to work out the nutritional value (690 calories and 4 Carbs)!!!  I will have to remember that!

Dinner 4 Carbs

Swiss Chalet Double Leg Dinner – I actually had the 1/2 chicken and gave away the dipping sauce and the bun.

1/2 Chicken, green salad and ranch dressing

Daily Total -10.1 Carbs / 1,337 Calories

FitBit: 6,500 Steps, 5 Stairs

I went shopping after work armed with a shopping list based on my menu plan for the week.  I am planning on loosely following the Week One over at I Breathe I’m Hungry.

I am going to spend Saturday morning getting some of the prep work done for the week.  I really like doing that it means no snap decisions.

At the end of her meal plans she even gives a shopping list and a meal prep list.

I even found a low carb dinner for the family on Sunday.  I can’t wait to try that one!!

Low Carb?

For some time now I have been reflecting on why even when I am counting points or calories, I seem to be having such a hard time losing weight. I have started to think that maybe I need to look more at the carbs that I eat. So I have decided to try low carb eating and see how my body reacts to it?

So, my goal is to really work hard at this and see what the weighing scale says next Friday. When I weighed myself on Friday morning I had stayed exactly the same. I want to see those numbers going down not staying the same!!!

With it being Mother’s Day today, I thought first of all I would wait until Monday to start. Then I decided I should just start. I was reading somewhere that too often we plan in the future when we will start, whereas really we should just begin with the next meal. I guess it’s the same with having a “bad day”, really it’s a “bad meal”. It turns into a “bad day” when we just continue in the same way for the remainder of the day, instead of getting back on track with the next meal.

I read that to begin low carb eating we should start with 20 net carbs per day. So Friday morning I got up and started!!

So here is how Friday went for me …..

Breakfast
Omelet – 2 Eggs and 2oz Shredded Cheddar

Snack 1
3 Celery Stalks with 1 Tbsp Cream Cheese

Lunch
Tuna Salad (Can of Tuna, 2 cups shredded Romaine Lettuce, and 2 Tbsp Mayo

Snack 2
1/2 Red Pepper sliced with 1 Tbsp Ranch Dressing

Dinner
Chicken breast sautéed in 1 tsp Butter, 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce, 1 roma tomato diced, 1/2 cup diced cucumber, 2 Tbsp ranch dressing, 1 Tbsp Real Bacon Bits

Snack 3
Low Carb Caramel Nut Chew Bar

Total Carbs: 19.2
Total Calories: 1,453 – this is more than I have been consuming, so this makes me a little nervous, but we shall see!!!)

FitBit: 6,069 Steps, 7 Stairs

Saturday I was up bright and early with a busy day ahead. I was helping our youth group participate in a highway clean up which is a big fund raiser for us. We had to meet at 6:30am at the church. As soon as I got out of bed I put 2 eggs on to boil. Saturday took a little bit of planning and control but I did it. I was pretty pleased too because on he drive home someone had a box of Tim Horton’s Timbits and I declined!!! Hurray for me!

For dinner we were at a Church event with pulled pork on a bun etc. I managed some wise choices and turned down dessert too!

Breakfast
2 Hard Boiled Eggs diced in a bowl with 1 tsp butter, salt and pepper
1/2 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk

Lunch
Ham Salad (3 Sliced Chopped Ham, 1 oz diced cheddar, 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup diced cucumber topped with 2 Tbsp Ranch Dressing

Snack
Sugar Free Jello topped with 1 Tbsp Whipping Cream

Dinner
Pulled Pork, Caesar salad (I didn’t eat any of the croutons), spoonful of coleslaw

Snack
2 Slices of Swiss Cheese
Low Carb Caramel Nut Chew Bar

Total Carbs: 19.9
Total Calories: 1,477

FitBit: 13,596 Steps, 7 Stairs

South West Style Cod

I certainly managed to get some good exercise in today! It was an absolutely beautiful day – 24 degrees. So I headed out for a walk at lunchtime.

I used Map My Run on my phone and here are the results:
Distance – 2.53 miles
Duration – 45:38 mins

That walk will have increased my steps on my Fitbit too!!

Then in the evening I had my Zumba class, so lots of calories and steps earned for me today … hurray!!!!

Breakfast: 166
Protein Shake

Lunch: 396
Source Yogurt
1 cup Strawberries, Fresh, Sliced
Protein Meal Replacement Bar

Dinner: 435
South west style cod
1/2 cup Rice, Basmati, Long Grain
1 cup Broccoli
3/4 cup Brussels Sprouts

Snacks: 172
Fig Bar
1 cup Grapes, Fresh

Total: 1169 Calories

I cam in from work and got dinner going. When it got to the point to put the cod in for 12 mins. Someone came to the door and I couldn’t get away. So unfortunately the cod had gone beyond the nice flaky stage, and was now overcooked!!!!

SOUTHWEST STYLE COD

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min

MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cod fillets (6 ounces each)

Directions
1. In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, olives, cumin, pepper sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

2. Add fillets. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts
1 serving equals 226 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 734 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 30 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 fat.

EXERCISE

FitBit: 14,905 Steps / 4 Stairs

Zumba – 60 minute Class

Walk: 45 minutes

Mini Reuben Casserole

Friday is always a busy one for me at work. I pretty much spent most of the day on accounts. Although I do always leave about 4pm to do the bank deposit and then on to the grocery store to get my shopping done. That way I don’t have to spend time on a Saturday doing that!

I always shop with a list based on a menu that I have already planned for the week. I love to try new recipes, but most recipes are based on 4 servings and there is only my hubby and I at home. So now I make a plan for the week, shop and then divide everything into two. My daughter pays me for half of the shopping and she follows the same menu plan and we just half the recipe!! No more half empty cans, jars, containers etc.

I will share my menu plan for the week in a separate post.

So Friday I didn’t get out for an official walk, although I did plenty of walking around the grocery store!!!!

Breakfast: 166
Protein Smoothie

Lunch: 290
Protein Meal Replacement Bar

Dinner: 506
Mini reuben casserole
Tossed Salad
1 Tbsp Lemon ginger dressing

Snacks: 266
1/3 cup Chocolate Bridge Mix

Total: 1228 Calories

FitBit: 5,697 steps / 7 stairs

Friday evening for dinner I used up the left over roast beef from Wednesday and made a Reuben Casserole. I was not sure how this one was going to turn out. My hubby had seen the can of sauerkraut when I shopped last week and told me a few times that he didn’t like sauerkraut! It actually was pretty tasty and he never mentioned the sauerkraut at all while he was eating it. It was well rinsed for this recipe so many it is the vinegar taste that he doesn’t really like!

I bought a salad dressing at Costco a couple of weeks ago that is fantastic. 1 Tbsp = 40 calories and it is so full of flavor.

So here is our dinner recipe for Friday night, which we had a with a tossed salad and of this delicious dressing!

Mini Reuben Casseroles

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min.

MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups cubed cooked beef roast
1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/3 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
2 slices rye bread, cubed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions
1. In a large skillet, saute onion and pepper in oil until tender. Stir in the roast, sauerkraut, soup, 1 cup cheese, milk and salad dressing; heat through. Transfer to four greased 10-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins on a baking sheet.

2. In a small bowl, toss bread cubes with butter and onion powder. Arrange over tops. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 serving equals 650 calories, 41 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 130 mg cholesterol, 1,782 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 37 g protein.

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Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes

Here it is Tuesday evening and I am pretty pleased with the day I have had thus far.

It was a beautiful day today, so mid morning I popped out for a 30 minute walk around the neighbourhood.

Breakfast: 166
Smoothie

Lunch: 352
1 cup Grapes, Fresh
Protein Meal Replacement Bar

Dinner: 558
1 cup Beans, Green, Cut
Soda pop chops with smashed potatoes

Snacks: 110
4 Hershey cookie and cream eggs

Total: 1186 Calories

FitBit: 6905 Steps
Stairs: 10
Exercise: 30 minute walk

The dinner I made tonight was really good. My hubby loved the sauce that went with it.

Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
1 cup diet root beer
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 bone-in pork loin chops (7 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the root beer, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder; set aside. In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat.

3. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until chops are lightly browned; drain. Add root beer mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until a thermometer reads 145°. Remove pork and keep warm. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

4. Bring sauce to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile, drain potatoes; mash with butter, garlic powder and remaining salt and pepper. Serve with pork chops and sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST – Simply Filling + 1WPA

After a wonderful long weekend, it was tough getting ready to head off to work.  Thankfully I had one of those Blueberry Oatmeal Cups ( Simply Filling + 1WPA or 5 Points Plus) that I love all ready to go in the fridge.  Quick zap in the microwave and there was breakfast.  By 9:30 this morning it was already 26 degrees, so I enjoyed my oatmeal cup on the deck enjoying the warmth before heading off to work.

LUNCH – 100% Simply Filling

We took a picnic to the beach yesterday and I still had some of the delicious salad left.

I made a Black Bean & Corn Salad.

So for lunch I had some of that salad, a small green salad, cherries, grapes and a kiwi fruit.  Everything was 100% Simply Filling.

DINNER – 100% Simply Filling

For dinner this evening I made Turkey Mushroom Burgers.  All ingredients are Simply Filling if you make your own breadcrumbs using a low calorie bread.

Took a bite before I remembered the picture I needed to take!!

I have Zumba on a Tuesday evening at 7pm, so I came home from work a little early to get things going, so I was able to eat before class.  In my haste I took a bite before I remembered that I hadn’t taken a picture!!

The temperature when I left the house to go to Zumba was 36 degrees.  Even though there is air conditioning, I was dripping by the end of my class.  I absolutely love Zumba.  It is definitely my kind of exercise.  I really don’t feel like it is hard work at all.  It is so much fun.

 

 

“Back on the road again”

I waved goodbye to my mum yesterday at Calgary Airport. Woke up this morning and figured the first thing I should do is weigh myself. I would like to say that I didn’t put on any weight!!! 6 pounds in 6 weeks. I can live with that.

I would LOVE LOVE to be back at my Weightwatchers Lifetime Weight by the end of the year. That means 25 pounds by December 31st. I know I can do it – I know I can.

So Simply Filling and I are going to begin that journey today. I will share my weight loss with you all each Friday – hopefully with good results every week. I looked at the calendar and there are 26 Fridays to the end of the year so that is a comfortable (!!) one pound per week. Now that doesn’t seem so bad does it. Why is the reality not as easy!!

Anyone care to join me and share their success every Friday, I would love to hear from you.

So today is a shopping day to stock up on lots of simple and filling foods ….

I have started a meal plan for the week, which I will tweak this evening and then shop tomorrow.

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Sesame Chicken
Steak
Turkey Mushroom Burgers
Sesame Crusted Tuna
Oven Fried Chicken

Let’s Get Ready for Summer – 21 Day Plan – Day 7

Another one of those busy, busy days.  Didn’t get in from work until just after 6.  My Zumba class starts at 7pm so there was just enough time to change and pick up my daughter who attends the same class.  After chatting (!) for a bit after it was gone 8:30pm by the time I got home.  When I walked in the door I really didn’t feel like cooking at all.   Should have got one of those ready meals that I make out of the freezer!!

Breakfast
For breakfast this morning I had an orange ( 0 PP )  and 1oz Fibre One Cereal ( 2 PP ) and Skimmed Milk (1 PP) – 100% Simply Filling

Mid Morning
Mid morning I grabbed a Banana ( 0 PP )

Lunch
For lunch today I made myself a Tuna Sandwich (2 slices of wholegrain bread, small amount of low fat spread, 3 ½ oz tuna, sliced tomato, sliced onion, green salad, small amount of dressing) (5 PP ) plus Oikos 0% Greek Yoghurt (2 PP ) – 100% Simply Filling

Mid Afternoon
Ryvita with 1 tsp honey ( 2PP) – (Ryvita Simply Filling – honey 1 WPA)

Dinner
I had a portion of the Cheesy Topped Fish from Sunday in the fridge, so I had that with a nice salad.

Exercise
60 minute Zumba class

Tomorrow morning is weigh day.  I will share with you how the three of us (daughter, daughter-in-law and myself) have done this week.