Weight Loss Wednesday: Back on Track Thanks to My Food Journal
November 12, 2008 - Written by Deb 
So a couple of weeks ago I told you I fell off the weight loss wagon. When that happens it’s difficult to get back on track. I’m not very proud of myself and don’t really feel like seeing my relatives at Christmas because I didn’t lose as much weight as I had hoped.
I’m getting back on track though, thanks to my food journal. I have a little notebook where I log everything I eat along with the calories and fat and carbs. This is a great way to hold myself accountable.
I make a habit of logging foods before I eat. This way I’m discouraged by eating something bad once I see the running total of daily calories. Here are the benefits of a food journal as I see it:
- Seeing how much I’ve eating throughout the day makes me not want to over indulge
- Knowing that I had a very light day might allow me a guilt free treat
- Logging calories and fat allows me to realize my cut off point
- I can see where my weaknesses are
- I see when I’m most likely to over indulge
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Weightloss Wednesday: I Cheated
October 23, 2008 - Written by Deb
Yep. You read right. I cheated. It’s been a good two or three weeks of cheatage too. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not hiding in the closet wolfing down gallons of Mocha Cookie Dough Crunch while fighting off bouts of brain freeze, but I went off plan for at least one meal a day and didn’t lose the weight I should have. I make no excuses, except there was good food around or that we went out to eat, and I have no regrets. I enjoyed good food with good company.
The good news is that though I cheated and my weight loss is slow, I have gone down one jeans size. This is very promising and the motivation I need to see this through – however long it takes.
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Weightloss Wednesday: Low fat Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
October 1, 2008 - Written by Deb
I created this low fat chocolate peanut butter pie recipe because my family loves the full fat version, but I’m inclined to cheat after I make it. I decided to make a less fattening pie for regular weekend family dinners, while bringing out the full monty on holidays.
A couple of small notes. If you truly want this to be a low fat dish, you can make your own graham cracker crust substituting margerine or Brumble and Brown for butter. You can also substitute Splenda for sugar. Graham cracker crust recipes abound on the web and finding one will be no problem. You can also buy a prepared crust, but I have yet to find one that’s low fat.
I use reduced fat peanut butter on this page because that’s easiest for most people. You can also use PB2 which will greatly cut down on the fat in this recipe. I love PB2 for baking because it still gives food that peanut butter flavor but is a lot lower in fat and calories than reduced fat peanut butter.
One …
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Weight Loss Wednesday: Sensa – The Sprinkle Diet
October 1, 2008 - Written by Deb
I first heard about the Sensa diet several months ago during a chat among fellow beauty bloggers who received these flavor shakers as part of a swag bag during fashion week. After receiving my own beauty product swag bag containing Sensa (among other items) I decided to look it up and see what it’s all about.
Sensa Diet Basics
Sensa is a six month diet based on “flavanoid” sprinkles. These flavanoids are actually flavor enhancement seasonings. The idea behind it is that the sprinkles enhance the flavor of your food sending the message to your brain that you had enough top eat. After a while you start eating less and your portions are smaller. Sounds simple, but does it work?There are six different “shakers” for each different month. Since there’s nothing harmful about Sensa, I decided to try it in my food. I’ve been using it for a week so far and I don’t feel any fuller or less hungry after using it. There are plenty of testimonals on the Sensa site however, and the average weight loss appears to be thirty pounds in six months.
The Sensa diet says nothing …
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Weight Loss Wednesday: Traveling While on a Diet Plan
September 25, 2008 - Written by DebI just returned from spending several nights in Las Vegas to attend a conference. While I did have a few indulgences while eating at restaurants with my team, for the most part I did well. Here’s what I did right:
- I booked a hotel with a kitchette. This saved money for several reasons, the hotel offered a free breakfast buffet, it was across the street from the conference center so I didn’t need cabs and it allowed me to prepare many meals in my room rather than spend for an overpriced, high calorie meal elsewhere.
- I brought my Nutrisystem food with me. Instead of buying lunch at the cafeteria or a restaurant, I went across the street to my room and had my lunch there.
- A co-worker and I split meals. Neither of us wanted the huge restaurant portion, so we asked for two plates to split the meal. It worked out well for both of us. In fact, even a half portion was more than enough.
I’m not going to say I stayed on plan the whole weekend, because I didn’t. I had a dessert one night and an omelette for our team breakfast. Most of my choices were good ones though …
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Weight Loss Wednesday: What I’m Doing Wrong
September 17, 2008 - Written by Deb
The past couple of weeks have shown a slow weight loss. It’s not because I’m overindulging, because I’m following the plan – though I did cheat a little at a couple of weekend family dinners. It’s because of what I’m doing wrong.
I’m not expert, but I do know a bit about dieting. I followed a lot of plans over the years and most of them failed not because they were bad plans, but because I didn’t stick with them. I’m determined to follow through on Nutrisystem and lose the 50 extra pounds I put on over the past six years.
It may have taken a while to sink in but I’m learning weight loss has to be done at a slow and steady rate to be effective. I’m also learning there are no such things as miracle weight loss methods. So if I know what works, what am I doing wrong?
I’m Not Staying Up to Date with My Food Journal
It doesn’t take much to log into my food journal. Nutrisystem offers a paper journal where you can check off the foods you eat and online journal, which I like better because it calculates calories. When I log my food I see how much I’m eating. This keeps me from overdoing it. My food journal keeps me honest. I can see what I’m eating, where I stand calorie-wise and this is a good deterrent from cheating. It holds me accountable. I can also see that if I already ate plenty of food and don’t need to add more. If I want a snack and look at my food journal first, I’m more likely to make a healthier choice, or not have an extra snack at all. Tweet This Post Plurk This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Ping This Post Reddit This Post Stumble This Post
Weight Loss Wednesday: PB2
September 4, 2008 - Written by Deb
I love peanut butter. When I was pregnant I lived on peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate milk. I’m dieting now and the peanut butter is mostly a no-no. Even “light” peanut butters are pretty fattening, though they’re high in protein. I did find a worthy alternative, however. PB2.
PB2 is a powdered peanut butter with 75% less fat and calories than regular peanut butter. Simply mix two parts PB2 to one part water and you’re rocking the PB&J, without a lot of guilt.
Now here’s the thing. I’m not going to lie to you and say it tastes just like the real thing, because it doesn’t. It tastes like peanut butter for sure, but there is something missing. It’s good, but not as good. It’s great in baking though. If you replace you’re regular peanut butter with PB2, your eggs with egg substitute and your butter with a little Brumble and Brown you have a very good, very low fat peanut butter cookie.
So if you’re dieting, or seeking healthier alternatives, PB2 is a good alternative. It’s not the same as peanut butter, but it’s …
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The Volumetrics Cookbook for Jenny Craig Giveaway
August 14, 2008 - Written by Diana
Jenny Craig let us review their cookbook The Volumetrics Cookbook for Jenny Craig. Volumetrics is all about the strategies behind adding volume and flavor to your meals without adding calories and fat. Satisfaction is built into Jenny Craig menu by balancing low calorie density foods like fruits, vegetables, high fiber starches and lean protein along with higher calorie density foods that you would eat in moderation.The recipes in the cookbook are adapted from Dr Barbara Rolls book, The Volumetrics Eating Plan. Volumetrics® is about optimizing food choices. Choosing foods rich in water, fiber, and protein and lower in fat will “volumize” your menu and will provide more satisfying portions. Volumetrics focuses on which foods to include and enjoy in amounts that will satisfy you.
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Weight Loss Wednesday: Week 2 On Nutrisystem
August 13, 2008 - Written by Deb
Today marks one of the very rare occasions where I lasted two weeks on the same diet. Half a month into it, I’m still digging the Nutrisystem plan. It doesn’t feel like a diet because I’m eating all day, more of a life style change.
Nutrisystem Recipes
One of the things I’m really digging is that there are recipes to make meals heartier or more attractive without overeating. For instance, the cheesy potatoes. Generally you just add water to the cup, stir and let sit. I added broccoli and fat free cheese to it as well since we need a salad or veg and dairy servings with our lunch. Then I found the recipes section of the Nutrisystem forum and learned how to make a tasty potato pancake by adding 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters to the cheesy potates and cooking in a pan using cooking spray. I also added chives, pepper, fat free cheese and broccoli. It made a great lunch and I stayed within my allotment for that meal. People who are worried about eating the same foods all the time can take comfort knowing there are things you can add to make a tastier meal.
Exercise
Exercising everyday is proving to be tricky, but I’m doing it. My son’s camp alternates mornings and afternoons so each week is different. If he has afternoon camp, I work out during my lunch hour. It’s hard working out with a six year old in the room. During morning camp weeks, I get up at 5:00 am to work out. It’ll be easier when school starts up next month because The Boy is on the bus at 7:30 – a good time to workout without interfering with my job or lunch hour. Tweet This Post Plurk This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Ping This Post Reddit This Post Stumble This Post
Weight Loss Wednesday: My First Week on Nutrisystem
August 6, 2008 - Written by Deb
So it’s time. After six years of steadily gaining weight I have to do something about it. I can’t blame it on the baby anymore – especially since my weight gain started before our son was born. I’ve tried every diet in the book and it’s time to get serious. I started on the Nutrisystem Women’s Advanced Plan last week in hopes of losing 50 to 60 pounds.
I know, I know, it’s kind of drastic, but I think it’s what I need at this point. I’m really bad about measuring and portions and Nutrisystem takes care of that for me. More important, I’m learning about portion control and proper nutrition.
Here’s a typical day on the Nutrisystem plan, which allows me about 1200 calories a day:
Breakfast:- Nutrisystem Breakfast Entree (cereal, eggs, oatmeal or breakfast bar)
- Dairy or protein serving (low or nonfat yogurt, skim milk, fat free or low fat cheese, egg, fish meat – serving sizes provided in the back of the Nutrisystem journal) I usually have Light & Fit Yogurt or 8 ounces of skim milk.
- Fruit
Lunch:
- Nustrisystem Lunch Entree (Anything from soup, to pasta, to potatoes to a lunch bar)
- Salad serving
- Fat free dressing
- Dairy or protein serving
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