Meatless Monday FAIL...and NSV

You may remember this post  when I was so excited about trying this recipe for Honey-Sesame Tempeh from Eating Well magazine.  Well, I finally got around to making it yesterday and it was...disgusting!

Maybe I just don't like tempeh.  It has sort of a rancid-nut undertone.  But, I also didn't care much for the carrot slaw.  Too much vinegar?  The recipe didn't specify seasoned rice-vinegar, so I used plain.  It was just too sour!  I tried adding a bit of sweetener (thinking that perhaps I should have used seasoned rice-vinegar) and it helped a little, but not enough.  The entire dish was just a bit...off.  And sour.  And yucky.  It looks pretty, though.

N.S.V.'s

In other news, I had my cholesterol checked last week and it's down to 147!!!  Back in September, I was disappointed to discover that, after losing 20+ pounds, my cholesterol had actually increased to 224.  I was put on Zocor.  It was about this time that I really started focusing on my vitamins/supplements and I started taking the MegaRed krill oil (similar to fish oil) and added flax meal to my smoothies.  

Despite the improvement, I have to stay on the statins for a few more months before the doc will re-evaluate.  She says it's possible that she'll get me off of them by the end of the year to see how I can do on my own with just diet & supplements.

Other good news:  I am no longer considered "pre-diabetic."  My fasting blood sugar levels have gone from 99 (pre-surgery) to 90.  AND...my blood pressure was down to its lowest ever...105/65!

Cheers!

Arms of...jelly?

I barely made it through the 1st 6-minute "circuit" in the 30-Day Shred Level 1 and my arms feel like jelly.  Here's hoping that I will be able to complete the full 20-minute workout by the end of the week.

Baby steps may be slow, but they'll get you there eventually.

Cheers!

30 day shred begins today...

I got a package in the mail yesterday:  Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred!  According to the website, this video has:

three 20-minute circuit-training workouts that burn mega calories and build strong, lean muscle. Each level contains a 20-minute workout based on Jillian's exclusive 3-2-1 Strength/ Cardio/Ab training circuit: 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of ab work. There's also a brief warm-up session and a cool down stretch.

I will be starting it today and will let you know how it goes.  The cover claims that you can lose "up to 20 pounds in 30 days."  I am hoping for 10, but will be happy with 8.  I do have a Lap-Band after all, and 8 lbs in a month should be a reasonable expectation.

ultimate smoothie re-design...with chia!

Occasionally, I play around with my Yummiest Smoothie EVAR recipe in order to incorporate a new healthy ingredient. Sometimes, I my goal is to to change the nutritional profile in order to reflect my own nutritional need changes.

For example, I recently cut down on the amount of fruit in order to shave a few calories.  I also went from 5.3 to 4.0 oz of yogurt so that I could more easily use the larger "bulk" containers and save some money (and space in my recycling bin).  When my doctor put me back on statins to help with stubbornly elevated cholesterol levels, I added a Tbsp of flax meal which is high in Omega 3's.

My most recent [re]discovery is Chia seeds!  I first read about Chia seeds in the March 2010 issue of Clean Eating magazine.  Apparently, ancient Aztec warriors could run for an entire day fueled by just 1 Tbsp of these amazing seeds.  Omega 3, fiber, protein & calcium are just a few of the reported nutritional benefits.  

If you soak chia seeds in water for just a few minutes, it will form a gel that some people like to add to drinks.  I haven't tried this, but I have noticed a difference in the texture of my morning smoothie (to which I now add 1 Tbsp Chia seeds).  My smoothies are now just slightly thicker--this means that they fill me up faster AND longer!

Here's my new Yummiest Smoothie EVAR recipe:
(300 calories; 24g protein; 14g fiber; 3g fat)

1 Tbsp chia seeds
2 tsp Metamucil sugar free original
1-2 Tbsp NOW Egg white protein powder
4 oz. Chobani 0% vanilla yogurt
2 oz. Lifeway Plain kefir
1/2 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana

Fish recipe--SCORE!

A couple of days ago I posted about eating more fish and included a link to a recipe that I wanted to try (click on the picture here and it will take you to the recipe).  I cooked it last night and it was a big hit!  Not something we want to eat every week, but it will definitely go into the rotation for every couple of months.  The flavors are what I consider to be typical of North African cuisine and , while robust, are very well balanced,  Plus, the overall dish didn't taste too "fishy" (a common complaint from my husband).

Tonight we're going to try a vegetarian meal:  Sesame-Honey Tempeh & Quinoa.  A band-friendly half serving of this vegetarian dish is only 268 calories with 14 g protein!

click on the picture to view the full recipe

eat more fish...

One of my new healthy eating goals is to have 1 fish and 1 vegetarian dinner each week.  Tonight I'm making tacos for my Mom's 75th birthday (she loves tacos).  But, tomorrow night I plan to make this:

I bought the halibut yesterday from the Farmer's Market and everything else is already in the pantry.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

and, we're back down again...

Just got back from the doctor's office where I had .5cc taken out.  I already feel better.  I knew there was trouble this morning when I had trouble drinking my coffee.  Then, I couldn't get down my puree'd butternut squash soup. So, I called around 12:45 and they said...get this..."can you be here by 1:30?"  I almost asked "what day?" until I realized that they were talking about TODAY!!!

I love my new doctor. :)

Sisterhood corduroy pants...

I haven't been able to contribute much to the Sisterhood since most of my larger clothes were bought at places like Wal-Mart and just weren't high quality.  However, now I'm finally starting to shrink out of some of my newer clothes I will be able to offer some items up for grabs.  The first is this pair of Jones New York Signature Collection black stretch corduroy pants in size 16.  I have only worn them twice (once in Chicago) and they run a little big.  If you're currently in a size 18, these might work for you.

First one to email me (thistimenextyear *dot* lynda *at* gmail.com) gets them!

significant numbers...

I haven't really set any hard goals for myself--things like "I will weigh XX pounds by XX date."  But, there are a few numbers that have significance to me and that I will celebrate when I reach them.  One of those numbers is coming up...199.  As of this morning, I am only 6 lbs away from the 100's.  This is significant in and of itself since it will also put me in the under 35 BMI range.  However, it is more significant because for most of my life, 200 was the weight that I never reached.  I weighed in @ 198-199 a couple of times, but never went beyond.  Something happened in my mid-30's and I started gaining weight at an alarming rate.  Before I new it, I was @ 219...and I just gave up.  It wasn't long before I tipped the scales at my heaviest and stayed there for over a year.

Other significant numbers:

191.5--50 lb weight loss
170--no longer "obese"
165--weight when I went on my first "date" with my husband in 2004
155--realistic goal
145-dream goal
138--the lowest recorded weight of my post-college life

product endorsement...jeans!

I went shopping last week and discovered that I am well and truly ensconced in "regular" size 16's (no "W" after that one, baby!).  Alas, that means that I have to give up my beloved Levi's 580 Defined Waist Boot Cut Jeans--which I have owned in sizes 20W, 18W, and 16W.

However, I am uber-excited about my new love: Levi's 525 Perfect Waist!  If you are like me and have a "full" bottom with a smaller waist, then you know the horrors of "the gap." 

This picture is NOT me! (LOL)

  

Well, the Levi's 525 has a band of heavy-duty elastic on the inside of the waist-band that is super-comfortable and eliminates this gap!  If you heart just skipped a beat at reading "elastic" and "waist" in the same sentence, never fear.  The exterior is smooth like a regular jean waistband, it just stretches a bit.  Check it out...

Cheers!

Things my heart will do today...

Will beat 104,333 times, pump 1,530 gallons of blood, and push that blood nearly 14,720 miles throughout my body!
Created by MyFitnessPal.com

+1.6...

The doctor today put back in 1.6 of the 1.0cc's that he removed in January.  That's not a typo...I got .6cc's more than I had when I was too tight.  Am I scared?--you bet!  But, Dr. Steinburg had me swallow the barium mix 3 times and swore that it all looked "perfect."  So, I'll give it a shot.  At least I know I can get in to see him if things go wrong (unlike my previous doctor).

He says things look good and I should see him again in 6 weeks.  I'm on liquids for the next 2 days and soft foods for another 2 days after that.  He wants me to baby the band and make sure that there are no repercussions from my nausea & vomiting last week. 

So, I stocked up on Mix 1 protein drinks and Slim Fast.  I'm about to throw some sweet potatoes & butternut squash in the oven to make soup and I have a pot of home-made vegetable/beef soup simmering on the stove.

Back to basics, y'all!

fill day...

I have an appointment for a fill today @ 1pm.  I have no idea what to expect.  It's my first fill with the new band doctor and he's doing it under fluoroscopy.  Up until last week, I was eating anything and everything in sight--enough that I managed to gain 5 pounds in just 5 days in NYC (and we walked A LOT!).  But, the band seems to have clamped down a bit since my illness last weekend.  So, now I just don't know where I am.  Am I tight because I'm really tight, or is it just a temporary measure due to the irritation?

Fingers crossed!

are you paying attention...

...to my ticker?  If you are, you may have noticed the drastic fluctuations over the last few days.  Here's the explanation:

Last week, on Tuesday, I had to take my mom to the ER.  She's okay now, but in the process I caught some sort of bug (there were 3 people in the waiting room who were vomiting).  As a result, I lost 7lbs in two days--all of it liquid coming out of places that liquid is not supposed to come out.  I wound up in the ER myself getting two bags of IV fluids to rehydrate and some antibiotics for the bug.  That put me back up 4lbs--the first time in my life that I think I was relieved to see a gain on the scale!!!  But, today I'm back down again.  I haven't eaten much in several days and I'm sure that has something to do with it.  In fact, yesterday was the first time since Friday that I ate anything--a banana, a cup of kefir and 1/4 baked potato.  

I'm feeling much better today, but am a little scared to eat much of anything.  I'm thinking oatmeal or cream-of-wheat might do the trick.