Watch Out Weight

Hey Gang,

Well…it’s been hard and enlightening to keep up the weightloss journey, but the good news is…I’ve lost a total of TWENTY pounds so far!!!

I have been fairly good…and I say “fairly” as there have been a few cravings and frustrations and giving in to the snacks here and there. I mean, when you do catering at work, there’s the first temptation hovering over you…even reading a menu has it’s ups and downs now!

The worst part for me is making the time to pack a lunch for work every day. I like to take the easy way out and go to restaurants or even, god forbid, go to the Food Fair at the mall…not a good idea most times as there isn’t much choice in the way of good, healthy eats there. 

Lunch has mostly been a lot of fresh veggies (Peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, green onion, cucumber, lettuce, arugula) accompanied by either Ricotta Cheese, Babybel cheeses (great to pack as they are in their own little “carrying case”), shrimp or cooked prawns (if I’m feeling really creative) or some sliced low salt, low fat Deli Meats such as sliced turkey or chicken breast.

I have been pretty good though. For breakfast, I’ve been taking fresh fruit such as pineapple chunks (bought at Costco and cut up into a serving size portion each day), along with slices of crisp apples, pears or strawberries. If I get tired of this, I switch to a Plain Yogurt with Oatmeal and Apple or Blueberries. This is for Monday to Friday. The weekend is a different story as I like my BIG Breakfasts! But now, it consists of whole grain, high fiber Toast with poached eggs, or pancakes or waffles, but ours are made from Spelt Flour, so you’re still getting the nutritional value and fiber. We use fresh fruit or whole fruit Jam that’s low in sugar, or real Maple Syrup (the dark kind) but not too much because of the sugar.

Dinners have been at home, with a few exceptions when we felt like treating ourselves. I do a lot of home made Caesar Salads with Protein (chicken, steak or seafood), Cobb Salads with lots of vegetables, Vegetable or Chicken soups with high fiber (either wild rice or brown rice pasta) added to fill me up. If I’m craving spice I make either a Vegetarian Curry (such as Eggplant, Cauliflower, Onion and Cabbage) or a Jerk Chicken dish that is fabulous. Stews are great too, as they are full of good stuff and very satisfying.

Exercise: I’ve been using mainly the Rebound Trampoline as it’s best for my joints and getting the circulation going, but walking is part of the routine too. Will start adding either Swimming or Aquafit when I am in a little bit better shape.

That’s it for now…but keep checking back for more good news!

This is a Brown Rice Pasta made with a sauce of ground Chickpeas, Garlic, Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Cayenne Pepper, Fresh Parsley and Plain Yogurt. It is your Protein and Carb dinner all rolled into one. The Sauce is basically the ingredients I use to make my home made Hummus, with a bit of “tweaking” so it’s more “saucy” than the traditional Dip. Another quick and easy dish to make.

This lovely Prime Rib “Steak” Dinner is easy to make with not much preparation time at all. I don’t have it very often as the Potatoes (yep, I had to get them in sometime!!) are starchy, white carbs that cause a major imbalance in my system when I eat them and wreak havoc, especially with my Crohn’s Disease, however, I am eating it in moderation to get past my craving for carbs, in particular, potatoes.

So, onwards and upwards…I just grilled the Steak for about 4 minutes each side (I like it rare or medium rare at best), then I put the steak on aside (on a plate, no cover) for about 10 minutes to let it rest. This allows the juices to all stay in the meat and makes it way more tender to eat. While the meat rests, I sauteed one onion and about a dozen sliced mushrooms to accompany the meat. While all this is getting done, I steamed my potato, and got the toppings ready (sour cream, butter, green onion and ready-cooked bacon).

The last step is from plate to table, and eat it up!!!

Just finished making this delish dish of home made Caesar Salad with Garlicky Grilled Chicken Breast.

Simple, satisfying, and super good loaded with Protein, freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, and our own signature home made Caesar Salad dressing tossed with Baby Romaine leaves.

I plated and then sprinkled some freshly cracked Black Pepper over it….dish it out and dish it up!!!

Yummmy….it’s so good!!!

Well, I am human after all…not a dieting machine…I am going through a MAJOR CARB WITHDRAWAL….why is it whenever I start dropping the first few pounds I start getting the first withdrawal symptoms.

I am craving carbs big time…but let me be very specific…fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes with sour cream, chives, dripping in butter and sour cream and bacon bits!!

Once my body starts to detoxify I notice my skin will break out a bit, and I can’t stop thinking about CHEATING…I drive by McDonald’s and smell the wonderful grease of salty, freshly fried Potatoes and have to accelerate to get the craving to pass….Yikes!

Wish me luck…I’m gonna need it to get past this first bump in the road to success!! Better yet, send me a quick note to talk me through it or tell me what you did to get through this kind of rough patch. Ciao for now.

This is a great start to the day. I decided to have Fruit first thing in the morning and man was it sweet!

I just cut up some fresh Pineapple chunks and added 2 Plums, also chopped into bite sized pieces. Perfectly sweet and sweetly perfect! How easy is that!!

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a hassle if you have the necessary ingredients on hand. Enjoy the “Plum” Pineapples!

We were tempted to go out for Chinese Food tonight, but I have a Wheat allergy so it’s a no-no to the Noodles…so, we put together a great Wheat Free version of Chicken Chow Mein. (Note: Some Soya Sauces contain Wheat as well, so read the labels.)

The main ingredients were garlic, ginger, Bragg’s All Purpose Liquid Soy Seasoning (to replace the regular Soya Sauce), 3 Chicken Breasts that we poached and diced into bite sized chunks – no skin, less fat, but lots of protein) and sliced Red and Yellow Peppers (about 4 small sweet peppers), 2 Large Onions sliced, and one head of Green Cabbage, and last but not least, Brown Rice Spaghetti Noodles to replace the Chow Mein noodles.

We used a non-stick Electric Skillet and stir fried the veggies first, then added the ginger and garlic, then the noodles and chicken. Add the Bragg’s Soya sauce as you go so the ingredients don’t stick to the pan.

So within minutes, we had our own, healthy, LOW Sodium, Wheat Free, tasty Chicken Chow Mein. Try it…you’ll love it!! This made about 4 large portions so we’ll have great leftovers for Dins tomorrow.

Was ravenous this morning so we made ham, eggs with cheese and green beans with sauteed onions. Organic Coffee topped off the breakfast with its dark, earthy aromas wafting into the air…absolutely delish!

The best thing is, it didn’t take much time to cook (or EAT for that matter)…in about ten minutes, while the coffee was brewing, the food was cooking.

This is great when you want to get your protein (eggs, cheese, ham and the cream in the Decaf coffee) and veggies (green beans, onions).

Note to self: Avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee as they can get your heart pounding…it’s like an adrenaline rush in a glass.

Food watch: I didn’t add any carb to this meal, which makes it easy to digest (I have Crohn’s disease) so this is much easier on my system). It also helps with the weight loss battle as I don’t have to measure out portions, just eat until I am satisfied. I find I don’t overeat this way and also don’t crave sugar. It helps detox the body of sugar when you combine your meals this way. If I want carbs, I eat high fiber bread, brown rice or wholegrain pasta with veggies (fresh or grilled) and non-fat yogurt or non-fat cheeses such as Ricotta or Quark. I just leave the fats out. The way I combine the foods is just as important as what types of foods I consume.

Tonight I was just too darn tired to cook…wonder of wonders! Worked late, so it was a good excuse to go out to a Restaurant for dinner. The question is, what do you eat when you’re trying to “watch your weight”?

Many times the menu is 90% fried, loaded with salt and sugar, or carb, carb, carb! First they bring you the warm bread and butter to fill up on, but it’s usually white bread that totally converts to sugar in your body (then comes the gas or belching…not a good thing!) Or, there’s a big ol’ slab of meat, with lots of starchy potatoes or white rice, and a handful of greens.

Fortunately, I was at an establishment that at least considered I might want to eat real, flavourful food that won’t make me gain 5 pounds in one sitting. They had a wonderful mixed salad, loaded with the tastiest ingredients: grilled steak that was marinated in ginger, soya sauce and garlic…so much flavour, but tenderizes the meat at the same time. Along with that was ripe tomatoes, chunks of creamy avacado, crumbled blue cheese, rings of red onion, eggs cooked just right and quartered, double smoked bacon that was crumbled over top, and asparagus spears. On the side was a delicious balsamic and olive oil dressing laced with fresh herbs and fresh cracked pepper. Because I didn’t add any white carbs (e.g. bread, potatoes, white pasta or rice), it doesn’t upset my stomach as the white carbs tend to do when mixing with proteins. The bacon and steak were fine with just the veggies, so no problems at all.

This was a huge salad…that was totally full of goodness and filled me up fast. Salad doesn’t have to be boring or everyday if you put a spin on it like this. It kept me going for hours and didn’t make me crave sugar or salt as it was full of flavour, lots of colours in the different vegetables so pleasing to the eye, and the way it was presented on the plate was enough to make me hungry!! Along with that, I drank a nice sparkling water (Pellegrino) and had fresh, beautiful Strawberries topped with REAL whipped creme. Again, no carbs, so no problems. I can eat like this and STILL LOSE WEIGHT.

So dining out….why not! Make the right choices and feel good without the guilt!

Here’s a great way to use up your leftover veggies and last dregs of shredded cheese. I scrambled a couple of eggs and mixed them with some roasted red peppers, chopped onion and green beans, then topped it off with shredded parmesan cheese…talk about a flash in the pan…it only took about 6 minutes in all to put this sumptuous breakfast bonanza together and it tastes great too! This is a great way to start the day and it’ll keep you going because of all the good, healthy vegetables, proteins and even a serving of milk all rolled into one. Try it…I know you’ll love it!