tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75145767059582562472024-03-05T20:18:21.518-08:00Jennifer DietsJennifer Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344200224073447245noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-84847218841326527082011-09-03T20:07:00.000-07:002011-09-03T20:07:55.157-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 19: Exciting news!I am so excited today! Sharon gave me some pants a few weeks ago that she'd shrunk out of (let's hear a WOOT WOOT for Sharon, who's lost something like 70 pounds). Anyway, They're size 18, and I have other 18s that fit, but this one pair she gave me didn't. I could get them on, but they were too poochy to wear in public, plus they were just tight enough around the waist that they were uncomfortable. I decided to give it a shot, and I'm happy to report that I am wearing them dancing tonight! They are, admittedly, slightly poochy at the pockets, but my top covers that well enough. They are quite comfortable in the waist. Huzzah! <br />
<br />
I always have this trouble with pants--my waist is always much smaller than my hips (even when it's way thicker than it should be), so pants that are big enough for my hips, butt,, thighs, and belly are too loose in the waist. Add in my very curved lower back, and it's a real issue. I can never, ever wearl low rise pants. Ever. Even when I'm thin. Oh well...<br />
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Today's menu:<br />
<br />
Breakfast: burrito with carb control tortilla, eggs, spinach, a little cheddar cheese<br />
Lunch: spinach sauteed with garlic and a little olive oil, tuna, whole wheat crackers<br />
Dinner: cold roasted chicken, lite caesar salad<br />
Dessert: pineapple<br />
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Off to Tango in a few minutes, and I feel pretty! I even put on jewelry. I can definitely see a difference in my face and around my neck and collar bones and shoulders, even though the scale is moving slowly. As long as it keeps moving and my clothes keep fitting better, that's what's important!<br />
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Have a great holiday weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-45086196924401004692011-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:002011-08-31T17:12:59.215-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 16: still hereI haven't posted in a few days, but I am still here and I am still following my healthy eating plan. I've just been busy and didn't have much interesting to say...we tend to eat the same things over and over because it's easy and doesn't require thought, but so far we're really happy with how it's going. Greg just exclaimed, "I love this diet!" literally a few minutes ago. I've lost another pound, and so has he. I'm sure we could do better, but I'm pretty happy with what we're doing so far and there's always room for improvement. <br />
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Breakfast: spinach, egg, and Laughing Cow cheese burrito<br />
Lunch: chicken and veggies from Panda Express (Mandarin Chicken, Kung Pow Chicken, mixed veggies, saved about half for breakfast tomorrow)<br />
Dinner: Sonoma Greek Pizza and salad.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of yummy diet snack ideas for you:<br />
<br />
Natural peanut butter (get it right out of the machine at some grocery stores, not the jarred stuff) with a rice cake or celery <br />
Triscuits with Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedge Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-60605434766746033262011-08-26T23:53:00.000-07:002011-08-26T23:53:43.062-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 11Tired after dancing, so I'll make this quick:<br />
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Breakfast: skipped. oops. <br />
Lunch: Sonoma steak & bleu cheese wraps & salad<br />
Dinner: Barilla Plus spagetti with Cabernet Marinara (Newman's Own) and turkey meatballs, salad.<br />
Snack: triscuits and laughing cow light cheese. and a pickle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-16704117700952919062011-08-25T23:52:00.000-07:002011-08-25T23:52:31.944-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 10: End of Wave 1The Sonoma Diet is broken up into Waves: the first 10 days is Wave 1 and is the strictest, Wave 2 is the longer term weight loss program that you stay on until you reach your goal, and then you go on Wave 3 for the rest of your life to stay healthy and trim. We weren't QUITE as strict as we should have been on Wave 1, but I think we'll survive anyway.<br />
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The bad news is that I bought a bathroom scale since our old one was broken. It was more off than I thought, and I gained more weight back over the past year than I thought I did. I know, I should focus on the fact that I'm doing something about it now, I'm pissed! *sigh*<br />
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Breakfast: double fiber English muffin with turkey sausage and one fried egg<br />
Lunch: turkey patty, lemon cucumber slices, one apple<br />
Dinner: marinated flank steak, toasted quinoa pilaf with mushrooms, broccoli<br />
Snack: three triscuits with Babybel light garlic & herb cheeseUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-54364738282142938482011-08-24T23:21:00.000-07:002011-08-24T23:21:04.419-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 9I'm so sleepy I almost forgot to post! I'm starting to notice tiny changes that indicate my healthy eating is paying off. I usually notice it in places where the bons are close to the surface--my face, collar bones, shoulders, etc. They feel just a little tighter and there's a little more definition. Yay! <br />
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Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 egg white scrambled with a little ham, double fiber english muffin<br />
Lunch: 2 small pieces of chicken satay, Sonoma Greek pizza leftover from last night<br />
Dinner: salmon, barley risotto, salad. I know, repetitive, but it's jsut because it's so good we wanted it again!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-18105516747082914852011-08-23T20:06:00.000-07:002011-08-23T20:06:57.198-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 8Just a quick post before I go dancing. still going strong and very happy!<br />
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Breakfast: ham and spinach scrambled with one egg and one egg white on a double fiber whole grain english muffin<br />
Lunch: chicken breast, green beans<br />
Dinner: Sonoma Greek Pizza (whole grain Boboli with red wine vinegrette, spinach, feta, cherry tomatoes, and I forget what else), roasted zuccini<br />
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Off to do some West Coast Swing. Have a good night!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-12379518272547058302011-08-22T22:04:00.000-07:002011-08-22T22:04:36.211-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 7! One week! and a diet tipI'm excited to point out that I am on Day 7 of the Sonoma Diet and I am STILL going strong. I feel soooo good about this. I'm determined to keep it up forever. We seem to have come up with a workable solution between the recipes in the book and doing our own thing while following the principles. When you follow the meal plans, at least in the old book, every portion of every meail required prep and cooking, and it got to be too much even though I loved every single meal. The new version of the diet offers much simpler meal plans, although we haven't been following them, just cooking simple food in the Sonoma style. We did use one of our favorite recipes from the original book at dinner tonight, the mushroom barley risotto. Delish!<br />
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Breakfast: Burrito with one whole egg and one white, spinach, onion<br />
Dinner: Salmon pan seared with a little seasoning (on sale from Safeway again, and sooo good), mushroom barley risotto, green salad with low fat ranch<br />
Snack: 1/4 pineapple. So ripe and sweet. Should have had just 1/8, but since i missed lunch I let myself have it. I generally don't skip meals but scheduling was difficult today and it just happened. I might go have another salad or a piece of low fat string cheese.<br />
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Diet Tip of the Day:<br />
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I used to think diet food was boring and bland. This is so not the case! Why deprive yourself of flavor? Seasonings, herbs, and spices are "free" nutritionally (just don't overdo the salt), so use them! The Sonoma Diet books have tons of great recipes, although there are many other cookbooks out there for dieters. Take the time to prepare fresh food with lots of flavor, and you won't feel deprived. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-18417179580661762712011-08-22T03:41:00.000-07:002011-08-22T07:09:48.287-07:00The best way to cook brown riceThis morning, I have a guest post from my husband, <a href="http://www.gregwalker-writer.blogspot.com/">Greg Walker</a>, who makes KILLER brown rice. Thanks, Sweetie!<br />
<br />
<strong>Cooking Brown Rice</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
Though I have been struggling with cooking brown rice for years, due, in great part, to my particular aversion to devoting counter space to a rice cooker, it was Alton Brown of the Food Network’s show, Good Eats, who finally taught me an easy and nearly foolproof way to cook brown rice. The basic recipe calls for short grain brown rice, salt, olive oil, and water. Whilst remaining true to be basic formula, I change it up by using different cooking liquids such as chicken broth or stock; different variants of brown rice, such as long grain brown rice, brown basmati rice, or brown jasmine rice; and by adding mushrooms or vegetables or mushrooms to the mix. When adding vegetables or mushrooms, do not change the liquid content – the fluids in the mix are sufficient to steam the veggies while the rice cooks.<br />
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The basic recipe is as follows:<br />
<br />
The Best Way to Cook Brown Rice<br />
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Ingredients<br />
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• 1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice<br />
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• 2 1/2 cups water<br />
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• 1 teaspoon kosher salt – if using table salt, use 1/2 teaspoon<br />
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• 1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
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Method<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.<br />
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Place water, salt, and olive oil in a water boiler, a small pot, or a microwave safe container, and bring just to a boil.<br />
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Place rice in an 8” x 8” square baking pan. Pour boiling water over the rice and stir. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for one hour. Remove from oven, remove the foil carefully to avoid steam burns. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.<br />
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Variations<br />
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• Short and medium grain brown rice cooks very moist and cohesive without being sticky. Long grains rice, including basmati and jasmine rice, has very individual grains and distinct flavors and aromas. This method also works well for most wild rice mélanges.<br />
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• A handful of sliced or quartered white or wild mushrooms are very complimentary to brown rice. Broccoli, diced summer squashes like zucchini or crookneck, finely diced carrots, fresh corn stripped from the cob, and frozen peas also work well. Just stir them together with the dry rice before adding the water. Avoid high moisture adds such as tomatoes. <br />
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• Whatever you add, do not overdo it. One cup of extras, total, is pushing the envelope.<br />
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• For an easy chicken and rice dinner, make the short-grain rice with low sodium chicken broth or stock and add whatever mushrooms and/or vegetables you want. Season and pan-cook or grill one boneless/skinless chicken breast per person. Cut the chicken into about quarter inch slices. When the rice is done, either stir the chicken into the rice or plate a portion of rice and top with the sliced chicken. This is yummy and easy and it takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-29232598510723661212011-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:002011-08-21T20:49:19.668-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 6!Things are still going great! I took it easy today physically--it is important to give your body a break once in a while. Tomorrow I'll have to actually exercise. <br />
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Breakfast: plain Greek yogurt and strawberries<br />
Lunch: green salad with chicken breast<br />
Dinner: splurged on a rib-eye steak (first red meat all week, and yes it's ok on this diet although this cut is a little fattier than I should have and it was a little too big), leftover brown rice and mushrooms from last night, roasted asparagus<br />
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If I have a snack, it will probably be low fat string cheese, although I'm kind of jonesing for another salad. In any case, it will be good. <br />
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Tomorrow morning, I will post a guest post from <a href="http://www.gregwalker-writer.blogspot.com/">Greg Walker</a> on a delicious way to prepare brown rice. It'll make a believer out of you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-23972962514930056062011-08-20T20:26:00.000-07:002011-08-20T20:26:17.656-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 5...already! And a diet tipIt's day five, and I'm going to do this a little early since we're leaving to go Tango in a little bit and I'll be too bleary-eyed by the time we get home to write. By day five of a new eating plan, you can tell if it's a keeper or if you'll be diving off the wagon at any moment. All week, I have felt great! I'm not feeling deprived, I haven't had any cravings, and I've been really strong and happy with our food choices. I think there are still adjustments to be made, but we're doing pretty well. I'm fully prepared to eat like this forever, and I even have fantasies of going out to eat and getting something healthy. LOL!<br />
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My menu today:<br />
<br />
Breakfast: Leftover black pepper/mushroom chicken from Panda Express last night (probably 250 calories)<br />
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken breast (got a great deal on a huge pack at half price at Safeway), tomatoes, cucumbers, a little avocado, and our fat free ranch dressing. Sooo yummy.<br />
Dinner: OMG so good. Salmon (also half price at Safeway) crusted with a "Tuscan" salt/spice mix and pan fried in a little olive oil, brown rice baked with sliced mushrooms, and roasted asparagus.<br />
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Here's a diet tip: if you don't think you like brown rice, try short grain or even medium grain instead of long grain. The flavor and texture is much better! Greg has a really good procedure for preparing it, so I'll have to ask him to do a guest post.<br />
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Exercise: moving rocks and Tango. Have I mentioned I don't know what I'm going to do when all the rocks are moved? I'll have to do actual, boring exercise! Have a great night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-36677354666025917702011-08-19T22:58:00.000-07:002011-08-19T22:59:49.081-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 4I had a pretty good day today. Not much to remark on, so I'll just share what I ate today. I'm looking forward to starting to see some differences in my body soon. Ended up eating out twice today, which is very unusual for us!<br />
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Breakfast: burrito with egg beaters, turkey sausage, mushrooms (looking forward to finishing the tortillas and moving on to something different!)<br />
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Lunch: Greg and I split a two-taco plate at Rubios. Classic grilled chicken tacos, black beans, spanish rice (bad--white), side salad with balsamic vinegrette. The whole meal was 900 calories according to the menu, so split in half it was 450.<br />
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Dinner: 2-entree plate at Panda Express with mixed veggies instead of chow mein or rice, mushroom chicken and black pepper chicken. Totalled about 540 calories, but I only ate about half it so probably more like 270. Will have the rest for breakfast tomorrow.<br />
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Dessert: 1/8 of a pineapple<br />
Snack: one low-fat mozerella cheese stick<br />
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Exercise: moved half a ton of rocks with Sharon. Seriously like getting a full body workout at the gym..bending, lifting, scooping, sweeping, raking, walking. Muscle building and cardio in one!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-77493013633226937932011-08-18T23:53:00.000-07:002011-08-18T23:53:15.503-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 3It's day three and I feel great, but this is going to be a quick one because it's late and I'm tired.<br />
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Breakfast: burrito with egg beaters, turkey sausage, onions. We seem to be in a burrito rut. <br />
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Snack: celery sticks with about 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (no sugar added)<br />
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Lunch: leftovers of yesterday's taco salad with ranch dressing made from Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix with skim milk and mixed with salsa. Totally yummy.<br />
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Dinner (at my mom's): a cornish game hen with a wild rice blend stuffing. She made corn and I had to tell her no on that because it's too high in sugar, at least at this point in the diet.<br />
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Late night snack: pineapple. Which is ironic, because I'm sure it has more sugar than corn, but it's on the list for this wave of the diet and corn isn't, so who am I to argue? It's my favorite fruit. Sooo yummy. I think this is the first fruit we've had since we started the diet, so that's kind of good I guess.<br />
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Exercise: just Tango. Was going to ride and stuff happened to prevent that, so I'll go tomorrow after moving half a ton of rocks with my sister-in-heart.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-8125336945537648822011-08-17T23:40:00.000-07:002011-08-17T23:40:18.003-07:00Sonoma Diet Day 2: Still going strongDay two of a diet (I know, I know, healthy lifestyle for life. I get it.) is still good. You're still fired up, and you're starting to figure out the rhythm of your new way of eating. You can almost resist stepping on the scale again. Here's what I ate today:<br />
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Breakfast: burrito on carb balance tortilla with 1 egg and 1 white, turkey sausage, and avocado. yummy.<br />
Lunch: yummy taco salad with seasoned ground turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, a little avocado, mushrooms, cucumber, fetta and a sort of salsa vinegrette made with balsamic, olive oil, and salsa.<br />
Dinner: Brown rice baked with broccoli, ahi tuna steak, and mushrooms, with feta and fresh tomatoes added at the end. Also very yummy, although bad Greg made too much rice and bad me let us eat it all. At least it carried me through dancing and everything and I feel like I can skip a snack.<br />
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We got some fresh-made natural peanut butter at the store, where they have a machine that makes it fresh for you. It smells soooo good and I can't wait to have a little with celery for a snack.<br />
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Exercise: moved about a half a ton of rock with my sister in law this morning (yes, it counts. oy.), Tango dancing tonight. Lots of sweat!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-53317910469299022472011-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:002011-08-16T23:53:03.541-07:00Sonoma Diet Day One: Here we go!I'm going to start this post with a request. I'm posting this journal to keep myself honest and keep track of what I'm doing, and maybe to invoke discussion or inspire readers, not to be criticized. Please refrain from chastising me about food choices, exercise, etc. I don't need the negativity. Please also refrain from the "Well, I heard..." comments. This diet was written by a registered dietition/doctor, so I'm going to trust what she says and go with it. There are a million different theories on dieting and they all conflict, so sometimes you just have to put the blinders on. What works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. <br />
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Day one of a diet is always so full of promise. In some ways, it's the hardest day because you can still remember all the horrible things you ate before and wish you could still eat them, and you have to get used to new portion sizes. On the other hand, you're also full of fire about making a change in your life, and that motivation goes a long way! I've been through this so many times, but I can't seem to make it stick for long enough to make a permanent change in my eating habits. I would like this time to make it happen. I lost a good 20 or 30 pounds eating this way before, so there's no reason I can't reach my goal weight and stay there. It's all about changing your mindset about food. You don't have to settle for bland, tasteless food, either...there are tons of delicious recipes in The Sonoma Diet books, and once you understand the principles, you can make up your own or adapt others. Also, sometimes I really need to go with what I can afford or is convenient. It's what you do most of the time that makes a difference, not what you do every once in a while.<br />
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One thing I haven't done before is kept a daily journal, so I'm going to try that this time. Our scale is broken so I can't give you my starting weight (ugh, like I really want to share it), although I think I'll dig out the tape measure and do some measurements.<br />
<br />
Morning:<br />
Woke up early (not on purpose). Drank one cup of coffee with a tablespoon of heavy cream. I know, you've been told not to drink coffee, and heavy cream sounds antithetical to what we're doing. According to the author, Dr. Connie Guttersen, RD, PhD, you can have up to two cups of black coffee or one cup with a tablespoon of heavy cream. Some people say the caffeine stimulates the appetite, but I don't find this to be true. In fact, sometimes if I have coffee in the morning I can hold off on breakfast longer. The reason for the cream instead of lowfat milk is that it is lower in lactose--the less fat you have, the more milk sugar. Also, one tablespoon lightens the coffee just as much as much more of the lighter fat stuff, so you might even end up with less fat than if you used 2%. I'm not sure about the last part--it's conjecture. But the sugar part is true. Greg also interviewed another dietition once who said the same thing, plus it's less processed and she advocates eating whole foods that have as little processing as possible to maximize nutrients. <br />
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For breakfast, one whole egg and one egg white scrambled with a bit of turkey sausage in a Mission Carb Balance tortilla. These things are great--high in fiber without having a weird flavor or texture. <br />
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Lunch: A serving of packet light tuna in water, one serving of Triscuits (they're whole grain and have fiber), and one cup of canned green beans (I know. Fresh is better. This is what I had.)<br />
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Dinner; brown rice and roasted zuccini and mushrooms. Yum!<br />
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Late night: 1 chicken taco del carbon from Del Taco. These are more wholesome than you would think, especially for a quick snack after dancing!<br />
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We need snacks but we didn't have any. Hopefully we'll live until tomorrow.<br />
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Exercise: rode my horse this morning and went dancing tonight. Decided that was plenty, especially on reduced calories!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-86955705855690948942011-08-15T22:31:00.000-07:002011-08-15T22:31:02.265-07:00Dusting off the diet blogWow...it's been just over a year since I posted here! It's been a bad one, diet-wise. I left my physically demanding job, stopped exercising, and went back to my old, bad eating habits. Sigh. I gained back almost all the weight I'd lost. Very upsetting! I've been very busy with work and stressed out and unable to deal with it, but now I've kind of gotten a grip and I'm ready...and Greg even suggested going back to our old favorite way of eating, The Sonoma Diet. We bought a few things to get us going and will start tomorrow. Hurray! We're supposed to keep a food/cravings/feelings/etc journal, so I'm going to use this blog for that.<br />
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The first ten days is the hardest, of course. No sweets, not even low-cal sweetener. Smaller portions. Fewer grains. Smaller lists of foods to choose from. However, there are a lot of great foods to eat, and really yummy recipes. We got a copy of the NEW Sonoma Diet book, and it's been simplified and updated for a busy lifestyle. We're looking forward to trying this new version!<br />
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Basically, it's just good, healthy eating. Lean proteins, high-quality whole grains, and lots of vegetables, and portion control. It's not a fad, it's not fast, but it's delicious and sensible and it does work. Here's to health!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-86386252579544771062010-08-09T20:25:00.000-07:002010-08-09T20:25:45.564-07:00Sonoma Diet day fiveGood day today. I treated myself to a breakfast burrito (well, Greg cooked it, I just told him what I wanted): a scrambled egg, turkey breakfast sausage and spinach wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Lunch was another steak and blue cheese wrap, since we had some tri-tip left over. Dinner was one of my favorites from this plan: beef and mushroom kabobs. Tenderloin steak, baby bella mushrooms and grape tomatoes, marinated and broiled. Delish! We had a salad with it, topped with the Greek Vinaigrette from the book. I really, really liked it.<br />
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Tomorrow, we go to my mom's for dinner. She promised to cook something healthy, so we'll see!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-49858785951046635952010-08-08T15:04:00.000-07:002010-08-08T20:32:50.736-07:00Sonoma Diet day fourWell, the reunion last night wasn't bad, food-wise. They had a yummy selection of fresh fruits, grilled vegetables, caesar salad, pesto lasagna (which I did not have), roasted red potatoes (which I also didn't have, aren't you proud of me?), a yummy chicken breast with an artichoke and sundried tomato topping and tri-tip. Overall, quite healthy! I did have one tiny piece of bread with butter on it, and I did have three tiny (literally--a mouthful) cupcakes for dessert. I know, I should have skipped dessert, but I forgive myself.<br />
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Today, I had my egg and a piece of locally made, multi-grain, high fiber toast. Lunch was the steak and blue cheese wraps from the Sonoma Diet book: whole wheat tortilla, leftover tri-tip from the other night, blue cheese, romaine lettuce (I think that's all...supposed to put bell peppers on, but ew). Quite tasty and decadent! Tonight is Mediterranean Pork Chops, broccoli with almonds and hot pepper (the chili flakes) and toasted quinoa pilaf. I'm not big on pork chops, but these are pretty good, and I like the quinoa pilaf a lot. If you don't know what that is, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a tiny spherical grain. It has good flavor and is fun to eat! Highly recommended on this diet.<br />
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Have a great Sunday, everyone!<br />
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ETA: I didn't like the broccoli. I'm starting to think the only thing I like on it is cheese! The pork chops were good, and so was the quinoa. The book said to put bell peppers in, but that's gross, so we used mushrooms.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-39650454000855640952010-08-07T10:54:00.000-07:002010-08-07T10:54:03.063-07:00Sonoma Diet day two (a little late)Yesterday was a good day. I've been starting each day with one fried egg and a Thomas' Better Start Multigrain English Muffins. These are "light", with 1/3 the calories of their regular product but 1/3 of your daily supply of fiber. Honestly, I don't know how these companies are making these high fiber and whole grain products that taste so good and have good texture. I have a feeling an expose is going to come out to tell us these companies have been lying to us, but for now I'm going to go with it! Here are some of the nutritional facts from the Thomas':<br />
<br />
Calories: 100<br />
Calories from fat: 10<br />
Total fat: 1g (no saturated, no cholesterol)<br />
Sodium: 170mg<br />
Total carbs: 25g<br />
Dietary fiber: 8g<br />
Protein 5g<br />
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Diet wisdom from at least a couple of gurus I've read say to subtract the fiber from the total carbs, and that's the number you should be worried about. That means these have 17g, which isn't all that bad for bread. On Sonoma, this is a reasonable amount. In the first wave, this is fine as long as I watch it closely the rest of the day.<br />
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Yesterday for lunch we had chicken and black bean wraps, which were totally tasty. According to the recipe, we were supposed to make a black bean spread, but we didn't have all the spices so we just warmed up the beans and put them in straight. Whole grain tortilla, of course. I loved it. For dinner we had her grilled tri-tip, except we were lazy and broiled it. It's seasoned with rosemary and I don't know what else, but it's totally delish. The key here, since it's red meat, is portion control. I think you get 4oz of meat. We had a simple spinach salad with it (baby spinach and sliced almonds), and did her recipe for broccoli, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. That we did not like. We don't really like bell peppers, but are trying to be open minded because they're one of the "super foods" she lists in the book. We can tolerate them in some applications, but this was definitely not one of them. *shudder*<br />
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In the evening, I DJed a dance (<a href="http://www.jenniferdance.blogspot.com/">http://www.jenniferdance.blogspot.com</a>), and ended up dancing quite a bit. I've been nursing my sprained ankle and not doing a whole lot (as my friend and bludgeon Patience would say, using it as an excuse), so I'm pretty well out of shape. I danced a lot, though, and my ankle survived pretty well and isn't any worse today. I got a lot of exercise and had a great time. On the way home, we stopped for Del Taco Tacos Del Carbon. The chicken ones have only 5 grams of fat and are really tasty! If you're going to do fast food because your starving, it's not a bad way to go.<br />
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Tonight I have my 20th high school reunion. I'm not sure what's going to happen meal-wise, but I have a feeling it'll be bad. I'm going to enjoy myself but try to be modest. Have a great day, everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-46717837733304652712010-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:002010-08-05T14:03:59.246-07:00Back on the Sonoma DietWell, hello, blog! Long time no see. I know, I'm a horrible friend. What have I been up to? Well, I was working for a horse trainer for 10 months and lost a ton of weight. At one point, I was at 178, a total loss of 50 pounds. That rocked! I was working so hard, physically, that I was burning probably 4-5,000 calories a day and eating as much as whatever I want. Then, I decided to leave that job to go back to working at home full time, writing. Funny, all of a sudden I can't eat whatever I want anymore. Oh, and then I was helping a friend with a horse and it freaked out and knocked me around a bit and I ended up with a sprained ankle. Therefore, not much exercise in the past three weeks. I know, I know. Excuses. I could find exercises to do, but I'm lazy.<br />
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So, anyway, I've packed on a little extra padding again, so I need to go back to watching what I eat and *sigh* exercising. Greg and I love <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013L4D5I?ie=UTF8&tag=jensboorev00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0013L4D5I">The Sonoma Diet</a>, so we're going back on that. We love it because the food is fantastic--she gives a lot of great recipes. Of course, you don't have to follow her meal plans and recipes, but it's a great way to start, get some ideas and get used to this way of eating. It's basically all about balance, whole grains and lean meats, but it's also about making food taste really great so you feel satisfied. You get a wide variety of food, and it's a way of eating that you can live with for the rest of your life. The hardest part is that there is a lot of prep work and cooking involved, but we like that, and it gives us something to do together.<br />
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For lunch today, we made the Greek salad with shrimp. Delicious! We did a little extra prep so we'd have some ready-to-go salad toppings to go with dinner tonight. Tonight's dinner isn't exactly on the plan, but it could be worse--it's turkey meatloaf, sweet potatoes and salad. We bought a pre-made turkey meatloaf at the store (it's Jennie-O brand, which has a lot of great turkey products) before we decided to go back on Sonoma. It's close enough. We'll try to steer clear of packaged foods from now on when we can, but we don't want it to go to waste and it's not that bad.<br />
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Now I should probably get some exercise...Maybe in the pool!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-31171946815806347582009-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:002009-12-13T12:28:40.174-08:00Losing weight is bitter sweetOK, this post is going to prompt you to say, "Oh, WAH. Call the Wahmbulance!" However, I'm going to post it anyway, because it's a triumph as well as a whine.<br /><br />So, remember when I showed my horse in halter back in April? I think I posted about going suit shopping. Anyway, I had found this gorgeous suit, and it was a 16--we had started with a pile of 18s and had to put them back. I was so happy that day that I was able to step down in size, although it was admittedly a bit tight--I looked pretty good in it standing up, but didn't want to sit down in it! Then, by the time the show came, it actually fit better. That was cool.<br /><br />Well, I only wore that suit a couple of times. I was invited to a Christmas party the other night, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to wear the suit, since it was a little dressy. I took a shower, put on makeup (something I rarely do) and earrings and everything, then went to get dressed.<br /><br />When I pulled on the pants, I came to a sudden, horrifying realization. They were too big. Like, WAY to big. Practically falling off me. So big that putting the jacket over them to hide the bagginess wasn't even an option. Talk about a bummer! Yes, bully for me for losing so much weight in seven months that my suit was way to big...but...dang it, I hardly got to wear it! It was an expensive suit! <br /><br />So, I had to find something to wear. I rifled through my clothes and discovered that even though my 16s were falling off me, I still couldn't wear my 14s. What the Hell??? I have no clothes. They're either falling off or just tight enough in the tummy and thighs that they pooch at the pockets. I have boxes upon boxes of skinny clothes...it's time to get back into them! <br /><br />So, there you go. Call the wahmbulance driver! My clothes are too big!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-58691040265960659702009-12-07T05:53:00.001-08:002009-12-07T05:58:01.268-08:00Lost another poundI have lost another pound, which puts me at 180 and a total of 48 pounds lost. The last time I calculated my BMI, I was at 31.5, which is considered obese. I looked through my old post trying to figure out when I was looking at that before, but I can't find it. In any case, I am no longer obese! I am now simply overweight...whee! My goal was 160, and I only have 20 pounds to go...cake, right? If I tried really hard, I could probably do that in two months. However, I am still not very good about watching my calories, so it'll take twice that long. That's OK with me, as long as it stays off! <br /><br />We're headed into the holiday season. I don't plan to binge on sweets TOO much, but I'm sure there will be some here and there. I made the executive decision to not put candy canes on the tree this year, because none of us need that much temptation.<br /><br />Good luck with the holidays, everyone...don't do anything you'll regret later!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-57228062911377045102009-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:002009-11-25T17:46:06.476-08:00Four more gone...Hey all, I haven't been very diligent about this blog, have I? I also haven't been very diligent about my diet, although I try to make healthy choices sometimes, at least. Luckily, I have a job that keeps me working hard all day and burning lots of calories! I have lost four more pounds since my last update, so that brings me to 47 total lost. It's funny...I'll stay stuck at a weight for a long time, then suddenly I'll drop several pounds all at once. I'm feeling fitter and leaner all the time! I'm wearing my daughter's jeans and all of my belts are too big. I'm lovin' it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-66135370230375384302009-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:002009-09-06T20:49:34.289-07:0043 pounds gone!After a little over a year, I am now down 43 pounds! If I were more diligent I'd be at my goal weight by now, but that's OK...better slow than never. My new job keeps me hopping, which is great. I'm getting fitter all the time...the first week, I was in so much pain at the end of the day that I'd almost want to cry...now, I can go running after dinner. Just under a month ago, I bought a pair of size 16 white jeans to show in at Sporthorse Nationals, but at the time I couldn't wear them in public because my thighs looked too gross. Now, they look great! I also bought a pair of size 14...I can get into them, but they pull just a little. I'm hoping to lose just a few more pounds before I leave on September 20th so I can wear those, too!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-60833496356843713892009-08-23T19:44:00.000-07:002009-08-23T19:47:17.648-07:00Checking inSo, my new job is going great...I'm starting to get the hang of everything and learning a lot. I'm working about 11 hours a day, but I hardly feel it anymore. In fact, after grooming all day, I still have enough energy left over to work my horses or even go on a trail ride. I'm losing weight, although my stupid scale can't seem to decide how much. My clothes are definitely getting looser and you can see more muscle definition!<br /><br />Just under a month to go until nationals...I'm having a hard time fitting in my running with my schedule, but I MUST!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514576705958256247.post-1954791971350467212009-07-31T07:48:00.000-07:002009-07-31T07:50:45.063-07:00New job!I got a bit of a surprise last night...a new job! I'll be grooming for a dressage trainer. I'll be working with horses all day, so I'm going to love it! Plus, it'll be great exercise so hopefully I'll lose a ton of weight. The hard part will be getting in running, too. I'll probably have to do that early in the morning before I go to work. I didn't today because I'm going dancing tonight instead. Off I go...wish me luck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2