Finish Line

I am so glad there are only two days left. It's been good for me, but I can't wait to pig out!

On the wagon

I must admit - I feel much better now that I am back to eating less and better food. Having a guest with a severe sweet tooth is tough (especially when I have the same favorites). Yesterday I found a pan of brownies and threw them away - yay! Now the only sweets left in the house are fruits and one dark chocolate bar - yum.

On a positive note, Ryan and I were able to take several long walks at night - which is one of our favorite activities together while William was here. So the exercise was easy to do.

Off the wagon

Bad news for me. I fell off the wagon and then got ran over by it. Claire came into town and I have just had no ability to do well on my calories at all!! So here is my plan. I am jumping back on... right after my bday (I may as well admit to myself that I am going to eat the drunken noodles at my favorite Thai place right?).

Is there such thing as negative calories?

Yesterday I threw up all day long and didn't keep anything down. Plus I think I threw up some of the food that I ate Tuesday night. So, my net total for calories is probably negative. Not fun. But, it made it easy to stay in the calorie limit. :)

Sonic Shake

Today I got a regular chocolate shake at Sonic. I hadn't had very many calories so I wasn't too worried about how many it was. When I checked online later, I realized it was 610 calories! Holy Cow! I still stayed in my limits today, but I really wish I didn't use almost half of my calories on that one snack. This calorie counting is extremely eye-opening. It's almost impossible for me to eat out at all, especially if it isn't planned in advance.

Holiday calories shouldn't have to count! (Then again, I would celebrate every countries holidays if we used that logic!) I only went over by a 100 on the 4th of July. I was sad to have to count that day as my 1800 day. Had I known, I probably would have had another cookie. Maybe it was better I didn't know, because that deviled egg was definitely worth it.

However, I tried a new sandwich the next day which cost me the loss of my 1st point. The Monte Cristo is a delicious ham and cheese sandwich dipped in egg then fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was half my points for the day, but it was such a busy day I still only went over by 30 calories. Had I skipped the bad salad and just enjoyed the yummy sandwich I wouldn't have gone over, but now I've learned and will keep better track of my calories at restaurants.

I need to stop having ice cream at the end of every day that I have extra calories because I am not having quite the success I hoped to have with this contest. 1500 calories might be too high for my short stature to count as a diet. Normally you lose a few pounds right away before it gets hard, but I hadn't lost anything. When Amber told me how well she was doing I realized I needed to improve my workouts since the calorie counting wasn't enough. So this past week I worked in three times with the weight machines at the gym as well as running slower, but twice as long and have finally lost two pounds! Not enough to really brag about, but at least it's finally a start. I'm also at the point that I enjoy exercising again. So even if I lose this bet, it will be worth it.

Cool Website

I found this page yesterday while searching for the calories in something I had eaten. It shows what 200 calories of different foods looks like. I like the visual and it makes me realize that I really would probably enjoy eating a whole bunch of fruit than a few M&Ms or half a candy bar, etc. So, maybe I can remember that when I'm craving a snack. If I'm going to eat the calories, I should get the most nutrition out of it as I can. Anyway, here is the link http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm

Dove Miniatures

I thought I would share a new found favorite. This little ice cream treats are only 60 calories each because they are small - not because they are diet. And they are delicious!

Bikram Yoga

Today I went to yoga again after a far too long hiatus. It kicked my butt, I just got out of the shower and I am heading to bed even though it is only 8:45. It also felt great! Seriously you walk out of the studio on a natural high. Today the high took a little longer to come because I was a little shaky, but after 2L of water with a couple of electrolyte packets in it, I felt fantastic.

The 110 degree studio for 90 minutes of yoga is a bit intimidating - it took me weeks (possibly months) to work up the nerve to even try it. Now, I actually think it is a fantastic beginner yoga because it is just a set series of 26 poses in the same order every time. You do each pose twice. The other thing that I really like (surprisingly) is the heat - and I am not a summertime person. The difference in my flexibility in that hot room than at other times is remarkable. It keeps all of your muscles warm enough to really get a great stretch.

My general strategy is to pick one standing pose each time to really work and push at and the other poses I just try to do at a comfortable place. Since it had been so long since last time, this time was more difficult and I pushed myself too hard on all the standing poses, so I ended up having to sit and rest on the second set of several poses.

Generally I get voraciously hungry a few hours after yoga - I am hoping to avoid all that by just going to bed - and I really hope I don't have to use my 1800 day tomorrow.

Eating at Camp

After a week at camp, I'm probably in last place. It was much harder than I anticipated to try to keep track of every little thing that I ate and then try to stay within the 1500 calorie limit. After adding everything up for the week though, I only missed it on 2 days (thanks to that 1800 calorie day!). So, I didn't get my points for Thursday or Saturday.

On the plus side, though, I was able to get more than my 3 days of exercise. I made sure that I worked out on Monday and Tuesday mornings just in case there weren't a lot of opportunities at camp. But I was able to go on a good 5 mile hike, 3 two mile hikes down to the lake, and go canoeing twice during the week. It was great.

Pet Peeve

I have a new pet peeve and that is when restaurants don't publish their nutritional facts anywhere - online, in store, no where.

Obviously this was an issue for me last night. My FIL was taking us to eat at this great Mexican restaurant and so, wanting to avoid a debacle like last time, I went online to plan my meal. No such luck. I ended up getting the salad with grilled portobello mushrooms and with all non-veggie items on the side. After adding in a bit of cheese, some balsamic vinaigrette and some fresh salsa - it was down-right delicious. Later that evening, after adding up all my calories for the day I realized I was rather on the low side and had 1/2 an ice cream sandwich - delish!

4,422 calories for dinner!

So apparently ordering a small grilled chicken quesadilla at Don Pablo's is still no where near our calorie limit. Literally, 4,422 calories for the small and that doesn't include the chips and salsa that I sparingly dipped into while waiting for my heart attack on a platter to arrive. Needless to say I didn't get my calorie point yesterday.

Calories and cake...

So my husband Nate is doing this 1500 calorie thing with me, and I started thinking why should I do it as a contest, I should just do this all the time. Then the other day Nate had a crazy day at work and just downed the treats, because he's not in the contest. I'm just like that, so I guess I need contests to keep me from giving in to the moment. Maybe one day I'll eat well just for the health of it, but for now I need outside motivation to keep going!

I saved up all day for a piece of my niece's birthday cake yesterday and it was soooo worth it. My family really likes birthday cakes from Schmidts Bakery and I was not going to miss out. I'm really glad we decided to go for calorie counting instead of no treats, because I don't think I would have lasted three weeks, let alone three months.

The exercise part of the contest might knock me out of the winners spot. Last week I managed the three times by sheer miracles of coincidence. This week I got one in this morning because my mom watched the kids for me so I could run to the gym. I haven't figured out how I'm going to weasel in the next two because Luke is too young for the gyms's day care.

My neighbor brought me some delicious banana bread today. I didn't realize until we started this how often I have fattening food that I just wolf down. I might have to continue this after we are all done. (And I might have to send the rest of the banana bread to work with Nate...it was so heavenly I don't think I could keep from sinning.)

1800 Day

Yesterday we went to Costco and shared a slice of pizza and a very berry sundae (frozen yogurt with berry sauce). So that was where the majority of my calories went. It was worth it though - those very berry sundaes are awesome! I made chicken enchiladas for the first time and they turned out great. The recommended serving size was 2 enchiladas, but that was over my calorie limit, so I just had one.

Exercise-wise, I went to curves yesterday. So now I have to exercise today if i want my 5 exercising points - which i do. (I have a feeling both Desiree and Mary aren't going to miss any points at all during the contest - which means I can't either.) I am thinking of doing the hour-long pilates video, my tummy could use some work and it is too hot for any outside activity and I don't want to do Bikram on a 1500 day (and I don't want to fight I-95 weekend traffic both ways).

Supposedly Bikram burns 700 calories. I don't know if that is true or not, but I do know that about two hours later I am ravenously hungry and about two hours after that I am ravenously hungry again. It also gives me the biggest high afterwards. I have never been an athlete, but I imagine this must be similar to a runner's high. In fact there are a lot of runner's or post-runners in all the classes. It is awesome.

Update

Well, I haven't written in a few days, so here's my update: I thought I used my 1800 calorie day on Wednesday, but when I actually added everything up, it was only 1473. Thursday my total was 1365 and today was 1210. So, I think I'm actually getting better at eating healthier foods. I've realized that with just the calorie counting, it doesn't ensure that I'm eating healthy. Sometimes I opt for a treat and a small dinner instead of just a good, healthy dinner. But, I think as the contest continues, that will become less frequent. And, really, the fact that I can have a treat once in a while (or every day) makes it so I probably will be able to maintain this diet in the long run. I'm glad that we're doing it for 3 months so that it will have more of a long term effect.
I'm at home now, so it will be interesting to see if it's more challenging to make the calorie limit everyday. I know it has been hard to get my exercise in since I've been out of my normal routines, so I think that part will be easier now that I'm home. I have managed to get 2 days exercise in so far this week, but that means I HAVE to workout tomorrow to get the points.
Next week should be interesting because I'm going to girl's camp. Again, I'll be away from home and out of my regular routines. Plus I'll be eating with and cooking for a big group, so I don't have much say in the things I'm eating. I'll have to really watch portion size on the meals that are higher in calories. Or maybe I'll have to bring a lot of fruit and other low-cal snacks in case some meals are impossible for me to eat. Plus, there will be an over abundance of candy and junk food, so I'll have to be really good to just stay away from all that. I won't be able to blog, but I'll keep a food journal while I'm there, so I can look up the calories when I get back. I just may lose points because I don't realize how many calories are in some things. Hopefully I'll be able to estimate well and stay under. And as far as exercise goes for next week, my plan is to exercise Monday before we leave and Saturday after I get back, then go on the 5 mile hike while I'm there. I guess if I'm motivated, I can get up early and jog up at camp. We'll see. I know there's a lake and stuff and that sounds really nice to get up and jog around it, but I'm sure sleeping will probably win out once I'm actually up there.
Oh, I was going to add that Desiree and I had some Healthy Choice meals on Thursday for lunch that were quite good. I don't remember the kind, but something with chicken. They were only 190 calories for the whole meal and they actually tasted quite good. And I also tried the Fudge Bars she wrote about earlier and they really are delicious. And for only 90 calories, they're a very satisfying treat.

Pizza Night

Friday night at our house is pizza night and I always make the pizza. It is usually a really thick crust, and even though Ryan has suggested that I cut the recipe in half, I haven't bothered. But now that we are counting our calories, I bothered and cut the dough in half and the pizza turned out great. The pizza with cheese and sauce came out at 250 calories/slice - and our slices are 1/4 of the pizza. Toppings add additional calories, but i just put on some fresh tomato (5 calories) and 1 slice of pepperoni (10 calories).

So in case anyone else wants to make my delicious pizza here is the recipe:

dough: 1/2 T yeast with 1/2 T sugar and 1/2 c. real warm water - give that 10 minutes to get bubbly. meanwhile, 1 c. flour, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 T oil (i like olive) go into the mixer with the dough hook attached. add the bubbly mixture to the flour combination and beat the nice little dough ball for a few minutes (adding more water if needed to make it into a ball).

put the dough ball on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or a bowl for ten minutes.

meanwhile i make the pizza sauce by just adding some herbs (basil, oregano, garlic salt, and an Italian blend) to a can of tomato sauce to taste. there is always more than enough for my pizza so i only have to "make" the sauce every few weeks.

i flattened the dough onto the sheet and spread 1/2 c. sauce and 1 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese on top and whatever else you want. bake at 400 for 17 minutes. i actually bake mine at 350 because i don't like crispy crusts.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out i don't have to quit our friday night pizza night for the contest.

The Fat and Happys are not so happy

Since we started, I have been basically eating mini-meals of about 2-300 calories eat and then snacks in between that I try to keep under 150. This has been going really well for me so far, and I am trying to not let myself actually get too hungry or go too long without (non-treat) food.

Today for some reason my snacks and meals were all on the low end of the calorie spectrum and I was out of treats, so my calorie count going towards dinner time was 900 ish. So I figured I would just eat a full size meal (after I made sure to leave myself some wiggle room for a few dark chocolate covered macadamian nuts for dessert). We had sole fish stuffed with shrimp, garlic and almonds and risotto and cheesy broccoli - not what I normally would have considered a big meal. But tonight my pants are too tight at the waist after eating dinner. Long story short - I have discovered that I actually feel better with the smaller meals.

Avoid tootsie rolls...

So, I was thinking that I might be able to handle this 1500 calorie thing until I checked the calorie count on a tootsie roll after I ate it. With two little tootsie rolls I almost ate 1/3 of my calories for the day! Today's going to be rough! If you want a better treat I recommend Healthy Choice Fudge Bars. I don't like any "diet" food, but these are great ice cream bars and they are only 90 calories. For this contest I'm going to need to head back to Costco for another box!

1400!

Today I managed to only eat 1400 calories which amazed me. I thought I was going to go over the 1500 limit because my sister's neighbor brought over a dozen donuts for us. Jason is working on her house and she keeps giving him treats and snacks everyday. I did have one donut and it was 260 calories! I'm not sure it was worth it, but by eating a small dinner I was still able to stay within my limit. Normally I would probably eat more than one donut without even thinking twice about it, so the calorie counting is definitely a good thing.
I didn't get any exercise in today, but I did spend 3 hours at the swimming pool with my kids. Unfortunately swimming with young kids isn't exercise at all unless you count just sitting in a foot of water as exercise. I guess we did venture out into the deep end a few times and I did catch them a whole bunch while they jumped from the side of the pool. But, I was probably stationary the majority of the 3 hours. And I have the sunburn to prove it! And both my kids are a dark, golden brown. How is that fair?

Operator Error

I am hungry because I haven't eaten enough calories. I just did my totals and checked on the computer and I have only eaten 1200 for the day - no wonder. I think I am going to have some strawberries afterall - yum!

I did make it to Curves today - which felt great.

I'm Hungry

today 1500 calories feels like way too few and i am hungry - all the veggies in the world don't seem to be doing it for me - i may have to make today be my 1800 day - argh.

Day 1 for me

I am staying up at my sister's house while Jason works on her house and while they are on vacation at Bear Lake. Anyway, this makes the contest easier in some ways and harder in some ways. It's easier because I don't have a lot of food to choose from and no snacks really, but harder because I want to eat out more and I don't have my normal exercise partners and equipment that I have at home.
I did, however, make my calorie limit and get in my exercise. It helps being here too because I don't have my normal distractions that I do at home, so I have more free time to fit in exercise. I took my kids up to the Jr. High track and let them play in the middle while I jogged around the track. It wasn't the most interesting work out for me because I get more tired/bored when i'm just going around in circles forever, but it was a good work out still.

Day 1

I did pretty well on food yesterday. Total calorie count 1408!! And that includes a Lindt dark chocolate ball and a couple of dark chocolate covered macadamian nuts - delish!! I did not however, get out and exercise - hopefully that will happen today.

So far I am enjoying the calorie counting. It is making me think about how much I really value certain foods. For example, I knew we were going to be eating at the mall for lunch, so I went online to Subway's nutritional facts and found out how many calories everything was - and decided that cheese and mayo were not going to make the cut this time. And my sandwich was still delicious - packed with tons of veggies. That left me plenty of calories to enjoy a free sample Lindt truffle ball - which was definitely a better use of the calories.