First Month
The dreaded first month.
After my appointment with my Doctor, I came home and told my husband, Sean, about my conversation. I told him that I wanted to start the following Monday. We talked about the point the Doctor made about "the average woman who runs on the treadmill for 45 minutes and burns 350 calories. How much running do you do and why do you need that many calories?" Ouch.
Anytime since I think of that comment. Do I need to eat this? Do I need these calories for what I am doing today? More often than not the answer is no. Not that it has made this journey any easier - even today.
At first I turned and put all of the responsibility on my husband. Yup. He does the cooking....I do the eating. I pulled out a great cookbook that we found the last time called the New Dieter's Cookbook by Better Homes and Garden. I did see if I could find if it was still available for you. It is hard to find, but came across it on
Amazon.com. It is worth every penny!! There are some great recipes. I will scan some of my favorite ones in and share.
One of the things that I had to give up was.....are you ready for it....gasp.....the horror.....all alcohol! I say it like that because it is amazing the reactions that I that I get when I tell people this. It is as if I have 10 heads. To date, when people ask what I have done to loose the weight, I start telling them what I avoid and when I get to that - EVERYONE says oh, no way, forget it. Can't do it. Funny, when it comes to either hitting your goal of looking good and being healthy, people will choose their drink. Well, I chose to look HOT in my little designer jeans!
WHAT DID I EAT?
Easier to say what can I NOT eat? As mentioned in my previous blog entry, you can eat anything - as long as you count for the calories. CAKE - sure go for it - if it is going to be all you eat. Biggest devastation for me is that I LOVE ITALIAN food. No more cream sauces. No more cheesey gooey foods. GONE! You know those yummy calazones? Yeah, those babies are 1,400 calories on average BEFORE you add in meats! Yes, that is MORE than I am allocated to eat! CRAZINESS!
So, obviously - sugar is out. BUT, I did stock up on 100 Calorie snack packs to help with sugar and salt cravings. I made sure I had a little of something so I did not feel deprived. Also, ice cream - a little Edie's or Dryer's Slow Churned Ice Cream. Measure it out to the serving size and enjoy. But make sure you budget it in!
Flour and White Foods - I already shared that I gave up most bread and switched to Joseph's - see previous blog entry. For Pasta's I searched and found that I could have almost of the Wheat type spaghetti's. You need to keep to the serving size. It is not much, you may want a salad with little dressing on the side to go with it. There are only a few Sauces in the jar that you can use - but they are out there. I like Muir Glen Sauce - low in calories but difficult to find. You can add to it if you don't eat a salad by putting in fresh vegetables. Make sure you account for the calories.
Beef - yes, Beef. Another favorite. Means no more good, yummy, taste aka fatty cuts of meat. It does go with out saying this includes no ground beef. Which with all of the press about pink slime, I am grateful that habit had been kicked! :-) When you look at the calorie count of most cuts of beef, you come to realize that it is just not worth it! I did eventually go back to eating beef after some time. But I keep it to small cuts and lean fillets. No burgers. No briskets. No good ol' BBQ.
I do eat a lot of veggies, a lot of chicken and a lot of turkey. I have come to LOVE ground turkey and use it to make tacos, etc..
I don't like fish. GROSS! People always found that odd since I grew up in MA. But I tell them that I have seen the water that the fish has swam in - THAT is why I don't like eating it! However, I have opened up to it as I got bored of my selection of food. I now eat Mahi Mahi, Halibut and a little Talapia. Though I don't like the Talapia - tastes like dirt to me. But that is my opinion.
One thing I did do - I DID EAT PIZZA THE ENTIRE TIME! Yes, I would eat pizza OUT at least once to twice a week every week. WHAT? Am I serious? Yes!!! Ask the wait staff at Johnny Brusco's in Bentonville. What I found is that you can order their thin crust NY Style Pizza - THINNER. It tastes better and knocks off some of the calories. You still need to eat some salad and not eat more than one slice - two tops.
Speaking of salad. Low Fat Vinaigrette's, on the side with no cheese and no croutons. Always order this way. People always think salads are okay and the safe thing to eat. Salads can be as bad as a Double Quarter Pounder if you are not careful! You want only the veggies. Also, if you put your fork into the dressing then the salad - you get a lot of dressing per bite and it is YUMMY. Or so you think. You would be amazed how much is left behind. TRY IT!!
HURDLES
The first month was February of 2011. This month includes the wonderfully romantic day of Valentine's, which for some reason includes a lot of chocolate. LOTS AND LOTS of ....mmmmm....yummy chocolate. Then there is Seamus' birthday. Which includes a Rick's Bakery Cake - for those not in North West Arkansas. Ohhhh MY GOODNESS good! Then you have my Mother's birthday and the fact I just started -- making it easy to just say screw it lets wait.
Seamus' Birthday Party was wonderful. Great cake from Rick's and I did not have a piece. I was so proud of myself. Yes, this is a HUGE accomplishment!
Then on Valentine's Day we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. If you are not familiar with this restaurant, lets just say, as great as it is - they drown your steak, chicken or fish in butter. I am completely convinced that this is part of their secret and to their wonderful seared meals. I will tell you - not so yummy when you all of sudden are aware of what you are eating and feel like you need a shower from all of the butter. Or a drop cloth! I still have dinner there, I just order my meal with out butter. NONE!
Which brings up the topic....which I will talk about tomorrow as I catch up on the blog . Eating out and what to ask for and be aware of. Also, if there is a question that you have, don't forget to let me know what it is!
So.....how much did I loose my first month?
20 POUNDS from my first appointment to my second appointment. That is 5 pounds per week.
No working out. No medicines. No supplements or crazy drugs. Just changing the way I eat. Embracing a new eating LIFESTYLE! (notice the word - lifestyle!! not DIET!).
XOXO and Love,
Kerry
