It's my birthday!

So... I did not disappear, die, or quit... I have just been really busy.

I am working really hard on summer classes, teaching, conference papers, traveling plans, chores, errands, etc... in short, blogging has not been my priority. But I am not gone. I am simply moving to Tumblr for a little while. I'll be back next year but I have decided that, at least for now, tumblr is a better fit. The premise of the tumblr microblog is to share one good choice I have made every day. 

Follow the microblog at http://goodchoices365.tumblr.com/

Today I turned 34 and I want this year to be amazing so I am going to make some changes and turn my life around one choice at a time. I hope that you follow me in my new home and encourage me along the way. I won't be able to do it alone.

To my WLW family... I will be back soon (around late August)... for now... I wish you the best and hope that you do the same for me.

Good-bye Blogger. See you next year.

Summer Stretch WLW Competition

Today, I woke up late since I was out partying with friends and coming back from a conference which added some "I'm really tired" feelings. Anyhow... I had almost forgotten that I start a new competition today. I am excited! The Summer Stretch competition will run until June 18 and it's the last competition I'll be doing before heading on vacation. So, I got on the scale and... GASP!!!!! a gain... a big gain.

Start weight for Summer Stretch: 207.6 OUCH!

Honestly... I wasn't expecting this because this past weekend I went to do some light shopping and realized that all my sizes had changed. I bought a pair of jeans size 16 (not 18), a size M t-shirt, and a couple of casual size L blouses (not XL or 1X)... YAY!!!!!!! I was ecstatic!

So, although I saw a gain on the scale I am celebrating the size change. I have packed all my size 18, XL, and 1X clothes and will drop them at GoodWill tomorrow. 

Happy losing everyone!

3 MONTHS! End of Eat4Health Competition

This a milestone for me. I can't remember the last time I have been dieting for three months. Granted, I fell off the wagon a few times but I was on it again almost instantly. Today is also a good day because it's the end of my first competition at WeightLossWars. My other two comps are still running until April and May respectively. To keep my motivation going, I already registered for a new comp to take the place of this one. The new competition is called Summer Stretch and it will start on March 27 and run until June 18.

It's been a very slow month... but ultimately OK. I gained some of the weight I had lost and then lost it and gained again and again throughout the month. I have chosen to not think about it as a failure but a bump... a very tiresome bump. Today I weighed-in at 203 lbs.

Total weight loss since start (Dec 21): 20.4  lbs. 

Total weight loss this month:  There was a gain compared to last month. Let's leave it at that.

I haven't reached my mini goal to Onederland (yet) but that is still the goal so I am working on it. This month's motivation comes to me thanks to conferences and friends. I have a conference at the end of the month, friends are coming into town that same weekend, and other friends are holding a concert so I have many reasons to look pretty and I hope that my friends notice the change.

Happy Losing!

Looking for motivation in Skinny Songs

It's been difficult. I feel like I have been losing the same five pounds over and over again. It's been frustrating to say the least but I try to focus on the fact that I haven't gained everything back. I was looking online for some motivational songs to add to my iPod and I came across this



The songs are catchy and funny and do give you some good mantras to remember the road we're on.
I downloaded the MP3 songs via Amazon (cheapest option) and have added them to my 30 minute walk.

Stay Strong!

USDA New Dietary Guidelines - Vegetarianism YES!

Early this year the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. I don't know why this flew under my radar but I was made aware of it today through an article posted on Food Inc. facebook page. The article points out how the new guidelines highlight the advantages of a vegetarian diet (YAY!) and it goes on:

"Vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health outcomes-lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and lower total mortality. 
On average, vegetarians consume a lower proportion of calories from fat; fewer overall calories; and more fiber, potassium, and vitamin C than do non-vegetarians."
- DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, 2010, Ch. 5, p 45

This latest report by the USDA is a good read.You can download the entire report here or individual sections from the website. My favorite chapters are Ch 2 Balancing Calories to Manage Weight and Ch 5 Building Healthy Eating Patterns.

Happy Losing!

It's Spring Break... Diets Gone Wild! (in a good way)

What a week, call it a month really... It's been crazy. I haven't slept my normal 8 hours nor have I been able to sleep any decent number of hours in a row. It's been bad. I got a little sleep and of course... that didn't help.

I ate when I was able to and I made some bad choices. Ate out of a vending machine a few times. As I said, it was bad... fortunately... my weight gain has stayed within 5 lbs. On the sad side... I haven't been able to get to Onederland.

On a good/weird turn of events, I was supposed to visit friends and family over Spring Break but I got accepted to a conference (YAY!) and had to spend my vacation money on registration. So now I'll be spending Spring Break finishing another paper and will have plenty of time to get myself in sync again. Wish me luck!

Happy losing ;)

It's been TWO months

Another month has gone by. I have recovered two size 16 jeans and my size 18 pants and XXL shirts are a little too big now. This month was hard. I had a few events that made me fall off the wagon but I was able to regroup and I'm finding my way back.

The weight loss has been good. I weighed 223.4 lbs on Dec 21; then 206.4 lbs on Jan 18. Today I weighed-in at 199.8 lbs.

Total weight loss since start: 23.6  lbs. 

Total weight loss this month: 6.6  lbs. 

I am happy with the weight coming down but less than seven pounds in a whole month is a little disappointing. It is still a long way to my final goal and most weightloss programs recommend to set mini goals to stay motivated. They also recommend to create a rewards system... so here's mine: 

1. Weigh under 200 lbs fully clothed
Reward: FITBIT  
2. Lose 10% of total weight.  
Reward: Everlast Wii Accessories  
3. Reach Overweight Status (BMI<30; <164 lbs.)  
Reward: The Flex Belt (or similar product)
4. Reach Normal-Weight Status (BMI<25; <136 lbs.) 
Reward: New Hair Do  
5. Achieve Desired Weight (115-125 lbs.)  
Reward: Shopping Spree 

How do you reward yourself?

Love Yourself!

Happy Valentine's Day



When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me
every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
and I know my creator didn't make no mistakes on me
my feet my thighs my lips my eyes i'm loving what I see.

Happy Losing! :)

Life Happens!

Missing my weekly weigh-in today and thinking of missing my Tuesday one just to make it all even. I am happy to report that I am barely under 200 lbs but a simple t-shirt puts me over so I am hoping to be oficially under 200 lbs (that is, fully clothed) by next Sunday (cross your fingers).

Anyhow... this week is looking pretty stressful, got three research papers to get off the ground and I will be spending a lot of time in my office. So, my weekly menu will be brought to me thanks to the frozen section.

Here's my menu
Everyday Breakfast: Cranberry-Maple Muffins
Monday
- Healthy Choice All Natural Asian Potstickers (360 cal)
Tuesday
- Amy's Black Bean Burrito (290 cal)
- Sun Chips Cheddar (210 cal)
Wednesday
- Lean Cuisine Vegetable Eggroll (320 cal)
Thursday
- Healthy Choice All Natural Portobella Marsala Pasta (250 cal)
- Tomato, Mixed Greens, and Balsamic Vinegar Salad (25 cal)

Friday-Sunday: I'll be making food at home.
Wish me luck on this crazy week!
Here's a peak of my office... oh boy!

Oolong Tea - Does it work?

I was cleaning my pantry and found a box of Oolong Tea that I had long forgotten I had. A good friend from Japan gave it me as a present a few months back and I had not tried it yet. Since I was out of Green Tea I gave it a try and I have to say that I am beginning to like it more than I like green tea and I don't even need to add sweetener.

I have been drinking it for a week now and I have to say that I am pretty happy with the results. I have lost almost double of what I usually lose in a week and it really controls my hunger. I have not done anything different but drink 2-4 cups of oolong tea a day so I have to assume that the tea is helping me out.

I wondered if there was any hard research on the effects of oolong tea on weight loss.
Here are the highlights:
- Oolong tea tells your body to burn fat for energy. (link)
- Oolong tea reduces belly fat and cholesterol. (link)
- Oolong tea raises metabolic levels. (link)

So... I don't know if it works but it's working for me so I'm going to continue drinking it and hopefully it will continue helping me lose weight. Anyone else drinking Oolong tea?

Weekly Menu

It's important to keep record of what I eat. As always, all recipes are from EatingWell.com
Happy losing ;)

When HUNGER attacks!

OMG! I was so hungry last night. Even though I ate pretty well during the day, I was pretty hungry in the evening. I usually try to have dinner by 6 pm and I make it a rule not to eat any solids after 7 pm. So if hunger attacks, I usually fill myself up with tea... but last night my tummy wasn't having it. I was day dreaming about chocolate cake and cherry garcia ice cream... I almost ate one of my cranberry-nut mini loaves which are supposed to be only for breakfast. Do not fear... I didn't cave in. I ended up eating 12 green olives (45 cal) and I think the sodium in it calmed my hunger. What do you do when hunger attacks?

Here are some good articles with ideas. Happy Losing!

30 Healthy Snacks
A Visual Guide to 15 Healthy Snacks 
Quick and Healthy Snack Recipes and Cooking Tips

One Week of Food

I won't have time to blog everyday this week. So here's the record of what I am eating. All recipes are from EatingWell.com (if I have made changes they should be somewhere in past posts) with the exception of the Almond Butter Balls which is a variation of Peanut Butter Balls (shared by a fellow comp member). I'll post the recipe with a picture over the weekend when I make them for the first time.

Happy losing ;)

Yummy Tuesday!

Back on the saddle.

I made an amazing Cranberry-Nut bread for breakfast. It was amazing! and super low-cal. Only 127 each (using Splenda instead of sugar). I divided the whole bread in 6 pieces (Tues-Sun). I had this with a cup of coffee and soy milk (47 cal). Total breakfast 174 cal.

I had a Three Musketeers bar mid-morning (260 cal) and I was in the mood for some more chocolate in the day and was happy to find Pure Organic Bars during my last trip to the grocery store. I had the Chocolate Brownie (180 cal) mid-afternoon. It was fantastic. Check out the nutritional info online and the other flavors... there is something for everyone.

For lunch, I had Fragrant Chickpea Stew (378 cal) and then for dinner I made one scrambled egg with 1/8 cup of fresh roasted garlic organic salsa (100 cal).

Total calories today: 1092
A low-cal day... I'll step it up tomorrow.

Happy losing! ;)

A small gain... but sooo worth it!

 

So I went to South Beach (Miami) last weekend to catch up with a couple of friends that I hadn't seen in a very long time (about 2 years) and it was awesome. Although it was too chilly to get in the water, just walking along the beach was great... and let's face it... I have no motivation to wear a swimsuit... and even less to do it with my two size 2/4 friends.

Anyhow... I usually weigh-in every Sunday morning for my comps but I didn't get in until 8 pm so I weighed-in anyway becuase I didn't want it to be a miss and the scale showed a 0.4 lbs gain... and I DON'T CARE! LOL I had a blast... I ate a lot of amazing food and drank wine, beer, mojitos, sangria, and Melon Ball (which was a first) and no, I did not drink all this at the same time :)

It was a great weekend with friends and I had a super great time and I think that considering how OFF THE WAGON I went... a 0.4 lbs gain is amazing... moreover, I probably actually lost weight considering that I weighed-in at night which is not my normal time at all.

Now, I am back on the wagon. I bought groceries today for the week and baked a Cranberry-Nut mini loaf for my breakfast the rest of the week. Today I had oatmeal and honey for breakfast (214 cal) and had a Jimmy Johns's veggie sandwich for lunch with chips and a diet Coke (560 cal). I had a green tea soda early evening (60 cal) and for dinner I had 1/2 apple with 2 tbsp of almond butter (240 cal). So total today was 1074 cal... as I said, back on the wagon.

I have no more trips or events in the next 6 weeks so I am looking forward to losing weight and getting under the 200 lbs.

Happy losing everyone!

Blogging and bloating down (female-friendly post)

School has gotten in the way of my daily posts. I don't think I'll be able to write as often as I'd liked but I still want to document my progress so I'll write a little less but will keep us posted.

Last week I didn't lose or gain any weight... I had a crazy week with a lot of homework and meetings. I had a great time but my eating was not great. I ate out a lot and made some bad choices. On top of everything... I had my monthly visit and that didn't help; I was craving chocolate and chips and was in no mood to exercise. I wondered if that was all in my head or if there was a legitimately correlation between my hormones and my weight... and there is. I found out that

"Weight gain is a normal symptom of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. This symptom of PMS is due to water retention." Read more: Why Do I Gain Weight Before My Period?

I also learned that the weight would go down as the days progressed and I was happy to see an almost 2-pound loss a couple of days later. So ladies out there... don't worry so much when you get your monthly visit. Try to eat sensibly but allow yourself that chocolate or ice-cream or whatever comfort food you need. A little setback is OK as long as you are motivated to break through.

Talking about food... I will have you know that I continue to keep a food diary although I don't have time to add it to the blog. I will share my favorite foods but I may not list everything I eat. Attached is a picture of my daily menu... I make it pretty so I am excited to cook and try new things. I continue to zigzag my calories but I pretty much stay within 1000-1500 calories a day. I am also exercising a little... I still have to work on that but I'm getting there.

More to come.

Planning Ahead

It's been a bad week... I am terrified of stepping on the scale tomorrow because I know that there's not going to be much change (or worse... I fear a gain). Next weekend I'll be visiting friends so that means that I will be eating at restaurants, going to clubs, and basically have little control over what I eat and when. So... I'm planning ahead. I am going to try to keep my daily intake to no more than 1200 calories a day and up my exercise. Also... no food after 7 pm and lots of green tea. Hopefully that will balance out the weekend excess.

I made Blueberry-Orange Muffins for the week. These came out really low-cal. I only had 1/2 cup of blueberries and not the 3/4 cup required by the recipe. I also, as usual, used Splenda instead of sugar. Each one came down to 131 calories... that's convenient for this week. :)

Today, I had muffin with coffee for breakfast (188 cal); Ravioli for lunch and dinner (total 786), and a kitkat as a snack (210 cal).
Total calories: 1184 calories.

Still here... two crazy days

I'm still here... I haven't really been able to count my calories these last couple of days. I haven't been eating terribly bad but I haven't had time to count properly.

Life gets in the way sometimes and I have been reading, writing, hosting, applying, and presenting papers, meetings, and homework. I am exhausted but in business.

On Thursday, I had my regular breakfast (210 cal) and my pak of nuts later in the day (260 cal) then I stopped at Moe's for an Art Vandalay with no cheese, rice or sour cream (501 cal) with chips (330 cal). Moe's provides nutritional information on their website (good!). I got home at 7 pm and was asleep by 8. Total calories: 1301 (doing well).

Today I had black coffee and a muffin (188 cal). For lunch I had some black beans with feta and toast (392 cal)... I binged on chips ;( (630 cal) and for dinner I made Roasted Garlic Potato Salad (heavy on the potatoes) approximately 310 cal. Total calories: 1520. Yikes! Got to get my life in gear again... things are slowing down so I hope that I will too. Good night!

Eating Out on Hump Day

WOW! What a day.

I can't believe I made it through... well... almost... I still have one more trip to the airport.
Between homework and meetings I had no time for cooking and an imminent dinner session which was the highlight of my day. Although I have to admit that dieting kind of sucks when your eating out.

I love David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding's Eat This, Not That books. Even though it doesn't serve me too well anymore since I gave up meat (although I cheated today). David and Matt give you a good and simple guide to the eating out giving you the power to choose your meals wisely and eat happily.

As usual, I had my muffin and some coffee this morning and that's probably the only number of calories that I know I had (196 cal). At mid-morning I had a pack of Go-Paks Heart Healthy Mix (260 cal). For lunch, I ordered Jimmy John's Vegetarian sub (no mayo and extra avocado) (399.35 cal), a diet coke, and I had regular chips (160 cal). At mid afternoon I had an oatmeal-raisin cookie from Jimmy John's (420.85 cal) NEVER AGAIN!!!!

Later, I had a business dinner at a local restaurant. I ordered grilled salmon (I said I cheated) with basil gnocchi and steamed greens and two glasses of Riesling. Then for dessert I had a cup of coffee and 1/3 of chocolate mousse... I probably got in at the very least some 900 cal. Which makes the total well pass 2000 calories. Holy C$#%! well... tomorrow and Friday I must eat around 1000 cal a day... let's do that.

How do you go about eating out?

Tuesdays at Starbucks

Breakfast: gave myself a treat this morning and drove by Starbucks before heading to school. Had a Grande Soy Latte (170 cal) with my blueberry-maple muffin (186 cal)... delish!
Calories: 356 (whopper breakfast) ;)

Mid-morning Snack: Go-Paks Heart Healthy Mix (260 cal)

Lunch: WOW! you have to try this. I made the most amazing Tomato & Olive Stuffed Portobello, although I could not stuff it. It calls for rosemary but I added basil instead and about 1/2 tbsp. I ate it with toast and it was like pizza... YUM!
Calories:305 calories

Snack: OMG! The vending machine plays tricks on me. I went to get ONE Sun Chips and the machine gave me two... and what do I do? I ate them! Well... the sin is done. 420 calories

Dinner:I had Black Bean Quesadillas. Followed the recipe but my tortilla was bigger so I used a little more black bean and I use feta cheese instead of Monterrey or Pepper Jack.
Calories:468

Total calories today:1809... zigzagging it is.

It's been a month

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I started my journey to fitville. My journey started on a Tuesday, December 21, 2010... it was the beginning of winter and the end of over eating. It was a little weird to start dieting when the rest of the world was getting ready to overeat on Christmas and New Years but I wasn't going to be doing any of that since my winter break consisted of staying home, working on school tasks and finding out what to eat.

It's been a good month. I started out at 223.4 lbs and this morning I weighed in at 206.4 lbs.

Total weight loss: 17  lbs. I wish it were more but I am happy with this.

I am now 7 lbs. away of my first mini-goal of getting under 200 lbs. I hope to achieve that by the end of the month.

This month's roadblocks:

• I had wine twice. 
• I ate out once and overdid it with the nachos at the Mexican restaurant.
• I over did it with Sun Chips once.
• I didn't exercise enough.

This month's successes:

• I lost 17 lbs! :)
• I started exercising and I am increasing my resistance.
• My skin and hair looks healthier.

I'm pretty excited about the next few weeks and to see the 200s disappear from the scale. Also, I am looking forward to losing a dress size. I was able to fit into a pair of jeans that were too tight a month ago but I still haven't been able to completely change dress sizes. Although my current size 18 is pretty lose on me, I still can't fit into my size 16 jeans.  I'll leave that for next month... hopefully.

Avocado Monday

Breakfast: Blueberry-Maple Muffins (skipped the sugar step).
Calories: 186
Coffee & Soy Milk: 45 calories
Total Breakfast: 231 calories

Lunch: I had 2oz. of black soybeans left so I prepared a reduced version of Black Bean Croquettes with Fresh Salsa. I used 2 oz. instead of 4 oz. but kept the same measurements of all the other ingredients. I also added 1 1/2 tbsp of prepared salsa to the "fresh salsa." It came out pretty good. Calories: 215

Snack: Heart Healthy nuts - 260 calories

Dinner: I made Bean Burgers with Spicy Guacamole (sans spicy). Followed the recipe but skipped the quinoa (didn't have any) and skipped the cayenne pepper (dislike) and used wheat toast instead of hamburger buns.
Calories: 362 cal

Total calories today: 1068. Fell under again but It's all good since I went way over yesterday with the wine.
;)

Sunday Menu

Breakfast: 1 egg + toast (calories: 225) 

Lunch: I made my version of Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad but this time I used parsley instead of cilantro since I was out. I skipped the cabbage and used Black Soybeans. And I added 1 1/2 tbsp of feta cheese.  Calories: 415 cal   

Snack:  I went to the grocery store for my weekly shopping. I bought a Green Tea and Lemon drink (60 cal) and a Heart Healthy nuts mix bag (260 cal). Calories: 320

Dinner: Had some cannellini beans left over (3/4 cup), cooked with 1/2 tsp olive oil, half garlic clove, 1/4 cup tomato, and 5 black olives. Sprinkled with 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese and ate with toast. Yummy and low-cal. Win Win!

Calories:382

Total calories today: 1342 calories. Playing with my calories and trying to get out if the imminent plateau that's threatening to attack. On a happier note, I made the most beautiful Blueberry-Maple Muffins... so pretty. Can't wait to try them tomorrow :)

____________________________________________________________

**Update (12:33 am)
Just got home from having drinks... celebrating a friend's birthday. Had three glasses of Riesling (120 cal each)... that puts my day's calorie intake at 1702 calories. Yikes! 

On the plus side, I didn't eat afterward (which is usually what happens).

Saturday Menu

Breakfast: same as Monday (210 cal) 

Mid-Morning Snack: 1/2 apple with 2 tbsp of almond butter - 220 calories

Lunch: Fragrant Chickpea Stew (Vegan)
I made a little more than the recipe calls for. I followed the recipe exactly but put 3/4 cup of chickpeas and 3.5 oz. of red potatoes. I also used 1/2 cup of vegetable broth instead of water and I added 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice at the end.
Calories: 355 cal 

Snack: 1 Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips (210 cal) 

Dinner: Same quesadillas I made yesterday for lunch.

Calories: 270

Total calories today: 1265 calories... finally! on target.

Already prepared next week's menu and the list of ingredients. 

Shopping for groceries tomorrow.

Friday Menu

Oatmeal for dinner last night had me waking up extra hungry. FYI!
Breakfast: same as Monday (210 cal) 

Mid-morning Snack: 2 Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips (420 cal)

I love these chips and haven't had them for over a month. It's such a treat. :) Good thing that I over did it in the morning. Plenty of time to work it off.

Lunch: I had my own version of Quesadillas con Frijoles Refritos. Mine were made with black soybeans, organic cilantro salsa, and feta cheese. YUM!

Calories: 270

Snack: 1/2 apple with 2 tbsp of almond butter - 220 calories

Dinner: Another one of my versions. I started out with the Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushroom & Basil. I used button mushrooms instead, skipped the lemon zest and juice, and used feta cheese instead of parmesan. 

Calories: 294 cal

Total calories today:1414 calories. Step away from the chips lady! That second bag of chips put me over... hopefully my body will feel confused and burn some more today. :) One can dream. :)

Thursday Menu

Breakfast: same as Monday 

Lunch: I was inspired by Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad but I am not a big fan of cabbage and I wanted to add some cheese so I made some changes. I followed the recipe but skipped the cabbage and used Black Soybeans instead of regular black beans because I didn't have any. It turns out that they taste very similar. I also added 1 1/2 tbsp of feta cheese and 5 black oil-cured black olives.  

Calories: 407 + loaf of multi-grain bread (70cal) =  477

Snack: 1/2 apple and 2 tbsp. almond butter - 220 calories

 


Dinner: It got home late and had no time to make a complete dinner so I made some oatmeal and ate it with honey.
Calories: 214 cal

Total calories today: 1121 - I fell under the 1200 mark... again. I'm really starting to think that I am rounding down my calories. Anyhow... I feel great!

I am a Vegetarian

"I am a Vegetarian" Every time I say this I usually get a "why?" somewhere among the crowd. Although vegetarianism has caught on and has become popular in the last years. Many times I find myself having to explain my decision.

It all started with a class on environmentalism I took last summer. In that class, I became acquainted with Michael Pollan and his book The Omnivore's Dilemma. The biggest impact that book had on me was the story of a calf that the author purchased in order to follow the meat-making industry. I was in horror. The more I read, the more I needed to know so I read a lot and eventually the only sensitive solution that I found was to give up meat altogether. In reality, it's not like I  cannot eat meat but I simply choose not to. I am not a radical vegetarian either. I go out with friends and they order meat and I have no problem with that. But in my house and what I cook and eat is always meatless. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I held a piece of raw meat in my hands. I have to admit that the idea is a little repulsive. That's habit for you... :)

Anyhow... I have been a vegetarian for about 6 months now and I have to say that I feel great. My skin looks better and since starting the competitions to lose weight, I have learned a bunch of new and interesting recipes that I would have never thought of trying had I been a carnivore. My shopping bill is smaller and I know that my impact on the environment has also been reduced. I get that it's not for everyone, but perhaps you can consider reducing your weekly intake of meat.

Here's one of my favorite TED Talks. This is Graham Hill (TreeHugger.com) on why he became a weekday vegetarian. (The video says 8 minutes but he's presentation is only 4 min long)

Wednesday Menu

Breakfast: same as Monday

Lunch: I prepared Pomodoro Pasta w/ White Beans & Olives. And I was surprised that I couldn't eat it all. It was a lot. So I ate about 3/4 of it and rushed back to school. You'll note in the picture that I was reading while I ate. It was a long day today.
Calories: 381

Snack: 1/2 apple and 2 tbsp. almond butter - 220 calories

Dinner: For dinner I was going to make White Beans & Tomato over Parmesan Toast but I looked at the ingredients and realized that it was very similar to what I had for lunch so instead. I added a 1/4 of a can of white beans to the 1/4 cup of lunch that was left over. I put some more basil and 1 tbsp of Parmesan. And some toast.
Calories: 357 cal

Total calories today: 1168 - I fell under the 1200 mark... again. But just a bit.. which makes me think that maybe I didn't. :) And look! Finally a picture!

Know Your Numbers

As much as I hate doing this, I have learned that it's important to know where you are in order to know where you're going. Avoiding the truth does no one any good. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I'll share with you my numbers and invite you to know your own. You'll find the calculators I used on the right side of this blog.

I already know where I am at. Yesterday, I weighed in at 208 lbs. What I need to know is where I need to be. According to HealthStatus

"According to your height of 5' 2" your ideal healthy weight is 122 pounds. Your recommended weight range is between 109 and 136 pounds."

Alright, so at the very least, I need to lose 208-136 = 72 lbs. At 208 lbs. my BMI is 38 which means that I am obese. I got the calculator from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. By the way, BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is widely used to place people into healthy, overweight, and obese groups. However, it's been argued that this measure is too simplistic and that should not be taken alone. To read more about this controversy, click here.

A different measurement that may be more accurate in understanding where we stand is the Body Fat calculator. I use the calculator from HealthStatus.

"Body fat percentage means different things on different levels. Actually, 5% body fat can cause serious health problems for the average person. Conversely, 25% fat can either be healthy or unhealthy depending upon your age and gender." 

I'm 33 years old so...

"For women between age 20 and 40, 19% to 26% body fat is generally good to excellent."

"Using your measurements of a 40 inches waist and weight of 208 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be 53.10 % using the U.S. Navy body fat formula, or 41.69 % using the formula developed by the YMCA"

Either way, I am way over. That's disheartening but at the same time I think knowing this will help me push through; pass on that cookie, or skip the butter; and get me off my butt.

Finally, there's the BMR Calculator which calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. 

My BMR is 1696.1 calories which is great because I try to exercise a little and my daily intake is around 1200 calories a day so I am creating a deficit everyday and therefore losing weight. You'll find that as you age, you BMR lowers. That sucks! But it's a fact of life that our metabolic rate goes down as we age. These are things we need to know.

Well, now I know my numbers and when I feel like ordering french fries or stopping for a Caramel Macchiato, I can remember these numbers and hopefully I'll feel less inclined to go for it. Do you know your numbers?

Tuesday Menu

Breakfast: same as Monday

Lunch: So I tried to make Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta but as I started making it I realized that it was going to be too lemony and I wasn't going to like it. So I ended up making a simple lentil soup with red onions and red peppers. I added 1 tbsp of feta cheese when it was done. It was great. I love lentil soup.
Calories: 365 

Snack: 1/2 apple and 2 tbsp. almond butter - 220 calories

Dinner: Mediterranean Portobello Burger
I made it exactly. Another favorite!
Calories: 301 cal

Total calories today: 1096 - I fell under the 1200 mark... This is rare... so not too worried.
I am sorry that I have no pics but believe or not I was too hungry to take any LOL. I remembered after I ate. I feel so stupid. Anyhow... I put a note on the fridge: TAKE PICS OF FOOD! Hopefully I don't forget tomorrow.

Fail Harder

Wieden + Kennedy - Portland

I have been obese for a very long time. This did not happen overnight. So you may wonder what happened that has made me so determined this time around. Well... simply put... I have failed enough times that I am now ready to succeed.



This blog includes bits 'n pieces of lessons that I have learned with every failure.

The Eat4Health Winter Challenge is the first competition that I started at Weight Loss Wars. It's a relatively small group compared to the other two competitions I am in but they will always be big for me. They were my trigger. They got me going. So thanks for that! :)

One of the lessons I have had to make peace with is the idea of counting calories. I have to admit that I have always hated the idea of having to count calories. It just seems like such a hassle and it made me think that the only way to make it easy was to eat very simple foods which would make the counting easier. The problem there was that I would get bored quickly because I would end up eating the same foods and by the end of the week all I wanted was a "real meal" and... off the wagon I went.

What I have been doing now for the last month or so is creating my menu and writing down the calories for each meal ahead of time. That way, it's done for the whole week and I only have to add something if I eat out which is something I try to avoid (I'll talk about restaurants in a later post). NutritionData is a great place to get an accurate count of calories. I use it to calculate my total calories of the day, for every meal, everyday. It takes some time to sit down and make all the calculations so put on your favorite music and do the count on one sitting.

* A link to NutritionData.com can be found under the TOOLBOX heading on the right.

Monday Menu

Breakfast: Lemon-Cranberry Muffins (substitute sugar with Splenda and save 20 cal each).
Calories: 165
Coffee & Soy Milk: 45 calories
Total Breakfast: 210 calories

Lunch: Bean + Barley Chili (Vegan)
I made it with kidney beans instead and skipped the chiles.
Calories: 319


Dinner: Fragrant Chickpea Stew (Vegan)
I made it exactly but added a tsp of lemon juice at the end... this I must repeat. Today's FAV!
Calories: 255 cal

Snacks: 2 apples and 2 tbsp. almond butter - 422 calories

Total calories today: 1206 - right on target :)
Sorry there are no pictures. I took them with my phone and I formatted the phone by mistake. Lost them all. :(

Ultimate New Year's Resolution (UNYR)

Another Monday, another week... a bunch of pounds to go.
Today is a special Monday. I'm starting the Ultimate New Year's Resolution competition on Weight Loss Wars. This one makes my third competition for now and it will run from today 01/10/11 to 05/20/11.
My other two competitions are:
   * Eat4Health Winter Challenge (12/21/10 - 03/15/11)
   * Happy New You 2011 (01/02/10 - 04/10/11)

Competitions have many rules; rules that are necessary so that we can trust the results and we can manage to select a winner. For this competition I had to send a full body picture (front and side) with tightly fitting clothing. Pictures must also include my name, date, and name of the comp. For all competitions, weekly photos of the scale are required. I will post one weekly on the blog too but I may not do it that same day every week.

I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to put up the before pictures on the blog but I think that knowing it's out there motivates me to keep working. Although it is embarrassing; I think it will also be exciting to post after pictures showing my progress and if I wish to do that then I have to do this. So here it goes. 

UNYR - Week 1.
208.8 lbs
BMI:38

Breakfast is hard!

Breakfast is a huge problem for me because in the past I have normally messed up my diet because I had no time to make breakfast and ended up with a bagel and cream cheese (which is a worse choice than you would imagine). And once you've made a bad choice, it's easy to make another one and by the end of the day I have spoiled all my meals.

So, this time... I came up with a better plan. Make sure I have breakfast no matter how late I get up.
Solution: Muffins! LOL

For real, I make 6 muffins every Sunday for Mon-Sat breakfast. Sundays I may have brunch since I may sleep in a little or I may just treat myself to a more traditional breakfast. So, I make six and once they cool down I individually wrap them in plastic and place them in a freezer bag. I leave one in the fridge for Monday and every morning I take one out of the freezer and into the fridge. 45 sec. in the microwave and it's perfect. So I get up in the morning, I make some coffee with soy milk and a muffin. Total calories for breakfast: no more than 250. Perfection!

For this week I made Lemon Raspberry Muffins (pictured). I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only change I made was that I used Splenda Granulated with Fiber instead of sugar. That saved me about 20 calories per muffin and added extra fiber to my day.

Tonight I am making Lemon Cranberry Muffins. As always, I'll use Splenda instead of sugar. We'll see what happens.

What should I eat?

This is an extremely hard question to answer when trying to lose weight. The supermarket can be a very daunting place for a dieter. I know it is for me. Coming up with good and nutritious meals can be very hard and keeping it interesting and tasty is another challenge.

Here's what I do. For starters, I shop for food once a week. Every Saturday, I sit down and create a menu for the following week. I create a Mon-Sun menu including all meals (even snacks). I don't necessarily follow it to a T although I follow it about 95% of the time. Of course, I get invited to dinner and sometimes a friend will call and I'll meet for a glass of wine (my pick is Riesling which has approx. 120 cal. per glass). So things can happen that change the menu. Always try to plan ahead though... that has worked for me. So... anyway, I make a menu and from that menu I make my shopping list. On Sundays, I go to my favorite natural foods store and get ONLY what I have written on my list. Another tip: Don't buy bad foods for your home. If you feel like cheating when you're out is one thing but your home should be your sanctuary and therefore should be junk free. I do understand that for moms this can be specially hard. I have the advantage of only having to cook for me.

There are plenty of websites from where to find good and healthy recipes. There's a list of them on the right side of this blog. However, my go-to website is EatingWell.com where I can find lots of low-calorie pasta dishes (pasta is my Achilles' heel). Also, they have a number of meal plans for different likes and needs including diabetes, heart healthy, and healthy aging. You can select from a large number of 28-day meal plans at different calorie levels: 1200, 1500, and 1800 daily calories.

My main source of inspiration for food comes from the 28-day 1200 cal Vegetarian Meal Plan since I am vegetarian. Most of the recipes you'll see will be modified versions of what I find on the website. I say modified because there are certain veggies that I don't like and I always end up changing something for some reason or another so for the most part, they will be modified. I will always add the original recipe for you to follow if you wish. I promise pictures, clear instructions, and as this story progresses, perhaps I'll have you select what I should cook next.

Ready to roll? I hope so.

Weight Loss Wars - Lose together or gain alone!

Weight Loss Wars is a great website that I came across during the holidays. I copied the description off their website as is:

"WeightLossWars is a fun weight loss motivation website where weight loss success stories are made! Our weight loss tools are free, fully customizable for your healthy life, including the best local or national weight loss challenge program. Lose together or gain alone™."

At the moment, I am competing in three separate competitions with money on the line. However, I must say that as much as winning some extra cash is an awesome motivator; what I love about this is that even though I do not know any of the people I am competing with, I still feel in good company and I truly believe that they want me to succeed as much as I want the same for them. So... if you are in need of a kick in the butt to get motivated and you feel that the people around you are not enough, I invite you to join us at WLW. You can check my profile here.

If you are a fellow WLW member please friend me.
If you have a blog about dieting, exercise, or just about living healthy, please let me know. I am working on a Blog list and I would love to profile your blog here.

The College 90 - This is how it started

People talk about the "freshman 15" all the time but no-one told me that I could potentially double my weight by staying in school. Of course, not everyone does. I came to the U.S. in October 2003. At the time, I weighted 135 lbs. and had a borderline healthy 24.7 BMI. Interestingly though, in Venezuela where I am from, I was overweight... now I know that I wasn't.

I started school in January 2004. Three years later, I graduated. By December 2006, I had managed to graduate with honors and with 45 more lbs. In January 2007, I started grad school at 180 lbs and an obese BMI of 32.9. I couldn't believe it and I have the clothes to prove it. I hope it's been a good thing that I hung on to my old clothes. I have pants that show what I did to myself sizes 6 all the way to 18 where I stand now. I can't believe I did this to myself. In May 2009 I graduated with my master's at a whopper 196 lbs and yet a larger BMI of 35.8. On December 21, 2010 I weighted at my highest: 223.4 lbs and a BMI of 40.9. Disgusting... simply disgusting. And that's in a nutshell how my freshman 15 have really been the College 90.

This blog is about my struggle to return to a time when I had a normal BMI, and most of all... a LIFE!
School can be pretty crazy at times and it is easy to forget to take care of oneself. So here's to that!

By the way... I am still in school. I am currently on my second semester of my second year on a Ph.D. program and I hope that this blog will serve as both catharsis and accountability. I will share my recipes, my exercise (if I did any), my experiences teaching, learning, and researching... and well, my life as I live it. I don't plan for this blog to be eternal; but an account of my journey for as long as it takes me.

I suppose I should be honest with you and my weight should not be a secret to anyone. I must admit that as I write this I can feel blood rushing to my face in embarrassment of what I am about to disclose... but since that is the point of the blog then enough with the fear and on with the honesty.

I am 5'2'' tall
33 years of age
212 lbs (as of 01/04/2011)
BMI: 39
Goal 1: To abandon the 200 lbs and to never see them again.