I am having a very bad day today. I feel lethargic and bloated, the scale went crazy high for no discernable reason, and I have a ton of stuff to do. I think I might be getting sick, and I really can’t afford that right now. I give myself major credit for taking the time to even post my food log. Here is what I ate yesterday.

Food
–1 tangelo
–2 fried eggs
–1/2 Ezekiel English muffin with a little bit of cream cheese
–Cherry tomatoes

–Short nonfat latte

–Tangelo

–Mixed green salad with vinaigrette
–Cup of vegetable chili with 1 tbsp cheese, chopped tomato, and chives
–.75 oz. very dark chocolate

–Two rye crackers with laughing cow light
–Luna bar

–Cauliflower curry soup
–1 slice turkey meatloaf
–Broccoli with lime and a little olive oil
–Crystallized ginger

–Mango and grapes

Steps: 9375

I’m getting back into the groove of things pretty well. There is always room for improvement, but I didn’t let my trip totally throw me for a loop. The one thing I’m having trouble with is exercise. I feel really tired and sore and I don’t know why. I’m try to force myself to get in my steps and resistance exercises, but it all feels very hard right now. I’m trying to work back up to a good pace.

Food

–Kashi cereal with lowfat milk, nuts, and strawberries
–1 tangelo

–1 small latte
–.25 oz of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
–1 orange

–1/2 whole wheat mini pita stuffed with laughing cow light, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and garbanzo beans
–1 small can v-8 juice
–1 light string cheese

–Luna bar

–1/2 rye cracker
–.25 oz of 70% cocoa dark chocolate

– Spicy marinated skirt steak
–Black beans cooked with olive oil
–Spinach with olive oil
–Cherry tomatoes
–1 tangelo

–Pumpkin ricotta with 1 tsp cream, 1/2 tsp brown sugar , and 1 slice crystallized ginger

Steps: 9783
Pushups: 20
Abs: the 100
Resistance : tricep dips

Back into the groove of things. I’m proud to say that jet lag didn’t derail me too badly. My body was a bit confused about what time it was, so I had more snacks than usual, but it felt really good to get my body back into the habit of eating healthy whole foods. I didn’t quite get in my 10,000 steps, but I’m working my way back up.

I can’t claim credit for the idea (thank you, Kalyn!), but you guys really have to try the crispy roasted chickpeas that I ate yesterday. They were a wonderful crunchy snack. I only ended up getting a few because my husband demolished them all the minute I turned my back. He has requested that I make another batch so that he can have them on hand as a portable snack food. I love it when the husband actually eats my health food experiments!

Food:
–1 Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter
–1 small orange
–1 glass of milk

–5 nuts and some dried fruit

–Whole grain wrap sandwich (2 oz. whole wheat lavash bread, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, arugula, garlic herb laughing cow light, part skim mozzarella)
–1 small can v-8
–1 light string cheese

–Very small nonfat latte
–1/2 square 70% cocoa dark chocolate (.25 oz)

–2 whole grain rye crackers with laughing cow light

–Crispy roasted chickpeas with Moroccan spices
–3.5 oz. chicken breast with lemon-parsley drizzle
–Wilted greens with lemon juice, olive oil, and pine nuts

–Pumpkin ricotta garnished with semi-sweet chocolate chips

Steps: 9668
Pushups: none
Abs: none
Resistance: triceps and biceps

I got back late last night from my trip. I don’t have any food logs to post, but here is my general assessment of how things went.

Good things
1. Packed a healthy lunch for the trip there and didn’t eat Ben and Jerry’s at the airport
2. Walked around the airport on my layover rather than just sitting around.
3. Ordered reasonably good things in restaurants: mostly protein and veggies. Avoided the ubiquitous starchy side dishes
4. Didn’t gorge on the restaurant food when they served me way too much.

Things to improve
1. Had a mini binge on some mediocre cookies on Saturday. Once I started, I didn’t want to stop and ate three of them.
2. It was pretty hard to avoid eating fatty food.
3. I should have packed some nonperishable healthy snacks to keep around for later in the trip and found something to bring for the flight back. Once my healthy snacks ran out, I found myself at the mercy of whatever the nearest café was offering and I ended up eating some junk food.

My weight is supposedly up 1.5 lbs, which I don’t think can possibly be fat. I’m doing my best not to freak out and to just get right back on track.

My weight on the scale seems to go in waves…it’ll fall consistently for a series of days and then jump up a little or stall for a few, then fall again. I’m beginning to learn to take the fluctuations in stride. My morning scale readings have been a little high the last couple of days, but I think that I’m basically doing okay. I indulged over the weekend, but I know that there’s no way I ate enough calories to cause me to actually gain fat. I’m guessing that its just bloat and water weight that will go away after a few days of eating well.

I’m going to be visiting family this weekend. This means a few unfortunate things for my weight loss efforts.

1. I’m going to be in an airport all day Friday and Sunday. I am going to pack the king of sack lunches, but this is still a challenge. I am going to try to steel myself to avoid the Cinnamon rolls and bad snack mixes that they always offer.
2. No control over my food. This is the hardest for me. I’m going to pack some healthy nonperishable snacks and try to eat moderately, but I’m not at all sure how this is going to go.
3. The weather is MUCH colder where I am going than where I live. For someone who gets most of her exercise walking everywhere, this is going to present something of a challenge.
4. No access to a scale, so no weekend weigh-in.

I’m going to do my best, but I may be out of touch for a few days starting Friday.

Food
–1 orange
–1/2 Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter

–Luna bar

–1 small orange
–Steak salad (mixed greens, vegetables, 2.5 oz. steak, sunflower seeds, vinaigrette)
–Whole wheat roll with 1/2 pat butter
–1 small nonfat latte

–String cheese
–1 small can v-8

–1 wasa cracker with laughing cow

–1 cup of vegetable soup
–3 oz. flank steak
–Very big side of roasted asparagus
–1 small piece of husband’s homemade whole wheat naan
–2 slices crystallized ginger

–1/2 cup lowfat yogurt topped with Kashi cereal

Steps:9568
Pushups: 25
Abs: one leg pulls

I’m doing well on the February Freedom Challenge. I’ve been packing healthy lunches and snacks every day. Furthermore, I did not eat any of the free candy that was pressed on me. Even better, today I volunteered to sell tickets to a fundraiser and I ended up sitting directly next to some people running a bake sale with TONS of delicious looking baked goods and I resisted! Go me!

Monday was a holiday from school for me, so I had some fun trying out new foods. I loved my whole grain Aram sandwiches. They were fun to make and eat. My husband has a tendancy to eat the lavash bread in sheets at a time, but if I can get him to save me some, I might keep making these. I also ate some leftover turkey meatballs with sauteed zucchini and tomato sauce, which was surprisingly delicious.

Food:
–1 orange
–1 1/2 scrambled egg
–1/2 cup black beans with 1 tsp. melted mozzarella
–1 small can of v-8

–1 small decaf nonfat latte

–1 bowl of vegetable soup
–Celery sticks
–1 homemade Aram sandwich (1 oz. whole wheat lavash bread spread with a mixture of cream cheese and low fat yogurt, sundried tomatoes, and fresh basil)

–Fig bar (barley pastry wrapped around a mixture of puréed figs and honey)
–1 small glass of skim milk
–1 square of very dark chocolate

–1 homemade Aram sandwich (1 oz. whole wheat lavash bread, crumbled salmon, 1/4 avocado, and arugula)

–1 light string cheese
–Broiled zucchini with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella
–2 leftover turkey meatballs
–1 small glass of skim milk

–Ginger hot cocoa made with nonfat milk and splenda

Steps: 10054
Pushups: 20 bent leg
Abs: the 100
Resistance: bicep curls and tricep extensions

I have a busy night studying tonight, but I wanted to take a quick break to post a food log.

I also wanted to just say thank you to everyone in this community. You all inspire me and encourage me so much, and I really think that I owe a part of my current success to this group of bloggers. Thank you!

Food
–1 cup of Kashi cereal with skim milk, 7 crumbled nuts, and a sprinkling of chocolate chips
–Coffee with cream

–1 plate of food from Indian buffet (tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, tomato soup, spinach, mushrooms, and cucumber & tomato salad)
–1 small plate of fruit (sliced mango, sliced orange, cherries)
–1 gulaab jamun

–1/2 leftover piece of naan

–1/2 cup chocolate ice cream topped with fresh raspberries

–1 small orange
–1 bowl of turkey meatball soup

–2 sugar free jello

Steps: 10306
Pushups: 20 bent leg
Abs: the 100, crunches
Resistance : calf raises

This is just a quick post, but I wanted to point everyone to an interesting article I just read about the ways in which genetics, environment, and behavior impact weight. Check it out.

I am proud to say that I made it through my Valentine’s dinner while adhering to my person rules of feasting. My rules of feasting are certainly more lax than my rules for every day life, but they help me to feel in control and to enjoy my eating rather than feeling out of control and sick. My rules are as follows:

1. Fill up on vegetables and fluids (water, broth-based soup, tea and decaf coffee).
2. Eat something high in protein to fill you up.
3. Identify which “treats” available to you are sublime, which are good, and which are mediocre. Make your decisions accordingly.
4. Pick one or two treats that will make you very happy. Don’t worry about the calorie content and enjoy them. Pass on the rest. Don’t eat things just because they are in front of you.
5. Eat slowly, savor your food, and stop well before you are stuffed. You don’t have to clean your plate.

I did a very good job of following those rules, I think. I ate four(!) different vegetable dishes and my main course was fish. I didn’t eat any bread, potatoes, fatty meat or alcohol. I picked two treats. My first treat was loosening the reigns a little with the butter and cheese–I had butter sauce on my fish and blue cheese in my salad. I almost always do this when I go out to eat at a very nice restaurant. It makes eating out a lot more fun and I have never noticed that it makes me feel heavy or bloated. Fat in combination with starch sometimes does, but with vegetables and lean meat, it doesn’t really give me a problem. My second treat was an afternoon snack of a heavenly mocha truffle cookie from my very favorite bakery that I have occasion to go to approximately once a year. I ate moderate portions of everything and did not stuff myself.

Some people exercise far more self control than I do when they eat out, and I tip my hat to them. But for me, being able to eat rich food once in a while keeps me happy and motivated. I don’t see judicious indulgences as veering off track. I didn’t gain my excess weight from eating butter sauce on Valentine’s Day. I gained weight from eating out of stress and boredom. I gained weight because I allowed ice cream, cookies, and french fries to become parts of my daily menu rather than occasional treats. As long as I am keeping rich food firmly in the category of “special occasion food” and don’t stuff myself or eat things just because they are there, I think I will be just fine.

Food
–Bowl of Kashi cereal with skim milk, strawberries, and nuts
–Small latte

–Whole wheat quesadilla stuffed with tomatoes and fresh herbs, topped with 1/4 diced avocado
–Strawberries

–1 Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter
–1 small glass of milk

–1 mocha cookie

–Mixed green salad with pecans, blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette
–2 oz. halibut and 2 scallops in lemon butter sauce (husband ate the rest)
–Steamed asparagus
–Steamed spinach
–1/2 roasted tomato topped with pesto

–Diced mango

Steps: 11847
Pushups: 25 bent leg
Abs: Pilates–the 100
Resistance: biceps, triceps and back