FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

i was thinking i would share some tips on how to eat healthy, and still be able to live on a budget. listen, it’s no secret that it costs more to eat healthy, even more if you a loony like me and prefer organic/fair trade/local foods. nevertheless, it is possible to have a semi-quick, healthy, and cheap dinner.

i don’t claim to be an expert. what will follow in this post and furthers posts, are really just what i’ve found to work for us. i would imagine they’d work for you too, but i don’t presume to know what’s best for you.

first, something about my life you must understand. my wife and i have a strict seventy-five dollar a week food budget. so everything we do must fit under that. that even includes dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, and bathroom items. so we are starting to get really good at fitting things in our budget and making the most of what we have. most of my friends and family are pretty astonished when i tell them how little we spend on groceries, and even more so when i tell them we don’t even shop at a discount grocery store.

so lets get this five part series started.

one - buy in bulk, use your freezer
this can apply to many different household items, but i’m focusing mainly here on meats. ryanne and i look for great deals on meats that have gone on clearance (this generally means it’s been sitting on their shelf too long). we both prefer poultry and pork to beef, and when possible we buy all-natural or even organic grade. we’ll usually buy a couple large “family” packs of chicken or boneless pork chops once every four-six weeks or so. the last time we purchased meat, we bought a bag of huge chicken breasts (each cut is big enough for a serving of meat for each of us), and a pack of i think 12 pork chops, and spent roughly fourteen - eighteen dollars combined for the both of them.

the next trick, is to prepare as soon as you get home. we individually wrap and season for a meal. meaning, we’ll take a chicken breast (or two pork loins), put them in a freezer bag with some marinade (we’re experimenting now with mrs. dash, which is a sodium free variety of marinade… the first one we tried we didn’t like), seal it, and place them in the freezer as soon as we get home from the grocery store. now, all you need to do for a meal is take what you need out of the freezer, get a vegetable (we generally go with frozen corn, broccoli, or green beans), and it’s pretty much a meal for the two of us. we also either grill everything, or cook it on our george foreman grill to further reduce fat content.

generally speaking, and i’m not kidding here, these dinners are not only filling but almost always come in at well under 500 calories, even if we add some sort of bread to the meal. this really helps at the end of the day, when you are just forced to eat some ice cream to get your full calorie intake for the day. those days REALLY suck (note: sarcasm).
[cross-blogged on ...love is the movement]

We’re halfway through January, but this is really the first weekend I’ve had a chance to sit down and do any reflecting about the previous year and give some thought to this new one.  Weight loss highlighted 2007 for me, and although I’m returning to a dieting mode right now, I’d like to focus more on health and well-being this year.  Losing weight was just the start.  Some health dragons I would like to keep at bay include:

• Enjoying eating without overindulging.  Just finding that balance seems to be so difficult for me.
• Regular exercise.  I hate going to a gym, and would rather do something outside.  Makes it really difficult for me this time of the year.  I’m definitely looking forward to better weather when I can get on my bike again.
• Maintaining positive outlook.  The events of the last two years or so have taken it’s toll on my own emotional well-being, but I believe I’ve been able to get a handle on that.  Being happier has done wonders for my motivation to get and stay healthy. In fact, it’s proving to be the key factor in my own physical health. 

For so many reasons, I’m looking forward to a great 2008. 

What kind of health goals do you have for this upcoming year?

You know that sometimes you’ll hit the scale and you expect to see your weight go up. Well, that was me this week and I was in for a small surprise. I lost 0.4 pounds this week. I think that is pretty darn good considering that large margarita I had last night at Don Pablo’s. Still I had the Mama’s skinny enchiladas and talked Amy out of the queso and got the guacamole instead.

One of the suggestions from Weight-Watchers when eating out is to “stop, rest and assess”. This means that about halfway through your meal, put your fork/spoon/chopsticks down, wait a few minutes and assess your level of hunger. If you’re full, stop completely, otherwise, you should probably continue. I managed to do that at Don Pablo’s without consciously trying. I was about 2/3 through the enchiladas when I realized I didn’t want any more. I never ate the last enchilada and just left it on my plate. That was an empowering feeling.

However, as noted in my previous post on my personal blog, I have also been busy around the house and that can make a difference in what the scale shows. Especially when I usually only have two meals when home from work and I had Sunday and Tuesday at home to hang stuff, vacuum, and generally help in cleaning up around here.

I’m gonna work harder at this, because I want to post losses every week, not just every week or so.

Starting weight: 319.0 lb
Previous weight: 286.2 lb
Current weight: 285.8 lb
Current loss/gain: -0.4 lb
Total loss/gain: -33.2 lb

Cross-posted in WebCudgel.com

I am currently living in Christmas treat-hell.

Right now there are several dozen decorated/frosted Christmas cookies sitting just feet away from me. I know that there are buckets of fudge, peanut butter/chocolate balls, chocolate dipped pretzels in the freezer. Currently, my lovely bride is busy in the kitchen making caramel popcorn.

I have hinted, asked, pleaded and said some pretty mean things in order to prevent this circumstance. I would be happy if it could be dialed back a couple sweet decadent notches.

Why does she hate me?

We enjoy some very good, local microbrews here in the Pacific Northwest.  Oregon is home to some excellent ones, and it seems most of them have their own brand of a holiday brew this time of the year.  My personal favorite right now is the Full Sail Wassail from Full Sail Brewing, just down the road in Hood River.  A few others that are recommended:

• Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery
• Snow Plow from Widmer Brothers
• Santa’s Private Reserve from Rogue Brewing

And remember fellow Watchers of the Waist, most of these beers are about 3 Weight Watchers points, so don’t feel bad about pouring one into a tall, frosty glass as you wait for the Big Guy on Christmas Eve.  Moderation is a good thing ANY time of the year. 

Merry Christmas to you all–hope yours is the best yet.

What’s your beverage of choice this time of the year?

A funny… courtesy of an email from my Sister-in-law

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.

My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I’d gained some weight, and I didn’t feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn’t have to to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems.

He said just think in colors…

Fill your plate with bright colors…

greens

yellows

reds

etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of…

Up until now this whole weight loss thing has been pretty smooth sailing for me. I’ve worked really hard and been fortunate to have 11 straight weeks of losses. This weekend turned out to be my first major gale. I know it’s something you have all gone through.

This weekend I made the decision to stop worrying about my calories and enjoy myself for the weekend. A rational decision after 11 weeks of counting every little calorie. I was on vacation after all. Unfortunately, giving myself permission to stop counting calories some how translated into giving myself permission to stop working out and to stop watching what I eat.

I ended up gaining back the three pounds that I lost last week. And it is looking very likely that I am going to have my first gain in 11 weeks.

I am not so worried about how much I ate this weekend. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t horrible. I didn’t sneak snacks or eat any more than everyone else. I even made a few smart decisions (Turkey brats instead of regular, etc.)

I’m not even that worried about the possibility of a gain.. beyond being disappointed at breaking my 11 week streak.

I had a great weekend with my family and I didn’t let the weight gain ruin it!

Here are the two things that really worry me.

1. After feeding my body at something approaching my old rate of calorie consumption, my body is seriously joensing for more, more, more. I am having cravings like I haven’t had for nearly two months now. I hope that getting back on routine this week will help settle things down, but it was a challenge not to break down and sneak a snack or two on my solo trip to the grocery store on Sunday.

2. It was way to easy to not go out for my run on Saturday and Sunday. Sure the weather was lousy, but I had plenty of opportunities to get out and walk and I didn’t take them. Instead I sat around watching TV all day.

I thought I was beyond this point. I thought it would be harder to back slide than it turned out to be. And that is what really scares me.

If I am someone who is truly addicted to food, then my vigilance will need to be a life time thing. It is not something I will be cured of after I get to my goal weight. I had started to think that I was invincible to food. I got cocky and now food has put me back in my place.

So we start over, get back on routine and hopefully take heart in the lesson learned: I have a long way to go!

Tony
8/21: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go

Well, my excuse for not posting and not keeping a close eye on my Weight Watchers is just about up.  I’ve moved to a different town, I’m just about settled in, and I now have the Internet in my home again. 

It’s not that I have abandoned my weight loss; it’s quite the opposite, in fact.  For the past week and a half or so I’ve been working without a net, just choosing what foods I should have and what I shouldn’t, but not really keeping track of it officially on the Weight Watchers site.  I also made a couple of trips to Seattle in the time, a distance of about 300 miles one way for me.  Eating on the road is tough–John, I don’t know how you managed your trip to Montana. 

So, starting today, I’m getting my food recorded again.  I’m under my points so far for today.  And at some point in the next week or so, I’m going to be paying a visit to a local WW meeting and posting my results on here.  I may be up a little, I may be down.  The main thing is that I’m staying accountable for all of it, and that’s the reason I started this blog in the first place.  Technically, I’m on maintenance, and I have six weeks from my last weigh-in (July 3) to be at 247 or less.  Hmmm…that was a month ago, so I’ve just got a couple of weeks to go.  Looks like I need to get on the stick. 

One thing about my new hometown:  It’s relatively flat, and there are bike paths all over the place.  I’ve been utilizing them quite a bit the last few days.  Plus, there is a biking club that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays for road trips. 

Glad to be back, folks.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

Rick and I have posted here that we like a good beer. And since we live within 500 miles of some of the BEST beer in the country, it’s easy to become somewhat of a beer aficionado. Last week at the GP, they were out of my favorite Fat Tire Ale out of Colorado, so I gave Arrogant Bastard Ale a try (don’t you just love that name?). It was very good, with an agreeable ‘bite’ that you look for in your darker ales (only 4 points a pint).
OK, the purpose of this post is to comment on an email I got from WeightWatchers this morning. The email offers me a “Beer Cheat Sheet“. At first, I was expecting the typical run down of the mass market swill (Coors, Bud, Hamms, etc.), but I was pleasantly surprised that they offer suggestions for some pretty decent brew.

The most encouraging quote from the article:

Beer bellies are B.S. “This is a silly myth,” says Charlie Bamforth, Ph.D. chair and professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis and author of Beer: Health and Nutrition. “If folks get fat from drinking beer it’s because their total calorie intake is too high and they are not working it off.”

So, Gentlemen (and Lady Rose)… hoist a frosty mug… it’s good for you!

Here’s the next FatBloggers poll:  How long has it been since you’ve had fast food?  I’ve been on Weight Watchers since March, and those places definitely eat up points in a hurry, so I’ve tried to avoid fast food the last four and a half months or so.  There was a time, though, where the drive-thru was a regular part of my routine, and I had the extra weight to show for it.  I work with a lady who claimed that she lost 7 pounds in one week simply by not going to McDonald’s during that time.  She didn’t change anything else in her lifestyle that week. 

So this is an anonymous show of hands for all of you. How long has it been for you?