Monday, January 10, 2011

First week

So it's been one week so far and not drinking has been a little hard.  It was really hard when E and I went to the Seahawks and Saints game Saturday, but the hardest was going to Who Song and Larry's and not having a Cadillac Margarita.  They are so yummy there.  We each had our yummy grilled chicken taco salad, but didn't have all the dressing that we normally consume with it.
 
So after not drinking and eating more healthy I did happen to lose 7 pounds in a week.  I'm not going to get too excited, but I do feel better already.  I didn't do a bunch of exercises other than just walking my dogs more and also going out to the animal shelter and walking some dogs out there.  I'm not big on working out every day like some people, and that's why I stopped drinking for a month and am trying to eat better.  I have been enjoying making new meals that are healthy and fairly easy to make.  So far they all have been very tasty and low in calories and fat.

  I have also been eating a little for breakfast and lunch which I normally never did.  Sometimes a banana or a muffin, no butter, with one slice of cheese for breakfast and a half of apple, sliced, 16 wheat thins,(140 cal), 1 slice of cheddar cheese,(110 cal) for lunch.  I did mix it up a little so that it didn't seem like I was eating the same thing every day.  I also would have a bend over too which is 1 slice of bread with mustard, one slice of ham, 1 slice of cheese all folded over, that's what I call a bend over.

I'm going to post a few of the recipes I use to cook for dinner that were every good, healthy, low in calories and easy to make.  I'm going to try some new ones this week.  I get most of the recipes out of food magazines and there was a guy named Mark Bittman that was on the Today show that prepared some meals that I used as well.  I sure hope that not drinking is making a big differences for me losing weight cause man do I want a Spanish coffee. :)  Here are a couple of links to some great recipes I used, enjoy!

http://content.markbittman.com/recipes/simplest-and-best-shrimp-dish


   http://content.markbittman.com/recipes/braised-and-glazed-butternut-squash  


Bittman's Broccoli Stir-Fry With Chicken & Mushrooms Recipe - Food


Saturday, January 1, 2011

Day one

So, it's January 1st 2011 and the start of my transformation. The first thing on my agenda is to not drink for one month.  I think not only will it help drop some weight, but I think it will be good for my liver.  It seems that lately I tend to get up in the middle of the night, between 3am and 4 am, to use the bathroom because my bladder can't wait until morning when I get up for work.  It's been that way for a while and I'm thinking it's because I drink a mimosa or two every evening rather than drinking water like I should be doing.  So I feel this will really help my body get stronger.  Don't get me wrong, I love to have a cocktail and am not giving that up, I'm just cutting way back.  After the one month of not drinking I will cut back to weekends only and maybe, depending on how I'm feeling on my weight control, having a glass of wine one or two nights a week may be OK too.

So, my neighbor Rob invited E and myself over today for drinks and a nosh between 2pm and 6pm, but I think I'm going to pass on it because I think it will be difficult for me not to want to have a drink.  I would probable find a reason to wait until Monday to start this and that's not good for me.  Not sure how E feels about this and I want to support her with her transformation as well and if she wants to wait til Monday that's OK with me. I know how hard it was for me to quit smoking and how strong I had to be to stay on track to quit.  If I give myself an inch, I know I'll take a foot every time, so it's best to stay true to myself.

The other day I tried a couple new recipes out of my new cook book that E gave me for x-mas.  It was  Lemon chicken breasts, yummy, and roasted butternut squash, double yummy. I never thought squash could taste go good.  The really great thing about this meal was the fact that squash is full of vitamins and is very healthy for you.  Roasting it with only a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a little thyme and kosher salt was simple.  The chicken was also cooked with olive oil and with lemons.  Between the roasted squash and baked lemon chicken breast we ate about 500 calories and were both really full.  I'm going to make a list today of foods I'm going to be making in the coming weeks for a heathier me.  I'm not real big on exercising but I am going to try and get my butt out and walk my dog more than I do. The vet said Chloe could lose a few pounds herself.  I want to share these great dishes I made and they really go well together.

This website won't let me copy and paste, but here's the link to the recipe for the Lemon Chicken.
http://www.barefootcontessa.com/cookbook_recipes.aspx?CookbookID=32

For the butternut squash, it's real easy to make:
Adapted from Ina Garten
(I used less oil, but that's the only thing I did differently)

1 large (4pd) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and 1-inch-diced
1 Tbsp good olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1tsp ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place squash on cookie sheet, add olive oil,thyme,salt and pepper, and toss with your hand. Roast 30 to 40 mins, until tender. Season to taste ( if desired) and serve hot.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The New Year is Coming!

So, it's Sunday Dec 26th, day after Christmas, and I have decided to lose weight in the new year with my wonderful and supporting partner, E.  While sitting here watching the football game I made a couple Spanish coffees that I made from a recipe I got off Huber's web site.  I'm also looking through a couple of cooking magazines we picked up in the grocery store while waiting in line. We bought them at the time because E enjoys the way I cook and wanted me to try a few new recipes she saw from these magazines. I also received a new cook book for Christmas,  Ina Garten's " barefoot contessa, how easy is that?" It looks like there're a few good recipes that are easy enough to follow.

I would say that right now is the heaviest I've ever weighed in my life.  A disappointing 200  pounds (almost.)  I never thought that I would reach that weight in my life! But here I am and I have to do something about it soon.  E isn't happy about her weight as well.  I know at my age it takes twice as much effort to drop the weight as some one that is in their 20's or 30's or for that matter 40's. My bones and joints seem to be more fragile these days and I don't have the energy like I use to.  I know that losing weight will reduce the pain I get in my back every day and make my joints and bones much stronger. 

So, here's the plan.  Starting January 1st E and myself are going to limit our drinking to nothing in the first month and just weekends there after.  We are also going to come up with a menu of planned meals for each day. Meals that are delicious and filling enough to keep us from snacking.  While on this journey of getting healthy I'm going to keep a log and share it with my friends and family so that after my transformation I'm able to inspire others to do the same if they feel the need and are seeking a simple easy diet.  I will be looking at different meals and recipes this week to put together a game plan before the 1st.  I think not drinking for the first month is going to be the hardest to start with, because I do enjoy having a drink in the evenings. I do realize that alcohol is fattening and that is going to make a big impact on my weight loss. 

I will posting my menus and meal plans and our weight loss. 
Cheers and here's to 2011!!!

Downloaded from Google:
Huber's Spanish Coffee "Yummy"
    
Ingredients:

Lime Juice
Granulated Sugar
1 oz 151 Rum (2 Tablespoons)
1 ds Triple Sec
1 1/2 oz Kahlua
Coffee To Fill The Glass
Whipped Cream To Garnish
Nutmeg
       
Preparation:
Dip the rim of an 8- to 10-ounce glass in lime juice and then in sugar. Add the rum and Triple Sec. With a long match, carefully light the liqueurs, swirling the glass to melt the sugar on the rim. Pour in the Kahlua and then add the coffee. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately. NOTES : Hubers Alex Perez is generally regarded as the Baryshnikov of Spanish Coffee. He has been serving as many as 200 of these flaming drinks a day for 17 years. He sent along his recipe as well as some tips for achieving the drama that is as essential to the presentation as the whipped cream. Recipe by: Hubers (Portland, Oregon) Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #864 by LBotsko@aol.com on Oct 25, 1997

Saturday, November 13, 2010

My First Post

Hey!  I thought I would try my hand at blogging.  Check back!  I'll have plenty to say!