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GAIL'S DIET LOG[July, Week 1][July, Week 2][July, Week 3][July/ Aug.,Week 4] July 8, 2008: Day 1-IntroductionWell...I've thought about doing this diet log for awhile now but just didn't want to feel so exposed about my weight issues. I have really been struggling to keep my weight off since last June, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to be held accountable every day for my food and exercise decisions! I've checked out the "online diet blog" concept, and figured I'd try my own version here. If having to share this information with you doesn't keep me on the "straight and narrow" then I don't know what will. If you would like to share your stories or comment on my diet log, please contact me. Unless you ask me not to, I may share some of your comments here. Okay, here goes... As of today, I am making a
renewed commitment
to lose weight and take care of my health! July 8, 2008-P.M.-Diet Log-Week 1Okay, this will be the only day with two entries. I want to be able to complete this diet log each evening. Today went really well! I walked an hour this morning. I wasn't breaking speed records but at least I got out the door and did it! If you've got a walking companion, then you're lucky! Walking alone can be grueling--thank goodness for iPods. I only had one diet soda today but it was a Big Gulp. In my defense, my husband brought it home to me, so it would have been rude to turn it down, right??? I was really good with food today too. My usual breakfast is a Kashi trailmix bar. I've been hooked on them for awhile. I had an apple for a snack and then I ate a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner for lunch. A typical frozen dinner fits into the 5-4-3-2-1 diet well, as it's just about 14 total bites. I had a couple of Sunsweet California Prunes "Ones" for an afternoon snack. (Quit laughing, they're delicious and healthy!) I had a large salad for dinner with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and tuna, plus 1 T. of olive oil and vinegar, so it was a lot of volume but not a lot of calories. I know, I know...I'm supposed to be getting away from volume. I'll do better with that tomorrow! July 9, 2008-Diet LogMade it through Diet Log-Day #2!! I walked for 50 minutes today. I had my normal breakfast (love those Kashi Trailmix bars) and then had a snack of Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt--yummy! I went to lunch today at Applebee's and ordered their new chicken Weight Watchers dinner. Since I'm combining 5-4-3-2-1 with the WW core plan, I only ate 14 bites, which was exactly half of the meal. I could have kept eating, but I was satisfied. Waiting a minute between bites really does help you notice that you've had enough. I had two diet sodas at lunch but only water at home. For dinner, I had a few bites of meatloaf, brown rice, and cooked cabbage. Oh, and I had a glass of skim milk. So...I'm happy with today and looking forward to tomorrow... July 10, 2008-Diet LogGood day #3!! Yea! I walked for 40 minutes this morning. My walks aren't purposely getting shorter but I've been fighting bad weather for the past two days. I had my usual breakfast with skim milk and 2 prunes for a snack. I ate the other half of my Applebee's meal for lunch. For dinner I had a WW lasagna and a small cabbage salad with olive oil and vinegar. Yummy! Oh...I had a message today! Barbara from Tennessee wrote:Good idea! Brave move! Have not heard of the trailmix bars. Will have to try those out. Since being good I have increased my diet soda (Diet Cherry Coke is my new passion)! SWEET TEA used to be my daily drink of choice. I don't drink a lot so the Diet Cherry Coke helps me to drink more than I would. I still only have maybe two a day; three on weekends, but that is a lot when I can go all day without anything to drink. Keep up the good work and I will "tune in" for your latest blog. Good Luck to you!! Thanks for contributing to my diet log, Barbara! It's nice to know I'm not alone! July 11, 2008-Diet LogThe weather was “iffy” again this morning so I drove to the mall and walked an hour before it opened. I haven’t done that in years! I had forgotten how nice it was to walk in air conditioning. I still worked up a “glow” but my pace was so much faster since the heat didn’t oppress me! I saw something inspiring at the mall! Five mothers with infants were pushing their strollers and periodically stopping to do exercises—like stations. It almost made me want to borrow a baby—but I came to my senses! I had my Kashi bar and then a banana right before walking. I decided yesterday that I need a little more fuel for my walk. Lunch was an Amy’s (frozen) rice and vegetable bowl. They’re so delicious! I forgot to mention that when I stopped by the grocery store, they were giving away free samples of bacon-flavored chocolate-- yes, you heard me correctly! I only had a little taste (really!)to check it out. I wasn't impressed... I was busy on the website today so I didn't even stop for my afternoon snack. Dinner was a frozen dinner, brown rice, and broccoli. It was good! Oh, I had one soda today! So...another good day! Yippee! July 12, 2008-Diet LogWhat a great day! The weather was perfect! I walked one hour and 45 minutes!! I love my iPod! Even at my current pace, that had to be about 6 miles! By the way, if anyone has a pedometer that they love, I'd sure appreciate hearing about it. I've tried several but none were impressive. Now if they walked for me, that would really be impressive, but I'll settle for an accurate reading... I was good with food today although I ate more than usual...I had my Kashi bar and a banana before I walked and some Weight Watchers fat-free vanilla yogurt (fantastic!) with fresh blueberries when I got back. I had a salad with tuna for lunch and then a large apple mid-afternoon. For dinner, we cooked steaks on the grill but I only ate half of my strip steak with a few bites of potato and some string beans. All healthy choices! Keeping this diet log is already helping me. Today when I was tempted, I reminded myself that I didn't want to have to "fess up" tonight! Hey! I had another visitor to my diet log! Victoria from North Carolina wrote: July 13, 2008-Diet LogGosh, I can't believe I'm already on day 6!! I had an excellent day today! I was going to take the day off today (walking) after my l-o-n-g walk yesterday, but decided to get the kinks out by walking 30 minutes. It felt good! I had my regular breakfast of a Kashi bar and before I walked I added 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters which I cooked in the microwave for a minute or so for some protein with practically no calories. A few hours later, after I walked, I had WW fat-free yogurt with banana and blueberries. Then I was busy on the website and didn't think about eating until I made a dinner. I had two small slices of pork loin, some sweet potato "fries" made in the oven with a little olive oil, and about three bites of black-eyed peas. I had company and I passed up dessert completely! I'm on a roll... July 14, 2008-Diet LogHey! Another good day! I'm doing the happy dance now. I go weigh tomorrow night at WW to see if I've made some progress. Surely, I have! I walked for 80 minutes today! I had my Kashi bar and 2 hard-boiled eggs a little later (before I walked). For lunch I ate a salad with cabbage, lettuce, carrots, onion, tomatoes, a few super thin slices of roast turkey, and 1 T. of olive oil and basalmic vinegar with dijon mustard--yum! About three hours later, I had a Fiber One chocolate and oats bar (they're fabulous and only 2 WW points with tons of fiber!)with a diet soda (only one). Dinner was a can of Progresso Hearty Tomato soup and a grilled cheese made with 2 slices of Double Fiber (Nature's Own) bread and 2 oz. of 2% Velveeta. I lightly toast the bread first and then spray it with that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. It is so good and the whole sandwich is only 3 WW points!! Talk about comfort food! I see I've gotten away from 5-4-3-2-1 this week but I'm not being critical because I've been really good and I've really watched my portions. I think I'll save 5-4-3-2-1 for restaurants. It's perfect for that! I walked every day this week, so that's great! Next week, I want to try to add some other exercises in besides just walking... July 15, 2008-Diet Log-Week 2I LOST 4.8 POUNDS THIS WEEK! YIPPEE!Well, I weighed at my WW meeting tonight and all my hard work paid off big time!! In all fairness, I have to tell you that part of that big drop is because I was really bad the week before. Whatever...I'm taking it!I had to adjust my workout plan because I pulled a muscle in my lower back yesterday which got worse as the day progressed. I walked 45 minutes but knew I couldn't twist and turn in yoga. Hopefully, it will heal quickly... Today I had my Kashi bar, a hard-boiled egg before walking, and yogurt, blueberries and a banana for lunch. After my WW mtg. I had a salad for dinner with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tuna, olive oil and vinegar with dijon mustard. Oh, and I had a 60 calorie chocolate pudding as a treat for finishing week one!I had another message today. Jennifer from Virginia wrote: July 16, 2008-Diet LogUnfortunately, my back is getting worse instead of better but I still walked for 50 minutes this morning with only mild discomfort. (It's the sitting down and getting up that's killing me!) I had a good day with food too. I had the Kashi bar for breakfast and drank a glass of skim milk before I walked. After the walk, I had a few super thin slices of roasted turkey. I went out for lunch with some friends and only ate a few bites of each item on my plate. There was easily half left when I finished. It was so good that I felt totally satisfied! I made a salad for dinner with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and ten boiled shrimp cut up in it. I used 1 T. olive oil and basalmic with dijon for dressing. It was fantastic! I feel like I can eat for awhile, with lots of crunching, but not a lot of calories. Oh, I had a Fiber One bar today too as a snack. The only thing I didn't do so well with was diet soda. I had two at lunch and then my husband brought me a Big Gulp home, so I had to drink it--right? :-) July 17, 2008-Diet LogI walked 60 minutes today. My back is still a mess but I'm very grateful that standing and walking is still fairly comfortable. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast along with a glass of skim milk before I walked. For lunch, I had a bowl of blueberries with a banana and some Weight Watchers vanilla yogurt and 1/3 cup of Kashi Go Lean cereal on top. It was fantastic!! I had a Fiber One Chocolate and Oats bar mid-afternoon with a diet soda (only one today).For dinner I had about 3 oz. of a chuck roast I made in the crockpot for my husband, and a large salad with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onion, tomato, and 1T. of olive oil and 2-3 T. vinegar. (Are you sensing a pattern?) I'm hooked on the crunch! July 18, 2008-Diet LogHi! The week is moving along rapidly! I can tell from my website reports that there are people keeping up with my diet log. I wish you'd send me a note via my "contact me" page! I walked for 40 minutes this morning before 9am and it was sweltering! I'm not going to worry about pushing myself until my back is better (and today it feels like maybe it's on the mend!). My main objective right now is getting out the door and getting it done! I had my normal Kashi bar for breakfast and then went out to lunch at Panera's. I had a cup of Chickpea Texas Chili with the hunk of bread. I LOVE that bread! I felt like a failure afterwards because I ate the whole hunk. My plan was to just eat the crust! For dinner I made another big salad with tuna and 1 T. olive oil. There's something very satisfying about crunching for fifteen minutes! As you can tell, I'm perfectly happy eating the same thing over and over. My husband doesn't like to do that though, so he's on his own in the kitchen most of the time. I was having a sweet attack so I had one of those 60 calorie chocolate puddings with 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream on top of it. That was good! July 19, 2008-Diet LogHi! I can't believe we're five days into this week already! I had another good day! Yea! By the time I got ready to walk, it was too darn hot outside, so I walked a four-mile DVD, called Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds, Intensity Walk. Even with the air-conditioner on and the ceiling fan over me, I was sweating, so that's good. I bought my copy at the bookstore, but you can rent them through Netflix or check them out of libraries too. I'm sure my eating has gotten boring for you. I had my Kashi bar firs thing. After I walked, I made an omelet using Egg Beaters and I added peppers. I had one slice of Nature's Own Double-Fiber bread, plain, and two Morning Star Sausage (veggie) patties, and a glass of skim milk. About three hours later, I had a Fiber One bar, and for dinner I had my usual big salad with some chicken and garbanzo beans. As always, I used 1 T. of olive oil and vinegar to get that heart-healthy oil. Hey, Barbara wrote again: July 20, 2008-Diet LogDay 6!! Well, it was another sweltering day. I walked for an hour. I had my usual Kashi bar first thing with a cup of coffee and a banana about an hour later. For lunch I made my big salad (lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onion, tomato) with some chicken (3 oz.) and some garbanzo beans (about 1/4 cup) and 1 T. olive oil (which I always measure because it's high in calories) with vinegar. I had three of my husband's hot wings too, 1 was breaded and the other two were "naked." Right after lunch I had an Edy's frozen fruit bar (it's the skinny one about an inch wide) and about three hours later I had a Fiber One bar. For dinner I made tuna salad with a can of tuna, one hard boiled egg, celery, onion, and jalapeños mixed with fat-free Miracle Whip. I had that on two slices of double-fiber bread, with a glass of skim milk. I could have eaten half the mixture because the celery really bulked it up, but alas, I ate it all... Once I weigh Tuesday night at WW, I'll have a better idea of whether or not I need to cut back even more. I'm eating a lot of bulk and I'm eating much less than I was eating previously, so it's hard to guess if it's the "right amount." I know I didn't need to have the chicken wings but they looked so darn good. I figured one would be fine but one turned into three! About an hour later, I had a 60 calorie pudding with two tablespoons of vanilla ice cream on top. July 21, 2008-Diet LogToday was a scorcher so I drove to the gym and used their treadmill for an hour. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and then cleaned the downstairs. After I finished that, I ate a WW yogurt with a banana and some fruit pieces (from a Delmonte jar, without the juice). Then I walked and for lunchI had two slices of double fiber toast with 2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges spread on them and a 3 slices of thinly sliced turkey. Fo snacks, I had a frozen fruit bar (an inch around) and an apple. For dinner, I had broccoli, a WW frozen dinner, and a SMALL salad (not my usual) of cabbage, carrots, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. I ate an early dinner so I may have a Fiber One bar in a few minutes...it's good for the sweet tooth and has NINE grams of fiber! Well, I made it through another week! Yippee! I'll go weigh tomorrow night and see if this week worked too. July 22, 2008-Diet Log-Week 3I LOST 2.6 POUNDS THIS WEEK! 7.4 TOTAL!! WOOHOO!Well, two weeks down and things are going well! I walked for an hour today after having my Kashi bar and a cup of coffee. I knew I had to weigh tonight so I wanted to be careful to eat light and not have too much sodium today. For lunch, I had a WW frozen dinner on top of brown rice. I use those individual packs of brown rice that you microwave. They're fantastic and the perfect amount. (3 WW pts. if you count points.) After I weighed and stayed for the WW meeting, I came home and splurged on a big salad with my usual ingredients PLUS feta cheese and pistachio nuts. As always, I used olive oil, which I didn't measure (another splurge!)and vinegar. I'm sure it was too many calories but it was healthy and just one celebratory night, right? I also had one of those 60 calorie chocolate pudding cups with about 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream on top. Eileen, the WW leader that I've had the pleasure of being with for five years, is leaving after tonight. That's very sad to me. I can't imagine not having her there to cheer me on...hopefully, I can make her proud!July 23, 2008-Diet LogAlright, let's go week 3!! I had my Kashi bar for breakfast and then went to the gym to use their treadmill for an hour. It is just too darn hot to walk outside, even at 9am. Today was close to 100 degrees! I went to lunch with some girlfriends and had a Greek salad. There was a small amount of feta cheese on it and everything else was super low-calorie veggies and a few Greek olives. I got the dressing on the side and only used half of one little container (instead of the 2 they brought with it). When I got home, I had 2 prunes from the Sunsweet Ones--they are so good and it makes me feel like I'm getting some fruit. I also had a very small handful of pistachios. For dinner, I had a Lean Cuisine dinner and two slices of double-fiber toast with one Laughing Cow cheese wedge spread on it. (That is so good!) Afterwards, I had a few bites of cubed fruit (from a jar), no syrup. July 24, 2008-Diet LogWell! I have good news and bad news...the good news is that I walked on the gym treadmill for 30 minutes this morning and then took a 75 minute yoga class. Afterwards, I went to lunch with my girlfriends and was pretty good but the calories were probably high. I split a salad and a small pizza with a friend. I only had a little salad but I had 3 super small pieces of vegetable pizza (seriously, they were probably 4 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide at the most). It was all delicious. I sent the leftovers home with my friend so that I wouldn't have them talking to me. The bad news is that I just got back from a really nice birthday party for my friend. I had two glasses of red wine and a host of delicious things to eat. I didn't pig out or anything like that, but I ate what I wanted (for example I had 2 (not one!) lumpia!! YUMMY! I also had two small pieces of dessert which was scrumptious! So...way too many calories today. I'll just have to try to make up for it the rest of the week. July 25, 2008-Diet LogWell, it's another good news, bad news day! The great news (and hopefully it will save me today) is that I walked 6 miles this morning! It took me one hour and forty minutes...so good exercise. I intended to be super good today to make up for yesterday. I had my usual Kashi bar and a banana. I went to lunch with some friends and had about five french fries and a small salad with vegetables and low-calorie dressing. Then, for some reason, when I came home around 3:30, I started eating pistachios!! I don't know where that came from or why I didn't come to my senses earlier. Anyway, I finished the pistachios, so they surely won't be bothering me anymore. I also ate a real hot dog on a real bun and some baked chips. So...not such a good day calorie-wise, but hopefully the walking helped. If I don't get back on the stick tomorrow, I'll be worried! Katie from Florida wrote me! She said, "I am enjoying your website a lot. I have struggled with my weight all my life. I have purchased a bodybugg which records calories used. If you are interested in reading about it, go to www.myapex.com. I have been on a rigorous weight loss program since March 23. I work out with a personal trainer but in a group setting. I have only lost 20 lbs since I started, but I am hoping I will be down another 20 by Dec. when we all plan to go snow skiing as a family. Hopefully by the reunion I will have another 10 gone. I have done weight watcher's core and it works fantastic. It is very satisfying. I have a two egg omelet with 1/4 c egg whites, portabellas, mushrooms and spinach sauteed in Pam almost every a.m. some mornings a protein shake with 1 scoop protein powder, raspberry seltzer H20, 8 baby carrots, a small apple, frozen blueberries and 4 frozen strawberries and a splenda. It is wonderful! Lunch is always a veggie salad with oil and vinegar w/chicken or tuna. Dinner is usually Tilapia, chicken, broccoli and salad. For snacks: plain sweet potato, low fat yogurt or fruit. And loads of H20. Thanks, Katie!! That sounds wonderful. Finally something different for my readers to try! I agree that WW Core is the way to go! Good luck,congratulations on the weight loss, and thanks for writing!! July 26, 2008-Diet LogFinally! I'm back on track! Whew, I was getting a little worried...Okay, let's see, I walked for an hour this morning. It was hot but not very humid for a change. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and a banana before I walked. Afterwards I had 2 prunes. For lunch, I had a La Tortilla Factory whole-wheat tortilla with one Laughing Cow cheese wedge spread on it and heated in the microwave for 10 seconds. It's fabulous and only 2 WW points for both of them. The tortillas are huge but full of fiber, and delicious! About three hours later, I had a whole bag of brussel sprouts, which is a lot of bulk, but few calories. I guess I was having a veggie attack. For dinner, I had a six-inch Subway with wheat bread, turkey, and veggies. No cheese, mayo, or oil. I put a little mustard and a few squirts of that spray balsamic dressing on it. I'm going to have a Fiber One bar for dessert when I'm done here. July 27, 2008-Diet LogWell, the week is rushing by and it's not my best week, that's for sure! I walked for 40 minutes this morning. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast. After I walked, I had a whole wheat tortilla with one Laughing Cow wedge and some lean turkey lunch meat. About three hours later, I had a large salad with some chicken, some garbanzo beans, and some feta, with 1 T. olive oil, thinking that would keep me from being too hungry at a party I was going to around 5:30. At the party, I did OKAY, but not great! I avoided things like cake and cookies and avoided a bun with my small amount of bar-b-q, and even avoided alcohol since I was driving, but I could have been better, I guess. So...I have tomorrow and then I weigh...yikes! July 28, 2008-Diet LogHi, everyone, I can't believe the third week is over. This week has been a struggle for me and I imagine I'll pay for it tomorrow night when I weigh at Weight Watchers. I walked today for 40 minutes. I had my usual Kashi bar and coffee for breakfast. For lunch, I made a salad with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, 2 T. of feta cheese, and 1 T. olive oil and vinegar. I put one of those pouches of salmon on top. It was delicious and healthy! A little later I had a Fiber One bar and 2 prunes (haha, that sounds like an old lady, doesn't it--I swear they're delicious!) and for dinner, I didn't intend to, but I stood at the kitchen island and ate several bites of my husband's spaghetti, so that ended up having to be my dinner. I also had a smoothie made with skim milk and one of Weight Watcher's protein packs--latte flavored. They're good and only 3 points if made with skim milk. It's almost like drinking a milkshake.Next week, I have less social events, I think, so hopefully, I'll make it a point to eat a little more nutritiously. July 29, 2008-Diet Log-Week 4I LOST 1.8 POUNDS THIS WEEK! TOTAL: 9.6!!Well, I feel like I got a gift this week on the scale. I certainly wasn't awful, but I wasn't as good as the previous two weeks, that's for sure. The regular exercise must be helping a lot! This week will be a challenge for me because my pattern is to "be good" for three weeks and then blow it the fourth, so...here's to breaking the pattern!!I walked 40 minutes today. My walks have gotten a little shorter, for no real reason other than it's hotter than Hades, which zaps my strength! I haven't taken a day off yet but wonder if I should because my knees are talking to me a little. It's no big deal, but I'd prefer to not worry about them. Maybe a little ice...I had my usual Kashi bar this morning and then for lunch I had a Lean Cuisine dinner and brown rice. My snack was a Fiber One bar. After I got home from my meeting, I had a salad with olive oil (1T.) and a Lean Cuisine pizza. I make those in the oven (350 for 25 minutes) instead of in the microwave. They're good! Oh, I also had one of those WW one point chocolate bars.I can tell from my web reports that people are following along with me on my diet log. I wish some of you would contact me! July 30, 2008-Diet LogHi, Everyone, I had a great day today. I drove to the mall to walk again and what a difference that makes!! The last few days I was dragging--nothing worked smoothly, but as soon as I hit that air conditioner, I was FLYING! I walked an hour and then bought new walking shoes! I had my usual Kashi for breakfast (big surprise, right?) and a couple of prunes when I got home from walking. (Quit snickering and try them--they're delicious!) I had plans to meet a friend at Panera's for lunch and since I messed up at my lunches last week, I had a fat-free hot dog (Ballpark only for me!)on a Merita wheat bun (total dog and bun = 2 WW pts!) to take the hunger edge off before I left. At Panera's I had a cup of low-fat vegetable soup (yum!) and I ate the crust off my whole wheat baguette piece. I had a Fiber One bar mid-afternoon and made a big salad for dinner. I added 2 T. of feta, a can of tuna (in water, of course), and 1 T. olive oil. Other than that, it was just lettuce and cabbage and tomatoes tonight. Oh, I had a 60 calorie cup of chocolate pudding for dessert. I had something interesting happen yesterday thanks to my website. A company is sending me (free!) a fancy food scale to test that gives lots of nutritional information, instead of just the weight of the food. I'm excited to try it out. If I love it, I'll pass it along to you... Oh, and I got another message from Barb in TN: July 31, 2008-Diet LogCan you believe that July is over? Time sure does fly! I walked today for 40 minutes in my new, wonderful shoes, and then took a yoga class for an hour. It's amazing how much I've lost in the way of strength from the time when I took yoga 3-4 times a week! I'm pitiful now, but at least I'm going, right? I had my usual Kashi bar and a couple of prunes this morning. For lunch, I had 2 hot dogs and buns(see yesterday for specifics--only 4 pts.)along with a few bites of fruit from a Del Monte jar. For a snack I had some popcorn which I make in a contraption in the microwave, without any oil. I then spray it lightly with Butter Pam, so the salt will stick. For dinner, I had a few bites of my husband's meat loaf and baked beans, and a whole wheat tortilla with 2 ounces of 2% Velveeta melted--like a cheese sandwich. (It's only 3 pts.). I had a 60-calorie, double chocolate pudding cup for dessert. Yummo! I know I need to do a better job of eating nutritiously (vegetables, fruits, etc.) but I need to go grocery shopping and it's my LEAST favorite thing to do! August 1, 2008-Diet LogSummer is flying by...Today I only walked 30 minutes and I did it during the late afternoon, which I never do. It was still pretty oppressive as far as the heat goes. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast (I know, boring!) and a banana about two hours later. I went out to lunch with my girlfriends and split a large Greek salad with a friend. It was fantastic! It had lots of lettuce, of course, plus artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, Greek olives, etc. I did have some feta but I scraped most of it onto my friend's plate. Later, I had a Fiber One bar for a snack. For dinner, I had two fat-free Ball Park hot dogs with Merita Lite wheat buns. Remember that two of them equals 4 pts. total! I like to eat my hot dogs totally plain, which freaks out my husband, who smothers his in everything he can find in the fridge! I had a 60-calorie pudding cup for dessert. One thing I didn't do well today is my diet soda intake. They kept bringing them at the restaurant and I had three there, plus my husband brought me a Big Gulp--oh, and I had one this morning while I was working on my website...that's way too much caffeine and carbonation for one person! August 2, 2008-Diet LogToday was a fun day, but it wasn't my best day as a dieter. To begin with, I didn't walk today, for the first time since I started this on July 8. I know that's not a big deal, but I was kind of "digging" my streak! I didn't have time this morning because I overslept and had to get out of the house pretty quickly, and when I got home tonight, I just wasn't motivated. Maybe I'll do a long one tomorrow...I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and two hours later I had a Fiber One bar, to hold me over for a late lunch. I went to Scholtsky's with a friend and took the time to look at their nutritional guide to make a wise choice. I wanted one of their individual vegetable pizzas but decided to save 200 calories with a chicken-pesto sandwich and a small bag of Baked Lays. When my food was ready, would you believe it was a chicken pizza instead! The cashier heard me wrong. So...by this time half of my chips were gone and I ate half of the pizza (they're small) and then ate the chicken and tomatoes off the top of the other half. No telling how many pts. or calories that was! Oh, well...For dinner, I had a fat-free hot dog and wheat bun and some popcorn made in the microwave. I need to do better tomorrow! Hey, I saw the movie Swing Vote today, with Kevin Costner. It's good! Oh, have you heard about the new EXERCISE PILL that researchers are studying? It's amazing! Right now it's being tested just on mice. It can transform a sedentary mouse's muscles (say that three times fast, why don't you) into the comparable physical composition of a trained athlete's muscles, without the mouse lifting a finger--er...claw? paw? All I want to know is...where do I sign up for the human trial? August 3, 2008-Diet LogHi, Everyone! Well, I walked today for one hour and twenty minutes, so hopefully, that helped make up a little for yesterday! I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast. For lunch I had 2 fat-free hot dogs (only Ball Park!) with 2 Merita wheat buns. I also had a few Baked Lays. [You may have noticed that I don't need a lot of variety in my meals, but my hot dogs are gone now, darn it! I don't imagine they're the healthiest thing I could eat but they're very filling and a lot like "comfort food."] I had a Fiber One bar for a snack sometime in the mid-afternoon. For dinner, I made a big salad, with cabbage, lettuce, fresh basil (thanks to my neighbor, Pat), onions, tomatoes, carrots, tuna, and 2 T. feta. As always, I made my dressing out of 1 T. olive oil and basalmic vinegar mixed with dijon mustard. You can tell that I love salads. It makes me feel like I'm getting all my recommended veggies and fiber, and with olive oil, it's very tasty--not at all "diet-like." I had a 60-calorie chocolate pudding for dessert. August 4, 2008-Diet LogHi! It's only mid-afternoon right now, but I'm working on the computer and wanted to add something while it was on my mind. Remember on July 30, I mentioned that a company called Eat Smart sent me a nutrition food scale to check out? Well, I LOVE it! Not only can it calculate what you consumed from a packaged food label, but the coolest thing it does is give you the nutritional information for foods without a label! So, there are no excuses anymore for not knowing what you're eating! It's great for dieters like me, but would also be very helpful to diabetics and heart patients. And...what better way to teach kids how to be nutritionally aware! They can use it to create 100 calorie snacks! Click here to see this incredible new food scale that provides all the nutritional facts you need to help you make healthy choices! I promise you won't be sorry! While I'm here, I may as well tell you that I walked SIX miles this morning!! I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and for lunch I made scrambled eggs out of Egg Beaters with peppers, wrapped in one of those La Tortilla Factory whole wheat wraps, and a glass of skim milk. Simply scrumptious! For dinner, I made a big salad with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onions, and 1/2 cup of kidney beans. As usual, I used 1 T. of olive oil and basalmic vinegar with dijon mustard. I also had a pudding cup. Hey, my cousin, Donna, in Pennsylvania emailed today: August 5, 2008-Diet Log-Week 5I lost 2.4 this week, for a total of 12 pounds in 4 weeks!!Well, I'm psyched! Nothing spurs on motivation like success!I walked for 45 minutes today. I had the Kashi bar for breakfast and a Fiber One bar for lunch, with a Weight Watchers yogurt a little later. I wanted to keep it light today since I had to weigh tonight. When I got home from my meeting, I made a huge salad with cabbage, lettuce, carrots, onion, kidney beans, chicken, and olive oil and basalmic. To "splurge", I didn't measure the olive oil--how funny is that! Now I'm stuffed, but wishing I had more of those chocolate pudding cups! August 6, 2008-Diet LogHi, Everyone! I'm feeling pretty chipper about my good month! It's been a long time since I've been good for 4 weeks in a row. I usually manage 3 weeks and then blow it! I walked this morning for 40 minutes. I was going pretty slowly because I think I overdid it with the 6 mile walk in my new shoes (blisters!), but at least I got out the door! I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and a banana about an hour later. I went to lunch with some friends and the healthiest thing I could find on the menu was "naked chicken fingers." They seemed like grilled chicken tenders with hot sauce to dip them in. I got the appetizer, so it was just the chicken, no fries or anything (but I did steal 2 fries off my friend's plate). The company was good but the food wasn't so great! When I came home, I munched on some carrot sticks. For dinner, I had a WW frozen dinner with broccoli--okay, I'll tell you the whole thing, but it will sound gross! My friend, Elaine, told me to do this. It's the WW ravioli and you cook broccoli and mix them together. I KNOW! Yuck, right? That's what I thought until I tried it! I may have a Fiber One bar later (for dessert), we'll see...I hope you guys had a good day too! I need some of you to write me. I know you're out there because I get a report every morning from SBI, telling me how many people are going to various pages. Don't be shy!First names only! August 7, 2008-Diet LogGosh!...I can't believe it's Thursday already. I intended to walk this morning before my yoga class, but I got caught up on the website and didn't get out of the house fast enough. I know, excuses, excuses. I did take an 80 minute yoga class, so that was good, right? Maybe I can do a long walk tomorrow. My blisters probably appreciate the day off. Guess what I had for breakfast? Yep--no surprises there. I had my delicious Kashi bar. (I should buy stock in the company!) I went out to lunch with some friends and we went to a new Cuban restaurant. It was FAB! I'm sure I ate too much. I intended to stop halfway through my meal, but you know what they say, "best laid plans..." Anyway, I ordered shredded pork with rice and plantains (naturally, they all had Spanish names on the menu). It was really wonderful and full of flavor and garlic! So, tonight I just had some Gazpacho. That's really low in calories. I made it yesterday for the first time this summer and had forgotten how much I love it! Here's the recipe if you're interested! I think I'm going to have a Fiber One bar in a minute too. Oh, and I had 2 prunes today. I had a new email today from Shelly, in Arizona, which by the way I think is a gorgeous state, at least around Sedona! Wow, I've been searching for a program I could actually rely on to help me eat a bit healthier and lose some weight! I gotta say, your Diet Log is definitely what I've been looking for! Living in AZ, us teens don't do much outside, but all the ways you've described walking sounds great! Congratulations and thanks for being an inspiration =) Gosh, Shelly, you made my day!! Hey, how does someone in land-locked Arizona become "beachbug?" Good luck with your walking! When there's a will, there's a way... Also, while I'm thinking about it, I found a great site that I linked one of my exercise pages to today. This site reviews and recommends various home exercise machines. You might want to check it out! August 8, 2008-Diet LogToday was a "Chamber of Commerce" day! It was like May instead of August! I walked an hour this morning on the boardwalk, and then mostly read outside the rest of the day. I finished a really good book, Winter Study by Nevada Barr. I don't think I did too much damage, but it was one weird day with food for me! I had my usual Kashi bar before I walked. Afterwards, I prepared a meal for my husband (a very rare occurrence, I might add!)because it had to cook slowly for hours. It was braised beef short ribs with potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, and lima beans. I made the broth out of a can of French onion soup and a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. I've never used that before but it had been in my cupboard for ages. Anyway, that broth was so darn good that I came inside every hour (it seemed like) to taste it. I even made brown rice for lunch so that I could spoon some of the broth over top of it. I cut up two leftover chicken strips and threw that in too. I didn't make the meal to eat myself because I figured the beef, which I seared in canola oil first, would be too high in calories and fat, and other than the broth, I didn't eat it, but about mid-afternoon, I even spooned some broth out and cooked some broccoli spears in it and then some cabbage. How weird is that?! Other than that, I had some gazpacho for an early dinner and a Fiber One bar, AND THEN made no-oil popcorn!! Just too much random eating, that's for sure. I'm hoping tomorrow is pretty too and maybe I can get a long walk in. I think I could stand to burn some extra calories right about now! Hope you all enjoyed your day too! August 9, 2008-Diet LogIt was another pretty day today and I walked an hour this morning. I had my usual Kashi bar before I walked and a banana when I got home. My husband and I went to Smokey Bones for lunch. I couldn't really find anything for lunch that would be good on my diet, so he ordered the sampler platter and I had one of his pulled pork sliders (a miniature pork sandwich) and half an order of baked beans. I also had one of his onion rings. A few hours later, I had a chocolate brownie Gnu bar. Are you familiar with those? I bought mine at Trader Joe's but I've ordered Gnu bars online before because they're really hard to find. They have a bunch of delicious flavors, but here's what's so special about them. They have 12 grams of fiber in each bar!!! (They're equal to 2 WW pts.) I had a bowl of gazpacho for dinner and about 5 "diet" chips. I'm a little hungry, but I'm going to try not to eat anything else tonight. August 10, 2008-Diet LogWell, I walked one hour and twenty minutes today!! I had--guess what--my Kashi bar for breakfast. {One of these days I'm going to surprise you and eat something different!} For lunch, I made a nice big salad from lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tuna, 1 T. olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Shortly afterwards I had a Fiber One bar. For dinner, I made a can of split pea soup from Trader Joe's. It was just okay. I also made a "grilled cheese" using a whole-wheat tortilla (1 pt.) with 2 ounces of 2% Velveeta (2 pts.) and a little Salsa Verde. It was delicious. I also had one of those Gnu bars I told you about last night. But...here's where it gets yucky...I finished the bag of "Popped" potato chips I bought yesterday at Trader Joe's. They're really good. The whole bag is less than 400 calories but my plan was to have a few a day, so I consider that a big, fat, failure! Guess I'm not ready to ration good stuff yet. August 11, 2008-Diet LogGosh, another week is over. I can't believe how fast it goes by...I walked for an hour this morning. I had my Kashi bar for breakfast and a six-inch chicken breast Subway for lunch. I skipped the cheese and the sauces and had a bag of Baked Lays (2 pts.). That was a really tasty lunch. I had two prunes today as a snack. You have probably figured out by now that I hardly ever cook. Fortunately, my husband likes frozen pizza! I made a great meal tonight. I made it for him but spooned a little of his sauce over my chicken breast. Okay, here's what I did: I browned 2 pork chops in 2 tsp. of olive oil. I sprinkled salt, pepper, and garlic powder on them. I took them out and then browned a sliced onion in 1 tsp. of olive oil. I added a cup of chicken broth and scraped the bottom of the pan to loosen up the good stuff. I added about 3 T. of basalmic vinegar and 2 handfuls of dried cherries (which I bought at Trader Joe's the other day). I stirred it well and added the pork chops back in. I covered the pan and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. The sauce cooks down and becomes thicker. It was FAB! I added brown rice and green beans. My husband is ready to sign me up for "Wife of the Year!" You've got to love a man with low expectations! My cousin, Donna, in PA, wrote:I looked the Gnu bars up from your web site and ordered 25! Just a few days of nothing from the deli, no sodas, eating salads and fresh vegetables and I can tell my jeans are looser. Wow, what progress. August 12, 2008-Diet Log-Week 6I GAINED 4 ounces!! Total loss: 11.6 pounds!Darn! My first gain! I'm pretty bummed, especially since I walked six miles today. I looked back at the last five weeks though and can see that I'm gradually adding more food, mostly in the form of BLTs (bites, licks, and tastes). So, I'll just have to be better about that. I don't know about you all, but when I've experienced success for several weeks in a row, I do get a little cocky. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for my diet, I'm going out of town for four days, from Thursday-Monday. Hopefully, I'll be as good as I can possibly be when I'm not in control of fixing my own food. We'll be eating out a lot, so I have to pay attention to my portions. Okay...today I had my Kashi bar for breakfast and a banana when I finished walking. I made a nice salad for lunch with lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, plus 1 T. olive oil and vinegar. After I weighed, I had TWO Weight Watchers chocolate bars. For dinner I had a bowl of chili and some chips with 2% Velveeta. I know that wasn't great but I was wallowing in self-pity. I'm done now...Doesn't it seem like if you walk 4-6 miles a day, you ought to be able to eat a little more??? I'm just saying...August 13, 2008-Diet Log-Week 6Gosh, I was so busy getting ready to leave town that I almost forgot to record today. First of all, I walked for 30 minutes this morning. I had my Kashi bar for breakfast. I then went to the California Pizza restaurant for lunch with friends. We split a salad and pizza, but the good news is that three of us split something that two of us used to split. For dinner I had gazpacho and a WW frozen pasta dinner. I also had some snacks of WW chocolate bars, WW fudge bars,etc. Too much snacking...I'd better get it together before leaving town. If I eat recklessly for four days,I could do some serious damage... I won't be able to "journal" until Tuesday, let's all be good! Gail out of town Aug.14-18! Please check back on Tuesday!Hi! I just got back in town! We had a great time in Kansas City. I'm afraid I have to admit that I blew my diet! I was good the first day and progressively worse each day after that. I walked 2 out of 3 days. So...all I can do is take the bad news tomorrow night when I weigh and start plugging away again tomorrow, right? I'm disappointed that I didn't try harder to make the right decisions, but hey, it was fun, and it's only a real problem if I don't start being good again right away, so...no regrets! August 19, 2008-Diet Log-Week 7I GAINED 3.8!! Total loss: 7.8 pounds!Well, that was painful to have to type in here. Truthfully, I was afraid it would be worse. While I started out good on my trip, I was wolfing down the chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant two days later...I didn't do much today other than laundry--not even a walk. I'm not sure why I was so lazy. I had a Kashi bar for breakfast and 2 handfuls of almonds for lunch. After my WW meeting tonight, I had a couple of pieces of white pizza. I'll hopefully get more regimented again tomorrow. That works better for me. I'm going kayaking in the morning--that should be fun--and a good arm workout! August 20, 2008-Diet LogOkay, I'm getting back into the swing of things now. I walked 30 minutes today and went kayaking for 90 minutes. It was fun, but I wondered if I was going to make it home on the way back. The wind out of the east was so strong! I must have gotten a great upper body workout! I had a Kashi bar for breakfast and a bowl of Hatteras Clam Chowder for lunch (the kind made of clear broth, clams, celery, potatoes) and about 8 saltines. I had a small handful of raw almonds for a mid-afternoon snack. For dinner, I made a salad with lettuce, carrots, onion, 1/2 cup of black beans, a can of tuna, tomatoes, 1 T. olive oil and basalmic vinegar. I've got to go shopping so I can get back into my salads. They're excellent and it helps me get in my veggie quota. I'm back...I had a Gnu chocolate brownie bar. They're delicious!! They have 140 calories and 12 (!) grams of fiber. That's 2 Weight Watchers points. You can find a link to Gnu if you scroll up a bit...enjoy! August 21, 2008-Diet LogGosh, what a beautiful day! We're having spring in August! I walked for 45 minutes today and took a 75 minute yoga class. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and I went out to lunch with some friends. I had a large salad full of fresh vegetables with grilled chicken on top. I dipped my salad in basalmic and oil dressing. I also had 3 of my friend's french fries! Mid-afternoon, I had one fat-free Fig Newton. For dinner, I made roasted vegetables (red and green peppers, mushrooms, onions, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion all cut up, tossed with a little olive oil, garlic powder, basalmic vinegar, salt and pepper, and roasted in a 400 oven for 30 minutes--spread out on cookie sheets). I had a big helping of that with brown rice and about 3 ounces of my husband's beef roast. I will probably eat my last brownie Gnu bar in a bit. Oh, I heard from Barbara again: I made your "Bean Concoction" yesterday and tossed it on top of my salad. My husband ate two bowls of it for his after dinner snack. The good thing is that he thought he wouldn't like it and loved it. The bad thing is, I will have to now hide it when I make it or he will eat the entire bowl in one sitting!! Thanks, Barbara, I'm glad it was a hit! If anyone is interested, click here for the recipe! August 22, 2008-Diet LogI walked 30 minutes this morning. It was beautiful on the beach--what a breeze! I also swam laps for 40 minutes at the Rec. Center. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and a banana. For lunch, I went to Cheesecake Factory with friends, and had grilled salmon, broccoli, and green beans! I didn't have any bread or a bite of anyone's dessert! Back at home, I've eaten a couple of prunes, some popcorn (no oil), and a fat-free Ball Park hot dog with a wheat bun. Together, they're only 2 WW pts!! Can't beat that. Oh...I forgot, I had a Fiber One bar too! August 23, 2008-Diet LogAnother beautiful day! I walked six miles this morning! It's a good thing too, because I had a case of the "eats." I tried to reach for healthy things, but I couldn't seem to get enough. I had my usual Kashi bar and a banana for breakfast. After I walked, I ate a fat-free Fig Newton and a fat-free Ball Park hot dog and wheat bun with a couple of prunes. Then awhile later, I had a Fiber One bar and some left-over roasted veggies. For dinner, I made a huge salad with a can of tuna and 1/2 cup black beans, carrots, salad, red cabbage, onion, celery and olive oil and vinegar. I'm definitely getting back into volume and need to do something about that. Eating all the time isn't good for weight loss even if it is healthy food! I heard from Barbara. She's worried about her son's diet now that school is back in session. I bet some of you mom's can relate... It is still a challenge making out the grocery list. I am packing & making my son's lunch as the school's lunch choices really do not promote healthy eating, even though I realize they try. He lost 8 pounds over the summer and I am hoping to keep it off and keep him in the groove of the healthier snacks and meal choices. Old habits die hard and with school back in session...the ice cream, cookies and slushies they offer as "extras" just are too tempting for him still. This has been a family challenge - thanks for your advice and support. Thanks for writing, Barbara, and it's my pleasure. That would be tough! Every kid wants to fit in, and carrying your own healthy snacks isn't conducive to "fitting in." I wonder how he'd do with the money to purchase just one treat each day at lunch that can be eaten after his healthy, packed lunch? Being able to have one thing may keep him from feeling deprived and eating everything he can get his hands on... August 24, 2008-Diet LogHi, I walked for 40 minutes this morning! I had my Kashi bar and a banana and after walking, I ate a fat-free Ball Park hot dog with a wheat bun. A few hours later, I ate a Fiber One bar and two prunes. For dinner, I picked at some cold roasted veggies while I made a nice salad of lettuce, cabbage, onions, carrots, black beans, and my olive oil and vinegar. About an hour later, my husband grilled a London Broil and ate about 3 ounces to get some protein (and because it was delicious)! I was busy on the computer much of today so I didn't pick like I did yesterday. August 25, 2008-Diet LogGosh...another week has flown by! I walked 30 minutes today. I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast and a banana a little later. After I walked, I had a hot dog. Mid-afternoon, I ate a Fiber One bar and a couple of prunes. I was still hungry so I ate my big salad early today. I added a can of tuna to it for some protein. I also had a few bites of leftover London Broil and two slices of Nature's Own double fiber bread. I'll be interested to see what I weigh tomorrow night. I think I'm eating too "haphazardly" to lose much weight. I need to start concentrating on having the recommended food groups in proper portions...I seem to do much better when I have a plan. I'll give this some more thought before I write tomorrow night. I might just need to go back to Weight Watcher's flex plan, but I hate to have to keep track of all the specifics. It sure works though! August 26, 2008-Diet Log-Week 8I lost 3.4 pounds this week. Total=11.2 pounds!So...the good news is that I pretty much rectified the damage that I did while I was on my trip. The bad news is that my day got off to a bad start with a doctor's appointment. I won't go into details, but the bottom line is that I have to go back on my cholesterol medication, which bums me out. I handled it very maturely by not exercising and eating too much today. I'll spare you the gory details, but it includes a big bowl of pasta and a piece of chocolate cake! Okay, fresh start tomorrow! I've decided that I need to be a little more regimented in my eating, so I'm going to go back to basics with Weight Watchers for a while. I'll decide by tomorrow morning if I'm going to do the core plan, which doesn't involve weighing and measuring, or the flex plan, which does.I had an email from Patricia in Virginia Beach today. She wrote, "Hi Gail, Just want to say I am enjoying your site and especially enjoy reading your daily log. It's very inspirational. Keep up the great work." Thanks for writing--that means a lot to me! August 27, 2008-Diet LogHi! I'm mentally better today--:-) I walked 50 minutes this morning. I decided to follow Weight Watcher's Core program. For those of you unfamiliar with it, you don't have to weigh and measure things, you just have to eat predominately off a list of core foods. You can eat until you're satisfied but you have to pay attention to how you feel so that you don't overeat, since it IS all about calories, after all! The list of core foods consists mainly of:fruits and vegetables, non-creamy soups, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, potatoes and grains, whole grain cereals, lean protein, healthy oils (2 tsps. per day), coffee, tea, diet soda. Notice the list does not include alcohol, breads, sweets, etc. If you want to eat or drink something that isn't core, you get 35 pts. each week that you have the option of using or not. So...here's my day: I had my usual Kashi bar for breakfast. (I had to spend 2 pts. for it because it isn't core.) For lunch, I had a salad, with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onion, 1/2. kidney beans, a small can of chicken, and 1 T. of oil with vinegar. (I counted another point for the extra teaspoon of olive oil. I meant to have the 2 teaspoons allowed but it overflowed--oh, darn! :-) For a mid-afternoon snack, I made popcorn in the microwave, no oil=core. I had 2 prunes. For dinner I had a can of turkey chili and a whole wheat tortilla heated up with 1 Laughing Cow wedge (I counted 2 more points-one for the tortilla and one for the cheese.) I also had a few bites of a delicious pasta dish that my friend sent over. I initially counted it as 2 more points but took them back because I think it was whole-wheat pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic. It was yummy! My husband will be all over that! So, for today, I used 5 of my extra 35 points for non-core foods. I won't go into this much detail every day, but I need to get in the swing of keeping track of this stuff. Thanks for helping me out! August 28, 2008-Diet LogWell, you're not going to believe this! After 7+ weeks, I finally had a different breakfast! Instead of my usual Kashi bar (and yes, I missed it) I had a smoothie. I used a Weight Watchers vanilla smoothie package, 1 cup of skim milk, 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt, a frozen banana, and frozen berries. I mixed it all with ice in the blender. The WW smoothie mix has 10 grams of protein. It has 4 g. of fiber, 1g. fat, and 6g. of sugar. My whole smoothie is "core" food, so I didn't have to use any of my extra points. For lunch I had a nice salad with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onion, kidney beans, and 2 hard boiled eggs cut up with olive oil and vinegar--again all "core" foods. I had 2 prunes for snacks and a few raw almonds. I'll count those as one point. For dinner, I had 12 shrimp, peppers, and broccoli over brown rice--again, all "core." So, you see why the Weight Watcher's Core Program is popular. The foods are healthy and delicious. I forgot to mention in last night's entry that you have to stay on the program you select for the full week--either Core or Flex. I walked 40 minutes today! August 29, 2008-Diet LogI walked 60 minutes this morning. The heat was oppressive! I had another smoothie for breakfast, this one with a banana and pineapple. It was good but doesn't provide the crunch of my favorite Kashi bar! I had 2 prunes as a snack and then made a salad for lunch. The salad had lettuce, cabbage, kidney beans, carrots, onions, and a few slices of leftover London Broil, with olive oil and vinegar. We had some company over in the late afternoon, and I had a few almonds, a few olives, and about 3 crackers with cheese. The good news is that I passed up all alcohol (including my favorite margaritas) and didn't eat more of the snacks. For dinner, or rather instead of dinner, I ate popcorn and then had a Fiber One bar. So, I'm counting 7 of my extra points for non-core food today. It's a guess, but should be fairly close. August 30, 2008-Diet LogI can hardly believe how fast the month has flown by...I went to the mall this morning and walked for an hour before it opened. Yesterday was just too hot for words outside. I started the day well. I had a smoothie for breakfast, but it pretty much went down from there. I finished off my fat free hot dogs and buns (nothing "core" about that!) and picked at anything I could find in the kitchen. An hour ago I had a bowl of ice cream!! I won't be reaching any weight loss goals that way, will I? Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I feel like I just don't make any real progress--wonder why...duh! Does anyone have any words of inspiration? August 31, 2008-Diet LogWell, let's say goodbye to August! I walked for 30 minutes this morning and after my breakfast Kashi bar, it went downhill again. We went out to eat for lunch and I had a fried (did you hear that? I said FRIED!) flounder sandwich. I ate a few fries and a few bites of slaw and put tartar sauce on my sandwich!! Then, I came home and had 2 margaritas and some chips and salsa, and so far, two fat-free fig newtons, so it's going downhill fast.I heard from Barbara with some good advice and a yummy-sounding recipe: Inspiration...well, you have been just that for so many of us reading for the past 7 weeks!! So here's to YOU - Recommit and begin with your own 5-4-3-2-1 plan for the next 2 weeks! Break out your healthy cook books and prepare 4 new main meals each week. And 2 deserts. Try something you haven't had. You are going in circles of the same food choices and you may be getting board and not realizing it. Maybe a protein shake on week 2 for breakfast. Take a break from your daily walks and mix it with swimming. Swimming uses more muscle groups and will tend to jump-start your body into a new focus of muscule groups that's aren't used by just walking. Are you taking any vitamins? With the heat, and walking maybe you are needing a new formula of vitamin. You may want to check with your local health food store. Here is a veggie recipe for you: SPICY ZUCCHINI BOATS4 small zucchiniBoiling, salted waterStuffing:4oz. light cream cheese, softened1/2 cup (2oz.) shreadded pepper jack cheese1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon dried chives Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise to make boats. Blanch zucchini in boiling, salted water, 2 minutes. Drain, then immediately immerse zucchini in an ice bath. Drain thoroughly; blot excess water with paper towels. Using a knife or small spoon, carefully hollow out zucchini by removing some of its pulp. (Leave at least a 1/4-inch wall.) Combine cheese, cayenne pepper and chives in mixing bowl. Stuff zucchini with cheese mixture. Place in lightly-greased baking dish. Bake until squash is heated through, and cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.Makes 4 (2-piece) servings.Calories: 210, Carbohydrates 5gm, Protein 13 gm, Fat 16 gm, Fiber 1gm.Enjoy!Hey, Barbara, thanks for writing!! You do realize that you recommended "COOKING", right? Not my favorite thing to do...It does sound yummy, though! I agree, that because I rarely cook, I don't get the satisfaction that comes from good, healthy meals, choosing instead, quick meals. Gail will return Wed., September 3, 2008!Well, the last few days have been a disaster! I gained 5.8 at Weight Watchers on Tuesday night and that was just in three days of eating! Even I was shocked! Hopefully, much of it is "water weight" and will come off quickly. I decided that this page was getting too long and I wanted a "fresh start" so I created another one, called Gail's Diet Log, Part 2. (Clever title, don't you think?) It will now be the page that shows up on the nav bar, but I've added a link from that page to this one. I hope you stick with me...I can sure use the support! Thanks, Gail
GO TO PART 2 OF GAIL'S DIET LOG!
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