Coming Clean (and cooking meatballs)

The great thing about keeping you all in the loop via this blog is that I can share my accomplishments and get that positive feedback that I love oh-so-much. The bad thing about keeping you all in the loop via this blog is that I feel obligated to tell you about my failures as well.

Truth! Also, I imagine that the cut-off
portion of this girl is sneaking a bite
of a chocolate bar.

First with the good news. As of yesterday I've dropped 7 pounds! ((Applause and cheers))
And the other day I actually used my jump rope outside, after some surprisingly helpful tutorial videos; it's much more complicated than I remember from childhood.

I didn't last long with the jump-roping. I had no idea how exhausting it could be. Plus I hadn't eaten for about 4 hours when I decided to jump so I think my body was just a little low on energy when I started. Then I went inside to run on the treadmill and ended up spending ten minutes trying to find the extension cord to set it up and by then I was annoyed and discouraged and still low on energy, so my run on the treadmill was also very short-lived.

While I was "exercising," I had some meatballs cooking in sauce on the stove. I'm always trying to find ways to get Alex to eat vegetables, usually to no avail. The last time I made meatballs, I snuck some fresh veggies in and he ate them. So that was my motivation. They turned out really delicious, but Alex didn't eat them :( Picky kid. I didn't follow a recipe to make the meatballs, but I kept track of what I used so I could share my recipe, which is at the bottom of this post.

My intention was to eat some meatballs for dinner but skip the pasta (which I boiled for Alex and my parents to eat). But the pasta was there. And I was starving. And there were yummy meatballs. So, I ate pasta. Probably more than I typically would because I kept "testing" the noodles as I cooked them. Plus, Alex didn't eat his so I definitely did a little bit more than nibble.

While I'm coming clean, I'll come all the way clean. The other day, I told you about my trip to the zoo and my weakness for Teddy Grahams. Well I wrote that post mid-day, before going to the Greek Festival. I was pretty good at the festival -- I ate baked chicken, stuffed grape leaves, salad, and just a couple bites of a rice/pasta dish (passed on the white bread -- woo hoo!). But after the festival I had a hot fudge sundae. It was unreal and I can't say I regret it. The ice cream flavor was cappuccino chip and it was seriously a little bit of heaven on earth. So much fudge! The next day I had a really weak evening and I ate a bar of chocolate. Again, soooo good! I hate admitting all of this because I feel like I'm failing, but I think what I need to remember is that a moment of weakness doesn't have to become a lifetime of weakness. I can mess up, eat chocolate, and then pass on it the next time. I can't expect perfection out of myself; and the results are what matter anyway. After all that, the day after the chocolate bar was when I weighed in at 7 pounds less than my starting weight. I won't take that as permission to eat hot fudge sundaes and chocolate bars on the regular, but a girl's gotta live a little! Last thing to shamefully admit is that last night after work I had a beer and chicken wings. I don't know what's more embarrassing -- that I ate that kind of food late at night, or that I was sitting in a bar alone while indulging. Whatever, judge or hate but this is what you all missed:

+ Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

Anyway, now you know. And what I take away from my weak moments/weak days/weak weeks is that in the end, I will reap whatever I sow. If I want to lose ten pounds in the next month I had better get it together, start exercising for more than 5 minutes at a time, and quit eating sweets and fried foods. But on the other hand, if I'm ok with losing weight gradually then I can occasionally go crazy on some hot fudge sundae or chicken wings. As it turns out, my attitude toward food/dedication to eating healthy fluctuates throughout the month. Go figure.

Meatball recipe, as promised.

Vegetable Meatballs

Get yer hands in there!

Meatball Mixture

1.3 lb 85% lean ground beef

1 cup of grated carrot

3/4 cup of finely chopped onion (about 2 small onions)

1/2 cup of grated zucchini

1 egg

2 tsp of orange zest

salt and pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup grated zucchini

2 jars pasta sauce

1 can tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

seasonings to taste

1. Combine the meatball mixture and form into (approximately) 1-inch meatballs. This should make about 25-30 meatballs.

2. Then sautee onion, garlic and zucchini in a large pot (I actually used 2 large pots, which I merged once the meatballs were cooked.

Try not to overcrowd or have the meatballs
touching one another. It's inappropriate.

3. After sauteeing for 8-10 minutes, add the meatballs to the pot. Turn them gingerly as they cook; they are delicate because there's no bread in the mixture.

4. Once the meatballs are browned all around, then add two jars of pasta sauce.

5. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.

6. Then add the water and the wine.

7. I added various seasonings throughout the cooking process.

8. The orange juice was an afterthought. I had zested 2 clementines for the meatball mixture, and had the naked-looking clementines sadly sitting on the counter, so I cut one open and squeezed the juice into the sauce. It turned out really subtle, but the orange flavor was present.

9. Allow meatballs to simmer in sauce for (?) at least an hour. The timing really depends on how cooked your meatballs were after the browning process. When I made this, I let them simmer for several hours; I made them early in the day and let them simmer until dinnertime. The longer the better because the flavors combine, but really you just have to make sure the meat is cooked through.

Enjoy with (or without) pasta! With the leftovers, I opted to replace the pasta with sauteed red and yellow bell peppers. Super-filling and satisfying without the carbs from pasta noodles. Yum yum!

Toodles :)

Falling and rising

I'm feeling a little down on myself today. Thought maybe I'd bring you guys into my little world even though the sun isn't shining so bright.

In general I've been doing pretty good with my eating habits. It's just hard to feel like I'm eating healthy on days that I work. Even if the food I eat is healthy, I'm not able to eat after 3 or 4pm; then I end up hungry at work. But by the time I'm out, I don't eat because it's so late at night. In the mornings, I've been eating either oatmeal (steel-cut, not rolled), or -- on very lazy mornings -- graham crackers. They are sooo good! And much like salami and mayonnaise sandwiches, if Alex is eating them, it's hard not to snatch a bite or 2.

Today was another zoo day. And much like the last one, I did not eat a proper breakfast or bring along the appropriate snackage. Whoa, snackage should most definitely be a real word. Let's make that happen. Anyway, I ended up eating almost all of Alex's animal crackers while walking around the zoo. I felt especially awful about that when he looked at me and said, "More crackers, please?" Sorry buddy. Aside from the calories, I have been trying to limit my carb intake after looking at this infographic about how bad they are for weight loss (thanks for pinning that Erica). And I didn't stop at the animal crackers. I also bought Alex one of those snackages of Teddy Grahams aaaaaand proceeded to eat about 90% of it. Then after the zoo, Alex's dad stopped for a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. I wasn't that tempted by the sandwich because last time I had cheese it made me feel pretty gross. But I was pretty hungry. I took one bite and that was enough. Well, I stopped after one bite. I won't say it was enough because my goodness was that delicious. I also may have had 6 or 7 french fries. Then I had to summon some self-control, walk away, and leave the vicinity.

And that's when I discovered five below.

Have you ever been to one of those stores? They're kind of fascinating in a I-don't-want-to-buy-anything-here-but-I-can't-stop-looking-at-every-item-in-stock kind of way. I did end up buying a jump rope in hopes that I will use it for cardio, as well as a book with 100 healthy recipes -- each recipe is centered around a different "superfood." And I bought a loofa.

Looking back on my day now, I guess I wasn't that bad. My major sins were a) animal crackers and Teddy Grahams b) fries/bite of sandwich c) spending some money I didn't need to spend.

On the bright side, I did restrain myself a bit at five below by not buying nail polish and also by not looking around the entire store. I only spent $9 + tax and it was on health products. I also spent about $50 at the zoo because I finally bought a year-long membership to the Zoological Society. That was a lot of money for someone trying to save every penny, but in the end a wise decision seeing as I have already paid my way into the zoo enough times this summer to have paid for a membership.

Alright so I wasn't that bad today. Just need to get back into the habit of healthy snackaging and preparation. Thanks, diary. I feel much better now :)

I want to be skinny with a fat, fat wallet

I'd like to talk to you about something that is happening to me as a result of this weight-loss journey. And it has nothing to do with weight loss. I'd like to talk to you about self-control.

You see, aside from trying to lose extra pounds, I'm also trying to slim down on credit card debt. It's been about 6 months since I've had any regular income. That means I've had to put more expenses on credit, and have only been making minimum monthly payments. Plus, this thing called Life just kept happening regardless to whether or not I had money. Had to buy a mattress when I moved to Cleveland. Paid partially for a rental I had for 2 weeks because my car was smashed into whilst parked in my driveway, minding its own business. Got 2 flat tires in less than a week. You know...life.

Now that I've started working again, I have an opportunity to do one of two things. One is the thing I want to do, and one is the thing I need to do.

I want to get a mani/pedi, shop, go to Cedar Point, buy new shiny things, and so on.

I need to pay off my debt.

Standing in the close-out aisle at Marc's, looking at this beautiful (and shiny) piece of artwork for just $7 that would look lovely on my bedroom wall, I was faced with a choice. To buy (because I really really love it and who knows how long this will be available and it's such a good deal), or not to buy (because I really really don't need it and it may only be $7 but that is $7 that should go toward paying off debt). And wouldn't you know...I didn't buy it! Just before that, I was standing in the tanning salon (spare me, I know it's awful for me) listening to the very convincing reasons why I should pay $16 for the extra-special Sun Angel tanning bed instead of the free-with-my-membership basic bed. Luckily, it was the female employee trying to sell to me so it wasn't too difficult to say no. Had it been the drop-dead-gorgeous, blonde haired, blue-eyed male employee -- who knows what I would have bought. I'm such a sucker for that type.

My point is that I was able to summon some power from within to control my spending even though I had the cash on hand. That's the thing with waitressing -- you always have cash and (for me at least) cash is so much quicker to fly out of my wallet than money on a debit card. So it takes extra extra willpower to hold back, especially in that closeout section at Marc's, where a cart of $2 purchases turns into a $40 shopping trip in seemingly no time at all.

Tying back to the weight loss deal... Just as it takes dedication and a powerful decision to eat healthy and smart, the same applies to any challenge in life. One decision at a time, one day at a time, you will see results. Slowly the pounds begin to shed, and slowly the debt begins to shrink. I haven't always considered myself the most patient individual, but I am trying.

I know this post was kind of unrelated to the theme of the blog but thanks for reading it anyway!

The E Word

I've been avoiding this subject.

I know that once I put it out there, I can no longer pretend it doesn't exist. We all know there are two essential parts to any successful weight-loss plan. One is diet. The other is...

...exercise.







Can you sense my excitement? (sarcasm alert)

When I was younger, I loved sports. I played volleyball and softball, plus basketball on two leagues. But that's been over since high school started. In the last few years, I've been to the gym. Mostly when I first moved to Miami. Probably some combination of the "blank slate" feeling of a new city, and the ridiculous amount of thin and fit people there. Since I've been back in Cleveland, I've gotten on the treadmill a total of maybe six times (in six months).

Honestly, the excuses I've made for my diet have got nothin' on excuses I make for not exercising.

If I sweat, then I have to shower; and my hair takes forever to wash and dry.
Gym membership is too expensive.
I'm too busy.
I'll never get the body I want, anyway.
I don't know the right way to exercise.
I chase a toddler all day long.
Yada yada yada...

I know a lot of people can relate because not all of us enjoy exercise. But the thing is, I do believe I can enjoy it. I need to find the right method, that's all.

For me, I think I need to exercise with a buddy or a group. It comes back to being held accountable. I don't want someone necessarily breathing down my neck or screaming in my face, but I don't want to be the only person who is paying attention to what I'm doing. Another aspect is having someone that can instruct me when needed, at the very least to make sure I'm staying safe. Plus, being in a group setting keeps things from being boring. If the workout becomes boring (which is less likely to happen in a group anyway) you can people-watch while you exercise.

Honestly, though, I don't need to wait until I'm in a group setting to get a workout in. In fact, I really just need to look at my Pinterest boards, at the many many many workout plans I've pinned over the last 6 months while sitting on my ass.

Like this one, for example.
Or this one.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.

I had to stop there because Pinterest is a vacuum and I was getting pulled in. Here's my Be Healthy, Be Happy board. (Enter Pinterest at your own risk)

I bought this Crossfit Groupon for myself the other day. I'm equal parts intimidated and excited. If anyone has experience with Crossfit, please share any tips or wisdom with me. I need to act on this and just call the place already.

My weight has gone down a total of 5.6 pounds. But I still have over ten pounds to lose to reach my short-term goal. And that's still twenty to thirty pounds more than my ideal weight. It's not just about the number. It's about the person I see in the mirror. Whether she weighs 100 pounds or 150 pounds or 200 pounds, if I am not pleased with what I see looking back at me, the battle is not won. For the record, if I ever weigh 100 pounds you should probably get me in to see a really good shrink. The point is to be healthy and confident and proud of myself.

Catching Up

Hello friends. Sorry for the neglect. I've had family in from out of town so my schedule has been a little shifty. So have my eating habits, but nothing too horrible. And I will confess everything in full.

Thursday's training was great because we actually didn't eat anything from the restaurant. I did end up indulging in some delicious (albeit fatty) beef stew that evening but I kept my portion small and was very satisfied. I may or may not have had some wine that night. I literally don't remember. Mommy brain.

Friday was my final day of training at the restaurant. It was the day to taste entrees and desserts. And I learned something about myself. The only way to avoid eating chocolate is to avoid being in the same room as chocolate. I took one bite of each of three entrees. Then I took one bite each of five (yes FIVE) desserts. One of these desserts was devil's food cake topped with chocolate ganache, covered in espresso cream, then topped with another touch of ganache, a dollop of ice cream, drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce, then finished with miniature chocolate chips. I took a bite. I didn't taste the ganache, so I took another bite to try and find some. Then someone mentioned how tasty it is when the cake is warm. I couldn't remember if the cake was warm, so I took another bite to find out. Then I stopped making up excuses and just kept eating it. I must have eaten half the thing. About 300 calories. Not that I was counting that day, but to ignore the number would be too passive. Regardless, I loved it and enjoyed every bite and just remained mindful the rest of the day to drink extra extra water and be good the rest of the night.

The next morning (Saturday) my weight was exactly the same. Better than I was expecting- I figured I would have weighed in at half a pound more or so. Anyway, it was my first day off from the restaurant since the previous Sunday. I got back into my healthy oatmeal breakfast routine, along with coffee and cream. When I got hungry mid-day I snacked on celery and Smart Balance peanut butter. At some point I snacked on a graham cracker or 2. I've noticed that when I don't sleep well, I don't eat well. Probably just that I'm lazy and don't feel like cooking. All the more reason to plan ahead and have healthy food on hand. For dinner, I was invited to a cookout. On the menu was barbecue beef spare ribs, but my host was kind enough to accomodate to my diet and made me a steak. Still not the healthiest option but at least it wasn't covered in sugar-laden BBQ sauce. I made quinoa for the side. My mistake at dinner wasn't so much my choice in food, but my choice to continue eating past my level of satiation. Oh, and this time I remember: I definitely had some wine.

I was not surprised when my weight went up a tad this morning. Nor was I hard on myself. I know I slacked off this weekend for a number of reasons, but I also know that if I get back into the right way of doing things, I can continue making forward (or regarding the scale, downward) progress.

Pats on my back
I went to the movies Friday night and didn't eat any popcorn or drink any pop.
Stopped at Bar Louie after the movie for a glass of wine and didn't order any food, even though the kitchen was open and the menu looked pretty fabulous.
Some lady referred to me as "tiny."

Reminders
Write down little accomplishments as they happen so I don't forget!
Don't buy chocolate.
Get back to tracking calories.
Keep blogging :)

Cheers!

FIVE POUNDS!

That's right, my friends. I have lost five pounds; and I centered, capitalized, italicized, bolded, and underlined that because it is a
Big.
Effing.
Deal.

I am really proud of myself! Proud for sticking with it through all these training meals, plus a late-night bonfire this week -- complete with chips, hamburgers, hot dogs, s'mores, beer and wine (all of which I managed to resist). Last night at work I took exactly one bite each of 3 different sandwiches and they were all freaking fantastic. One and done!

But honestly, I am indebted and incredibly grateful to those of you that have been keeping up with me all week, for your encouragement and support and positive feedback. At work, people have told me "Oh, forget about your diet this week, honey. Just wait til next week." And I'm like, "No, I have a blog - I can't just wait." And that's how it is. By sharing this with all of you, I've made eating right my only option. It's just not in my realm of possibilities to "wait til next week." I've been doing that for too long. Plus, those of you that have commented on my posts or on facebook -- your voices play back in my head throughout the day. When I think of the fact that I might actually be inspiring or encouraging someone else to make better choices, it's not just about me and my tastebuds anymore.

So thank you. Thank you for letting me be totally honest. Thank you for reading and commenting and thank you for believing that I can do this. You rock.

Next time I have a glass of wine, cheers will be to you.

A Glimpse into Temptation

[Post-date to July 11. Didn't have the chance to publish it last night. Forgive me? Kisses.]


WARNING: This entry does not have the appearance of a weight-loss blog. Any cravings or munchies caused by the viewing of this post are not the responsibility of the author.

Are you ready for this? It doesn't matter. I'm going to show you anyway. Yesterday was soup and salad tasting day. I snapped some pictures before eating to show you wonderful people what I am dealing with here. This food is phenomenal. Though I was quickly filled to the brim once again, I didn't feel as "gross" as I did the day before. Here goes (sorry for the poor coloring/picture quality):

Half the spread

French Onion Soup

BBQ Salmon Salad 

(Loaded) Baked Potato Soup. Yes, that's bacon.

Spinach Salad

Seared Ahi-Tuna Salad

Heartland Chicken Salad

Tuscan Salad

It all tasted so good! But it was nice to feel in control of how much I was eating. I took one spoonful of each soup (the 2 pictured plus Chicken Tortilla). Took one taste of each salad, just making sure to get a taste of every salad component.

The hardest part about yesterday was that I forgot to drink my coffee in the morning. After work I had a pounding headache and zero energy. Powered right through it with 750mg of ibuprofen and 2 cups of coffee. Magical concoction!

I mentioned yesterday that I decided to stop counting calories for the rest of this week.

I did not mention yesterday that my weight went up about half a pound.

But I will mention today that it went back down and I am now at a total of 4 pounds less than I was on Friday. Yaaaay!!! And I really do feel great. I'm more tired than usual, but that's to be expected when starting a new job and being on my feet much more than I'm used to. But I wake up easily in the morning, I fall asleep easily at night. I don't get groggy during the day. I feel less bloated. I pee a lot! Clear and copious, as it should be. Overall, this is the best I've felt in a long time -- physically, mentally, emotionally.

That's what's up.

Here's to being flexible

I am sucking up all that I have to write this entry today. My apologies for any lack of my usual witticism and overall adorableness.

You know how when you start eating healthy, you feel amazing?? All of a sudden you have more energy, you can think more clearly, and your body is more responsive. To me, that's one of the most motivating factors in eating healthy.

I do not feel that way. Today I am reeeeeally dragging.

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I started a new job. I am definitely a fan of this place. It's clear that it will be a great place to work. The people are friendly and down-to-earth. There are systems in place to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. And the food is made almost entirely from scratch. Made from scratch, not necessarily healthy. But that's any restaurant. You know when you go out to eat that the food is going to taste fabulous, you won't leave hungry, and you probably won't want to weigh yourself for a day or two. Or more. When you decide to eat healthy, you pretty much scratch restaurants off the list (or waste your money on undressed lettuce).

That  being said, there truly is a lot of value in knowing what the food tastes like if you're going to be selling and serving it. This week (untimely as it is) is my opportunity to taste almost everything, without paying a dime.

So here are the lamentable details. Yesterday was appetizer-tasting day.

Jumbo Stuffed Shrooms 502 calories in 3. I ate 1.

=167 calories

Bruschetta 619 calories in the entire dish. I had about 1/4 of it.

=155 calories

Spinach Dip with Lavosh Crackers 1,356 calories in the entire dish. I had about 1/8 of it.

=170 calories

Lettuce Wraps 538 calories in the entire dish. I had about 1/4 of it.

=134 calories

GRAND TOTAL

626 calories

Ew.

Worse than the caloric intake was the fact that I wasn't allowed to eat until someone told me I could. Not a fan of being told I can't eat when I'm hungry. Makes me grumpy. Me angry. Me hungry! Now me very GROUCHY!!!

For several hours after that "meal" I felt groggy and overstuffed and bloated. Today I used the same strategy: tasting everything without going back for second tastes, though some of it was quite tempting. At this point, I'm realizing that calorie-tracking will be difficult to do with accuracy. So rather than focusing on the exact number of calories, I will continue with my healthy and filling fruity oatmeal breakfast.

My instagram is now filled with oatmeal
@sweetria109

And I will abide by the following:

Plan of Attack

Drink a ton of water before starting because I'm not likely to drink a lot once I'm running around.

Eat a healthy, filling snack right before starting work.

Taste and enjoy a bite of each dish one time.

Against the advice of everyone at work, I'm not giving up on eating healthy this week. I'll stop stressing and counting calories, and I will allow myself to get back into the swing of things once I'm finished tasting the delicious free food.

One more thing. How stressful is starting a new job?! I had a guilt-free glass of wine last night while I munched on stove-top popcorn and it was really what the doctor ordered. And by "the doctor" I mean "I" and by "ordered" I mean "purchased, opened, poured, and enjoyed."

Peace.

Anyone up for a wedding at Cana?

Nothing terribly exciting to report today. Tomorrow's post will be interesting, though. More on that after a quick recap. First, here is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast Tried a new spin on my boring old oatmeal. First I boiled water, added frozen blueberries, brought back to boil, then added the oatmeal. Topped it with some allspice and strawberries. This was better than the previous day's attempt but still needs improvement. Also decided to forego the eggs for this meal and I was still very satisfied til lunch time.

Lunch I sauteed a little white onion and garlic with EVOO (it stands for extra virgin olive oil...I'm not yelling at you in a strange language), then to the pan I added an egg and 2 egg whites (scrambled but no milk or water added). I wrapped the cooked eggs in a Flatout brand flat bread with flax seed (say that 5 times fast). Also, a little of the leftover carrot salad from Day 1.
Snack chocolate raspberry goodgreens bar
Dinner I went all fancy-pants! What I ate was 1/4 of a chicken breast, which was breaded and lightly fried, then baked. Arugula, avocado and raspberry salad with red wine vinaigrette (red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a touch of sugar), and a shallot and mushroom quinoa. Wanted wine, drank water.
After-dinner snack Had some yummy stove-popped popcorn with a little bit of flavored olive oil. Really light and delicious snack, and perfect for low-cal movie-watching!
Late-night snack I got home a little later than usual seeing as it was my night off from mommy duty. But missing my little guy, I had a snack which embodied my maternal instincts: one single graham cracker.

I went over on my allotted calories by about 50 (i.e. one single graham cracker), but still weighed in this morning at half a pound less than yesterday morning. Tomorrow's post will go into detail about what I have eaten today. But to give you a hint, I started training for a new job at a restaurant. Tasting the food is a legitimate part of the training experience. I swore I'd only have one bite of each item but I might have had 3 or 4 bites of a certain cream-cheese-filled-then-deep-fried-vegetable-with-a-side-of-creamy-horseradish-sauce. Anyway, I felt sort of disgusting until several hours later. Luckily tomorrow's training meal will consist of soups and salads. And I will guard myself with a noon snack so I'm not starving by the time we eat!

I'm toying with the idea of switching to tea in the morning, since I require cream in my coffee and that typically costs me between 40 and 80 calories. But I don't think I'm quite ready. Besides,

Truth, not excuses :)

Thanks for reading!

Alligators & Talking Sandwiches

I can be really hard on myself. Sometimes the result is that I give up because if I'm not trying, I can't get upset at myself for failing. I know it's totally screwy and I'm in therapy for it, ok?! Anyway, my point is I messed up a little yesterday but I'm not going to give up.

Yesterday was a little out of the ordinary. The temperature got up to 104 degrees, prompting the Weather Channel to warn citizens to stay indoors, in air-conditioned environments, and avoid exposure to the heat especially for at-risk groups such as children and the elderly. So what did I do? I took my two-year-old to the zoo. It was a poorly planned, last-minute decision. But once you tell a child he's going to see an alligator, you'd better take that kid to see an alligator. We stayed in the rainforest for the most part, then went to the Primates, Cats & Aquatics building. Although we weren't in the direct heat for very long, we did do a lot of walking and I really, really needed a snack. Seeing as it was only Day 2 of calorie-counting, I just couldn't allow myself a hot dog or a soft-serve pretzel (and most tragically, not both).

Long story short, by the time we left I was absolutely starving and quite crabby. I knew I had frozen chicken breasts at home, but there was no time for all that thawing and cooking business. Once home I threw a skillet on the stove, turned the heat up high, and reheated a piece of salmon from the day before. There was no more quinoa so I had half of a pita slathered with hummus, and the remainder of the arugula, pepper and grape salad. It was pretty satisfying, but my mood wasn't grand. Nothing a movie-night-with-my-favorite-person-in-the-world couldn't fix! We rented Wall-E and cuddled. Alex hadn't had dinner, just snacks (lucky!) so I made him a salami and mayonnaise sandwich to eat while we watched. This was my moment of weakness.

There's just something really special about a salami and mayonnaise sandwich.

My excuses were:

"Even if I weigh the same tomorrow as I did this morning, I'm ahead of the game."

"I must have burned at least as many calories as 1/2 this sandwich at the zoo today."

"If I crave it, my body must need whatever is in this delicacy."

But the real reason I ate 1/2 of that sandwich is because it actually looked me in the eyes and threatened to kill me if I didn't. It was terrifying. So I ate it.

In all seriousness, yesterday was full of teaching moments. The value of preparation cannot be overlooked. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Here are some things I will be keeping in mind from now on.

Lessons Learned

When leaving the house, have a healthy snack on hand to avoid extreme hunger.

Keep healthy snacks/meals prepared at home.

Eating small meals throughout the day delivers the most satisfaction.

Serve Alex salami and mayonnaise sandwiches only on days when my strength and willpower are at extremely high levels.

I almost forgot to mention my progress for the day! After all my struggling and crabbiness and self-defeating talk (especially after negotiating with that terrorist sandwich) -- I lost 1.4 pounds!!! This initial quick progress is very motivating, and I'm grateful because it is helping me develop methods and routines that can last a lifetime. Surely I'll eventually have to put in a bit more work to keep dropping the pounds but for now, I'm loving it :)

Victory

1.8 pounds!!!

One day of counting calories and drinking a ton of water and I am already down almost 2 pounds. Lettuce party! (Haha. Get it? Lettuce because I'm on a diet and like...let us.....get it?? I'm not funny.)

Seriously, it's a great feeling to see results so quickly. I know a lot of people say you shouldn't weigh yourself every day because it can fluctuate up and down and might be discouraging. But after cutting my calories from who-knows-what (probably around 2,500) down to about 1,200 yesterday -- and drinking a ton of water (I think I lost 1.7 pounds just by peeing 300 times) -- I just had to see what that number was. And though still a good 15 pounds from my short-term goal, it is less than it was!

Here's a summary of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast 2 scrambled eggs, bowl of plain oatmeal with about 1/2 T of brown sugar. Also had a cup of coffee with some flavored creamer.

Lunch Sliced carrots, diced onion, apple, and beets. Mixed with some olive oil mayonnaise. Beautiful color from the beets and nice crunchy texture!

Carrot salad, after a night in the fridge. Looked even better fresh!

Snack 1/2 of a goodgreens chocolate raspberry bar

Dinner Oven-baked salmon (4 oz) seasoned with cajun and lemon juice. 1/2 cup of quinoa. Salad with arugula, grapes, red and yellow bell peppers, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Wish I'd taken a picture!!! The plate looked (and tasted) amazing.

Challenges of Day 1

Not finishing Alex's cereal, because.

Responding to hunger with water.

Not snacking while cooking.

Plain oatmeal. Ew.

Lessons Learned

If I cook it, I am in control.

Plan meals using the loseit.com meal tracker, rather than counting calories after eating.
Always use the smallest dish possible. It looks like you're eating more than if it was in a larger dish.
Add some strawberries and/or blueberries to oatmeal for a low-cal flavor injection.
Buy more toilet paper.

I'm feeling extra motivated today after such a successful first day. Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow. For now, I have to pee again. Toodles!

Every journey starts with a blog entry, right?

Hi there. My name is Maria and I am the mother of a ridiculously -- almost unbelievably -- adorable little two-year-old boy. I am also the not-so-proud owner of a belly that I can no longer blame on pregnancy. And being single, I don't think the excuse of "I'm going to get pregnant again soon anyway so I might as well just wait til I'm done having kids before losing this weight" is legitimate. There are plenty of other excuses:

"I'm at the mercy of my mother's shopping choices."

"I have to finish whatever Alex doesn't eat."

"If I don't eat all these carbs this time of month I'll go ape-shit and break a window."

Valid as they may be, they are just excuses. Oh, I almost forgot the most powerful excuse I use for my weight.

"I'm ok with how I look."

And it's such a lie. It's such a lame excuse that really means "I'm lazy and apathetic about losing weight and getting fit." It's an excuuuuuuse! There's a difference between being happy with yourself as a person and being happy with how you look and feel physically. No matter how cute, funny, humble, and smart I am, that won't change the fact that I feel let-down by myself when I look in the mirror or at pictures. Granted, I'm not at a point where I'm morbidly obese or extremely overweight. But that's the direction I'm headed and the older I get, the harder it will be to maintain my current weight, let alone lose these extra pounds. I'd like to reverse the direction.

This is not my first attempt at losing weight. But I'm determined that this attempt will be more than just an attempt. You know I'm serious because I'm starting this on a FRIDAY. Not even waiting until Monday. I plan to use this blog as my personal journal regarding successes and failures. I'll post recipes, milestones, ideas, etc. Any (kind and encouraging) comments and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for reading. Til next time!

LoseIt.com: Website and App I'm using to track calories