Day 16 Spawn of SoDDDY Challenge: Where finally the body releases its fat hoard and Tanita-San grins at me, the veggie illusion pasta, and where I know I will not get enough sleep tomorrow so I'll go from Vampire to Zombie...

Another Spawny day was done and my calories ended at 1411   (49c/31f/20p).

After holding at the same weight a few days and being sodium-up a couple (frustrating a bit, yes), finally the downward whoosh:

236.8

That leaves me 20.8 lbs to lose to NOT be "severely obese" anymore and just "obese". Once you've lost 62 lbs, 21 doesn't seem as daunting. I'll get there.

I was actually surprised by a nice lower number since last night was pasta night. Hubby and I both looooooooooooooove our pasta marinara. Pasta/noodles are comfort foods for me. For sure.

I made mine with 3 cups of cooked zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach, filled a large pasta bowl with that big mass of veggies, then put the pasta on top (FiberGourmet, fewer calories, a bazillion fiber grams) then fat free mozzarella and sauce. It looked like a total binge amount of pasta, but was actually just the mass of veggies pumping it up.  My "veggie illusion pasta". Made my brain feel like I was being massively spoiled. I miss the tons of sauce and cheese I used to use, but my scale likes it better this way. Between the veggies and sauce, I got like 8 servings of veggies in one meal.

Tomorrow, lots to do to prep for holiday party, and one of the chores I have to do is get my car into the mechanic. This means that I will, essentially, not sleep much. I'm on vampire time, so I go to bed round 6 am. I have to get up early....I guess this means...3 hours sleep, maybe? I suppose I can crash and burn early, too.

I don't do well--scale-wise, food-wise, etc--when I miss sleep. This one is unavoidable. The brakes need tending to. And if I want my car back the same day--gotta go in early, then have things to do that are holiday related, so I can't come home and sleep first.

I'll just do my best not to freak in zombie-mode (different than vampire mode, really).

Hope others are having good whooshie days, fatwise. Stay away from the holiday junk. Have your healthful freggies. Enjoy the music and lights and smiles (there are smiles, right)

Later....

I so have to try these frozen burritos! 7 grams of fiber and fewer than 200 calories?! AND ...Are these the worst snack of 2010?

Read the Evol burrito review HERE

I hope these are better than the Bear Naked Granola--these were acquired/put out by the same dudes--which neither I nor my husband liked. :)

I have not had any frozen burritos that I really loved, and those were more than 200 cals. We shall see.

I have a huge weakness for Mexican food. If these babies are numsy, it's nice to have an easily nuked product to enjoy with fiber. Yes, I like having great poops. Bring on the beans!

~~~

Snack Girl says THESE are the worst snack of the year. I don't know if I'd agree with WORST, but I do think these suck the big one. I tried them when they first came out and went, "Ick" and threw out the rest. Even hubby, an Oreo-lover, thought they sucked. These in no way remotely satisfy any sort of cookie craving for me. And they certainly don't taste like Oreos. They are overpriced and Snack Girl is right on the other points. I'd rather have two of the real things for the same calories  (which are also crap, but they are addictive and tasty crap) than this pack. Then again, my junk treat of choice lately has been Coconut Pocky--which is crap that's 74 calories per serving. Save 26 calories and get more flavor and that Pocky "crispy-snap".

What's your worst snack of the year?

Face the Truth Friday: Black Friday Edition, with my best weekly weight loss of the year and one old and one new truth in my face....

Shinjitsu/Truth

Oh, happy Black Friday!

Weigh-in: 242.0

That's a 3 pound loss from last Friday. More than twice my usual weight loss rate. I'm ridiculously pleased. Makes up for the asthma-crap.

I stayed well within my weekly caloric allotment and I drank my "accelerated rate" of water every day and then some. I will say it again: Lots of water helps. Lots of water right before eating helps the most. Drink water until you feel the pangs of a "stretching stomach", that "fullness pang", and then eat. You'll eat less unless you're bound and determined to binge.

What truths am I facing? Again, that even sick, I don't have to turn to food to comfort me. I normally would not lose weight when ill, cause I stuff up with the creamy/fatty/carby comfort foods. I didn't do it. I dropped pounds.

I learned that it's not gonna kill me to throw out holiday leftovers if they are too tempting. I grew up in the era of "hungry kids in China, so finish your food", a member of the plate-cleaning club and leftover-packaging club. Yesterday, I dumped all but one of the leftovers, and I won't cry over it.

Okay, I'm still gaspy but I'm happy and I plan to stay within my 1760 calories today. And to drink a bunch of water. Cause I've got many more stubborn old pounds that need to be tossed in the trash with the leftovers.

Happy Black Friday to you all. Don't spend more than you can frugally afford to. Debt is as bad as fat.

Day 12 Son of DDDY Challenge: Where breathing issues persist, where I'm 1/5th of a pound down, and where I refuse to self-comfort with food...

244.8


Yes. Another 1/5th of a pound down.

Tomorrow I'll post about the results of my DNA test--the one I posted about a couple weeks ago, the one to detect what would be my optimal diet.

Today, I woke up late, but then I went to bed late...er, early. Almost 7 am. Breathing issues kept me up. When I finally conked out, it was a blessing. I did have an extra snack cause staying up so long left me hungry in the wee hours. I kept it modest and didn't go over my calories. Been drinking a ton of decaf--gourmet from Paradise Roasters early, easy to mix VIA instant (no sugar, Italian roast) late at night when I don't wanna make a pot. I prefer regular coffee, but in the last couple weeks, been trying to do more decaf so it doesn't mess with my sleep.

I've done fine not giving in to crazed comfort food cravings. They're hitting hard on and off, but so far, so good. I just keep reminding myself that I have far too many pounds to lose before I sleep (and Carb Tripper put that metaphor in my head).

Food log:

BREAKFAST: Ate it at 5pm, so ate with hubby and had non-breakfasty food
6 oz grilled chickens trips in herbs and olive oil
grilled veggies, brushed with EVOO
1/2 cup rice, basmati
2 cups salad with 1 tbsp Italian dressing
3 cups regular coffee (24 oz fluid)
10 cups water (6 before eating, 2 while, 2 in the hour or so after)

calories: 800
fluids: 104 oz

LUNCH: More like BKFST, as I reversed meals
3/4 cup AllWhites egg whites
2 Kraft 2% singles
1/2 cup mushrooms and 1/4 cup onions
WS hot cakes with sugar-free syrup and 2 oz applesauce
1 tbsp Smart Balance (to grease pans)
3 cups decaf with sucralose
6 glasses water

calories: 469
fluids: 72 oz

Calories so far: 1269
Fluids so far:  176 oz

This may be it , depending on when I manage to hit the sack.

Day 10 Son of DDDY Challenge: Still Wheezy and Lethargic, Cancelled trainer session cause, well, can't breathe much, on commitment in the face of wanting comfort foods, and forcing myself to blog for accountability...

No message from Tanita-san. Didn't weigh.

Not going into the back room (only one with flat, even flooring) where it's not air conditioned and where it's dusty. My asthma is still plaguing me, and on top of that, I think my thyroid is in another active "attack" phase. Oddly happens sometimes when I have upper respiratory and allergy issues. Maybe cause the immune system and inflammation is in action, and it causes my thyroiditis to engage? Dunno. But hard to bend neck and I have to focus to keep posture straight or it's even harder to breathe.

No Pilates: cancelled. It's hard enough to breathe absolutely still. Moving is not on today's agenda. Other than bathroom runs, natch.

Have to go enter my food log stuff from last night into the previous blog post (didn't go over calories, stayed well under, drank lots of fluids). I had a hard time swallowing last night, so dinner took forever to chew and eat.

I got a delivery of new clothes (most of my old/new stuff is baggy already). That's cheering. :) Jeans and tops and one "basic black dress". One should always have a basic black outfit cause you never know when a funeral will be scheduled. Plus, easy choice for dinner out to a fancier place. For fatties like me, a nice basic black with 3/4 sleeves, a flattering neckline,  and good, bright accessories make for a wardrobe necessity. Though I"m a comfort clothes/bootcut danskin leggings and breathably cool empire-top sort of gal. I hate to be uncomfy in clothes and if it's not breathable fabric, whoa is me when the hot flashes hit.

Allan over at Almost Gastric Bypass blog talks about commitment today. I'm glad he did. Part of me is dying for comfort foods. Those easy to swallow, fatty, carby, creamy and so on foods that make you feel loved and warmed when you're sick. I want them. I want them now. But I"m committed to this challenge and my eating plan and I'm gonna have to find a way to nourish myself, find comfort, and NOT go nuts. And I will.

I wish they'd deliver my gourmet decaf from Paradise Roasters, cause I need lots of hot fluids today.

So, I've run out of stuff to say. I just don't feel like blogging. Doing it cause I don't want to get out of the accountability habit. But trust me, I'm a non-perky typist here.

Okay, food log time:

PRE-BREAKFAST: (got up with dry throat and felt draggy, so had this right away)
1 WS protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 teaspoon Green Magma mixed with powdered green tea and water (6 oz)
2 glasses of water



BREAKFAST part deux:
My usual egg white/mushroom/cheese and the WS hot cakes
3 cups decaf
supplements
6 glasses water

Calories: 568
Fluids: 102 oz

LUNCH:
Still full from breakfast, had crazy salty cravings so:
1 bag Kay's Naturals Sweet BBQ Mix protein snack
1/2 bag Kay's Naturals cinnamon toast protein pretzels
1 small pear
4 glasses water

calories:  262
fluids: 16 oz

DINNER:

Homemade turkey pastrami Reuben on rye with lowfat cheese
3 cups decaf, 6 glasses water
supplements

calories: 619
fluids: 72 ounces

SNACK:
1/2 servings of ChocoRite sugar-free chocolate almonds
1 cup watermelon, 1/2 cup slices of mango
4 glasses water

calories: 190
fluids: 32 oz


Total Calories:  1639
Total Fluids:  222

Face the Truth Fridays: Met Goal at Week 7 (weekly and overall) and Learned I Can Overcome Urges for "Comfort Food" Self-Medication When Sick

681 days, 10 hours, and 91 lbs to go...

Last Friday's weigh-in was 252.8.

Today, Tanita-san (my scale) smiled a nice number at me: 251.0

I like even weigh-ins. Don't you? Especially if it's a lower round number.


- 1.8 lbs.


The original goal, as you may recall, was to lose 4.08 lbs per month, roughly a pound per week. This puts me back on track. This is my seventh weigh-in since setting my 98 lbs in 2 years weight loss goal. So, I should be 7 lbs down.

And now I am, after some iffy weeks.

Nice to be back on track.

I'm hoping that I can accelerate loss before Thanksgiving, cause once the holiday hoopla starts, the celebratory days may get dicey. Better to lose extra beforehand, just in case.

If I can lose 1.5 lbs for a few weigh-ins, rather than "roughly 1" (technically, 0.95 per week), I can get a nice cushion for holiday temptations. Although I do need to PLAN for those tempting episodes. That's the pre-holiday homework.

What truth am I facing?

I don't have to let my diet go all to hell cause my health deteriorates a bit. Normally, when my asthma/allergies act up, I hit the comfort foods hard. I slurp a ton of soup. I drink a lot of tea. And I go for the easy to swallow, warm, gooey comforting stuff (usually something cheesy or doused in gravy or swimming in olive oil).

This time, when the breathing went downhill last Wednesday, got worse Saturday, and then got better before hitting a bump yesterday, I didn't go for the gooey-food-loves-me consolation.

It is possible to say no to food self-medication.

I need to remember that I did that this week when this temptation hits again.

So, while I'm not feeling great health-wise, I'm feeling great about my controlled eating and progress this week.

Hope this Friday finds you full of joy and health...

~~~   ~~~   ~~~

If You Like Chili Mac (I do!) and If you have naturally curly hair...

727 days to go...

I love beans. I love tomatoes. I love ground beef (or the fakey soy crumbles you can use like ground beef). I love cheese. I love it mixed together, and I love it mixed together and then thrown over pasta.

These days I use super-high fiber pasta from FiberGourmet as my first choice (though I still have a stash of DreamField's higher fiber pasta to go through). Hubby loves chewy texture that holds up to next-day reheating. I like that we get a super dose of fiber. (Not the gas, but, hey, fiber! Filling and regulating!)

So, if you want to make a less diet-deadly version of Chili Mac than, say, Steak and  Shake's version, visit Hungry Girl's remade recipe of this comfort food, that is, if you like the following stats for 1.5 cups of the stuff:

Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
Calories: 297
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 637mg
Carbs: 55.5g
Fiber: 9.75g
Sugars: 11.5g
Protein: 19g

POINTS® value 5*

If you're doing the WonderSlm diet, you can add the veggies, more spice to the Vegetarian Joe and throw that on half a cup of  FiberGourmet pasta and top with lite sour cream or lite cheddar and you're set. A little carb cheat, but you get lots of filling fiber that shouldn't spike up your sugar.
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

If you're a naturally curly girl (or you just want to use very gentle styling products without silicones or sulfates), there's a giveaway today. You only have until 11:59 to leave a comment on the Naturally Curly facebook page (scroll down to the giveaway entry on their wall). They've been doing giveaways for some days--this is the 8th day and they will do 10 total. Today, you can win a Deva Curl set of products (NoPoo hair cleanser, OneC conditioner and I can't read if there is a styler, but prolly).  You need to leave 3 reasons why you need this sulfate-free product line. :)

If you google Deva Curl or Deva Chan, you can find out about the line and salon that coined the term "Curly Girl Method" for caring for curls.