Change in Routine

Instead of my usual workout in my "gym" I went for a 30 minute walk. It felt really good to actually walk at a quick pace. Oh man - I can remember when I couldn't make it half way down the block (at a snails pace) without sucking wind, feeling like my femurs were being wrenched out of their sockets, my quads burning like they'd had sulfuric acid poured over them, my knee joints in pain, my calves seizing up, feeling light-headed, heart beating far more rapidly than it should, feeling like I was about to drop dead, dead, D.E.A.D.

When I was younger I could walk a lot. I'm talking about miles and miles at a very fast pace. Yes, those were the good old days when I could eat anything I wanted - within reason - and then exercise like a demon to burn it all off. I remember going out with the girls and having pizza and beer then come home and do several hundred jump-ropes.

Body Types



My body shape is hour glass. After having gained all this weight it's more rectangular but I'm working on that. Can't wait to see the hour glass one again.

Dinner will be roast beef and baked potatoes. Can't wait.

2-5-1

Not much to report. Exercised for 70 minutes today and I feel great.

Food choices are still good. I had this meal back in June for lunch and I think I'll have the same tonight for dinner.

• Calories = 268


• Fat = 3g


• Fat calories = 30


• Carbs = 51g


• Fibre = 5g


• Protein = 11g


• Protein calories = 44

Not All Ham Slices Are Equal

While out yesterday hubs and I stopped at the grocery store. I wanted some lean ham slices for my meals this week. Anyway, there I stood, comparing different packages of ham slices when I saw Weight Watchers ham slices. I thought, cool. First thing I checked was the nutrition label and the fat grams seemed a bit high. So, I compared WW ham slices to Morrison's (supermarket chain) own and my eyes just about popped out of my head. Not only were WW ham slices higher in fat but the ham wasn't actually ham at all but bits and pieces of pork shaped like a ham and then sliced. .:EWWW:. Naturally, I chose the real ham slices which were also less expensive.

Today is going to be busy. Nothing exciting unless you count housework as exciting. Last week I didn't do jack around the house because hubs was off all week and we were out and about most of the time. Today though I have laundry and lots of other stuff to do then I'll settle down and plan out my exercise routine. **the "N" key on my laptop sticks so apologies in advance for typos** I need to create some type of chart as well so I can keep track of exercise type, miles, reps, etc., will probably do that in Excell. I'm off!

TTFN

Orange Cottage Cheese Cool Whip Salad

Years ago, when I lived in America, I went to a Weight Watchers meeting with a friend. One of the guests that day was some guy demonstrating food preparation and he made this salad. It's easy, delicious and satisfying.

All you do is take cottage cheese, cool whip, sugar free orange jello (dry) and a navel orange....put it in a bowl and mix it up. This is sooooo good. However, I can't get Cool Whip here so I subbed plain low-fat yogurt. Yogurt is not nearly as good as Cool Whip but it will do.



I also used artifical sweetener and a couple drops of vanilla extract. The original recipe had pineapple also but I omitted that in mine and used two navel oranges instead - I'll add pineapple next time. Yes, I ate a good sized bowl of this stuff last night after dinner for 190 calories and 2 grams of fat. I found a recipe if anyone would like to make it.

In other news, the in-laws are coming for a visit this weekend and I'm planning meals. FIL is diabetic as well so it won't be too difficult to figure something out so that all of us can eat the same thing. Fortunately, hubs and his mum are very supportive of me and FIL and helps us control our diabetes.

Well, I'm off to do housework. ICK!

New Recipe

Tried a recipe from those Weight Watchers books and it was OK. I had to do some adjustments because the measurements for the pancakes (crepes) was way off! Had I mixed up what the recipe said I'd have cooked enough to feed an army. It was supposed to yield 4 servings. Anyway, hubs liked it and said he'd like me to cook it again. :)

In future, I'll make crepes instead of using tortillas because I can save loads of calories. One tortilla has about 258 calories whereas a homemade crepe has about 83 calories and way less fat. Every little bit helps. So what if my Mexican dish is not quite authentic. ;)

Anyway, I've now lost 16 per cent of my total body weight. That's amazing. I've stuck to this reducing plan far longer than any other in my entire life. That's what contracting diabetes does to you....it gives you an added incentive to lose weight.

It's been over two months since I've drank any alcohol but I really *really* wanted a glass of wine the other night. Thankfully hubs brought me to my senses by reminding me how much better I feel since giving it up. So, I resisted the temptation and I'm soooooooooooo glad I did.

Fab Food

Found these books at a yard sale about a week ago. Although I do not subscribe to the Weight Watchers point system, these books do have some fast and easy recipes in them. Some of the food is a bit higher in fat and calories than what my calorie counting self can allow but they are adaptable. For example ground turkey or quorn can be subbed - whole or in part - for the ground beef and the oil some of the recipes call for can be omitted completely. I've bookmarked several recipes that I'm anxious to try.

The word for today is watermelon. I've been eating a lot of watermelon lately and according to FitDay it is full of calories! Who'd a thought?

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

Oh man! This stuff was delicious and dead easy to make. One can blackberries, plain low-fat yogurt, splenda, vanilla extract. Drain and puree the blackberries, mix all ingredients well, place in ice cream maker for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean container and freeze. To an ice cream freak like myself (who can no longer eat ice cream) this is a very good sub.

Got my handbag today that I won on ebay. It's so cute and summery and will go perfectly with a pair of sandals I have.

Weight wise - I've finally lost that pesky pound. Now standing at 257 and only seven pounds from my first goal. Took me a whole week to lose that pound but I suspect it's because the doc upped my diabetic meds and my body had to make an adjustment.

The weather has not been great with all the rain and it has dampened -no pun intended- my spirits. It's too wet to do anything in the garden or much else for that matter. We usually have a BBQ every Sunday but with the rain we've not had but two this season. Seems like my cabin fever will never quite go away.

Ahh well, life is good despite the weather and my lousy health so I shouldn't complain. I have a good home and a loving husband, what else do I need?

New Gadget

Heh! Bought me a George Foreman Lean Mean *suck all the fat out of your food* Grilling Machine. I had one years ago and was not impressed but I didn’t use it correctly and it ended up drying out the food. Plus, back then I didn’t need to reduce anyway because I wasn’t overweight. This time around I know what I’m doing. I love grilled food. Hubs does a fantastic charcoal grill but with the weather lately we haven’t grilled out but about twice this year.

Sunday lunch today will be roast beef and steamed veggies. And I will not eat too much roast beef - like I did with the meatloaf this past week .

Have an appointment tomorrow with the nurse and we’ll go over my latest test results. I’m fairly confident everything will be fine. BSL could be a bit lower but there you go.

Lunch

I prefer a visual log.

Roast beef (49 grams), gravy -made from beef juice with fat drained (50ml) and mixed vegetables (256 grams). The beef was extra lean and the vegetables were fresh -not frozen - steamed with no fat added.

• Calories = 238
• Fat = 6 grams
• Carbs = 28 grams
• Fibre = 7 grams
• Protein = 22 grams

Total for today: 747 calories and 16 fat grams. That leaves me with about 500 calories and 10-15 fat grams for dinner and a mid-evening snack. This is getting easier all the time. I’m learning what normal portions are and since I keep my kitchen scale and a note pad on the counter, it takes only a few seconds to weigh and record the food.

Well, I’m off for a few minutes of exercises and then a shower.

TTFN

Salisbury Steak

This was very tasty. The “steak” was actually a quarter pounder veggie burger. The gravy was made from a mix and had only 9 calories per 50 ml. Brits out there will know what I mean when I say, “Ahhhh! Bisto”. Here’s the numbers.

• Calories = 345
• Fat = 6 grams
• Carbs = 51 grams
• Fiber = 7 grams
• Protein = 24 grams

Sunday Lunch

Sunday lunch today was gorgeous. Baked salmon with dill on a bed of couscous, steamed baby carrots, peas and spring onions. No added fat.

• Calories 478
• Fat 13 grams (omega 3)
• Carbs 51 grams (complex)
• Fibre 6 grams
• Protein 40 grams

Now, a light dinner and I’ll come within my calorie range for the day. It almost seems impossible to be losing weight while eating food like this but that’s what I’m doing.