Nutrisystem Jumpstart Final Results

Saturday was the final day of the Nutrisystem Jumpstart 5 day program. I have to apologize because I did not keep the containers and wrappers which have the nutritional value information on the final meals. Well, I did put them to the side, but someone threw them out, me, when cleaning the table. Diet brain I guess. Anyhow, for breakfast I had the Peanut Butter Granola Bar.

It was very tasty and as I've said in the past, their bars and desserts seem to be the best "meals" they offer.

For lunch I had the Loaded Baked Potato.

As you can see it comes in a cup. I don't know what it was loaded with other than sodium, potato flakes, and two bits of "bacon." The "bacon" bits were so hard I thought I cracked my filling. If you like boxed fake potatoes you'll like this...me, not so much.

I was supposed to have the Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza for dinner. Looking at the picture on the box I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured it had the same "bread" as the chicken pot pie did and that was inedible. I was not a fan of the tomato sauce either macaroni dish had and I can't imagine this one would have been different. At 270 calories with 580mg of Sodium and 21% of my daily value saturated fat allowance, I passed on it. Instead I went to Wasabi's and had a spicy tuna sashimi appetizer and shared half of a Sumo Roll. It was delicious! I also had two bottles of hot sake which was the first time I had alcohol in 5 days. Usually I could drink at least three small sakes, and couple of glasses of wine when I get home, but just the two sent me for a loop! Guess it was the lack of calories or something. I didn't even eat last night's dessert when I got home. I was so full from the sashimi, which usually never happens.

So what is the result of this 5-day diet? Well, I did lose six pounds, so Nutrisystem did make good on its five pound promise. Will I join the program and continue? No, I will not. The food is just not "healthy" enough in my eyes due to the high sodium and fat content of too many of its meals. If I was able to buy some of their products singularly such as the breakfast bars and desserts, I would go that way, but I have not seen them sold anywhere. I've also not seen any of their shakes that I keep seeing the commercials for on store shelves either. If anyone has, please drop me a line in the comment section or email me.

Would I recommend this 5-Day Jumpstart program? Yes, I would. By losing 6 pounds it has motivated me to lose way more. It has taught me to monitor better exactly what I am eating, the portion size, and ingredients. I have decided to continue dieting and am going back to one that helped me lose weight in the past...The Sonoma Diet. There are no pre-packaged foods...everything is made from scratch. I have to go with a list each day, or every other day, and buy exactly what I need so it is fresh. The preparation takes time so it's not an "easy" or "cheap" diet either. Frankly, I was a little turned off by Nutrisystem's meals since they did not have to be refrigerated or frozen. It's like eating astronaut food. The Sonoma Diet has a ten day plan to "jumpstart" the body as well. If I deviate from any of the meal choices I probably could substitute it with a Lean Cuisine after checking the nutritional values of a meal. They taste much better than the Nutrisystem ones, but I don't want to make my life all about eating pre-packaged foods. My husband has decided to join me on the Sonoma Diet which means my son will also, as I am not making three different meals a night, especially as these meals cost a pretty penny. The three of us need to lose weight. What about the girl? Well, that's a post for another day...let's just say gaining weight is not one of her problems.

I'll let you know how it goes, but not on a daily basis. I figure I'll weigh myself once a week to see if progress is being made. I started with the Sonoma Diet yesterday and stepping on the scale this morning reveals I did lose another two pounds, which brings the total to 8 pounds in one week. I wish I could lose 8 pounds every week, but I know that's not going to happen. If anyone has had success with any other diet plans, let me know. And good luck to all those who struggle with weight. It's a tough road, but the hardest part is taking that first step. And if you cheat once in a while, so be it...just work out extra hard that day...that's what I plan on doing!

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."--Thomas A. Edison

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 4

Day Four's breakfast was Granola Cereal. I thought it was a wee bit small, but it actually filled me up and held me to lunch. Quite tasty as well.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 160. Fat 2.5g-3%. No Sat Fats! Sodium 90mg-4%. Carbs 31g-10%. Fiber 3g-11%. Sugars 11g. Protein 4g. 13 different Vitamins and Minerals ranging from 2%dv to 40%.

Low calories, low sodium, packed with vitamins and flavor make this breakfast a major Pass.

Red Beans & Rice which consisted of kidney beans and rice with chicken sausage in a spicy sauce was lunch. As you can see from the bowl, it's pretty tiny. There were three slivers of chicken sausage in it. It was just okay, nothing to write home about. I needed to supplement it with some grapes about three hours after I ate it.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 170. Fat 2.5g-4%. Sat Fat 0.5g-3%. Cholesterol 10mg-3%. Sodium 530mg-22%. Carbs 31g-10%. Fiber 5g-20%. Sugars 1g. Protein 9g. Vitamin A 20%. Vitamin C 120%. Calcium 2%. Iron 10%.

Other than the very high sodium the rest of the numbers were good. I especially liked the low calories and high Vitamin C content. Begrudgingly I will give this a Pass.

The highest calorie meal for Day Four was dinner's...Chicken Alfredo. Once prepared it looked nothing like the package it came in. The sauce was no Alfredo but it wasn't half bad, tasted like it had mushrooms in it. The noodles were few and far between and were so mushy I couldn't tell if I was eating them or lumps of sauces. I really disliked the chicken chunks. The consistency of them was horrible, stringy and mushy at the same time.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 250. Fat 6g-9%. Sat Fat 3g-15%. Cholesterol 45mg-16%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 29g-10%. Fiber 4g-18%. Sugars 5g. Protein 20g. Vitamin A 2%. Calcium 10%. Iron 4%.

Lousy taste, poor consistency, high calories, cholesterol and sodium make this entree a Fail.

Dessert was a bag of popcorn. We got a big laugh out of that. It didn't even cover the bottom of the bucket that we fill when we go to the movies! This was the worst dessert I had thus far. The popcorn had a strange taste to it, very artificial and the kernels were hard to chew. It was so lousy I didn't bother finishing the bag.



Nutrition Facts: Calories 140. Fat 7g-10%. Sat Fat .5g-3%. Sodium 140mg-6%. Carbs 16g-5%. Fiber 4g-15%. Protein 4g. Vitamin A 150%. Iron 2%.

Although there was a high Vitamin A content, I don't think the popcorn was worth 140 calories so I give this a Fail.

Here is the final day's meals. I already had the breakfast bar which was good. I am not looking forward to the dinner which is pizza, based on the bread-like slab that was on the Chicken Pot Pie and the sauce that was on the Lasagna. The picture on the box looks like it has both of those ingredients and at 270 calories and the other nutrition facts on the box I'm thinking I may just pass on this and opt for something else...maybe sashimi. I haven't had a drink in five days and I think I could reward myself with some sake. We'll see...but for now I am off to glide!

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 3

It's been three days since I had any sort of bread so yesterday's Honey Wheat Bagel was a big hit for me. Although I wouldn't consider it a "real" bagel, it was quite satisfying. The real star of the meal though was the Greek Yogurt/Cream Cheese spread on top of it. Nutrisystem didn't say if anything should go on it, but I certainly couldn't eat the bagel dry so I thought this new discovery at 45 calories per tablespoon was a perfect complement to it.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 170. Fat 2g-3%. Sat Fat .5g-3%. Sodium 250mg-10%. Carbs 33g-11%. Fiber 4g-16%. Sugar 2g. Protein 5g. Calcium 6%. Iron 6%

This breakfast had one of the lowest sugar and sodium contents thus far. It was also one of the tastiest. Pass.

Nutrasystem's "bars" seem to the best thing in their repertoire, so I enjoyed the Double Chocolate Caramel Bar I had for lunch. Clearly that wouldn't be enough so I supplemented it with the leftover kale from the night before.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 190. Fat 7g-11%. Sat Fat 5g-25%. Sodium 170mg-7%. Carbs 28g-9%. Fiber 6g-24%. Sugars 11g. Protein 9g. Calcium 6%. Iron 10%.

It was nice and high in fiber content so I made it all the way to dinner without fainting. Although the sugar was high, I will give this a Pass, especially for taste.

By far the worst meal I've had thus far was yesterday's dinner. It was Chicken Pot Pie. Horrible, barely edible. The "crust" was a slab of some sort of rock hard bread-like thingie that I couldn't cut. Even soaking in the mush it didn't soften up. If I wasn't starving I would have thrown it out before eating half of it. Luckily I had a small zucchini and Roma tomato in the house which I grilled with fat-free olive oil spray and seasoned with garlic salt and pepper. That was delicious.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 270. Fat 9g-14%. Sat Fat 3.5g-18%. Cholesterol 30mg-10%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 34g-11%. Fiber 3g-12%. Sugars 2g. Protein 13g. Vitamin A 15%. Vitamin C 25%. Calcium 2%. Iron 10%

Not only was this the worst tasting meal but also the least healthy one. 270 calories and 590mg Sodium makes this one a major Fail!

The Chocolate Chip Cookies were another good dessert...very crunchy and tasty. Once again, Bella stole the wrapper so I am unable to report the nutritional values, but based on taste alone I will give this a Pass.

Except for the crappy pot pie, yesterday's meals were a pretty good selection. I must confess I felt the need to step on the scale this morning. I stepped on in not once, not twice, but three times to make sure I was reading it right. Five pounds gone as of today! I needed that inspiration to get through today's meals...I can do this!

Nutrasystem Jumpstart Day 2

I forgot to mention yesterday that although I said I wouldn't step on a scale until the end of five days, I did. I gained one pound! Yes, gained!!! I don't know how that's possible, but I'm not giving up, yet, so here are Day 2's observations:

For breakfast I had the Double Chocolate Muffin. It was the same small size as Day 1's muffin. It was not as tasty. The chocolate tasted fake, and there was an odd aftertaste to it.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 190. Total Fat 5g-8%. Sat Fat 1.5g-8%. Cholesterol 15mg-5%. Sodium 270mg-11%. Carbs 30g-10%. Fiber 9g-36%. Sugars 15g. Protein 7g. Calcium 4%. Iron 20%.

As you can see there is a lot of sodium and sugar in it. The only good value was fiber. The ingredients contained a lot of crap that I could not pronounce. Fail.

I was able to hold out 2 1/2 hours until lunch. On the menu was Chicken Noodle soup. It was about the same size as the muffin. Wasn't too bad, sort of reminiscent of Campbell's, only saltier and with an added ingredient that made my tongue tingle after eating it, and no, it wasn't that it was too hot. In fact, I had to heat it three times because it never got hot enough. Strange.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 110 Total Fat 2g-3%. Sat Fat 1g-5%. Cholesterol 25mg, 8%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 13g-4%. Protein 10g. Vitamin A 10%. Calcium 2%. Iron 4%

It's probably a good thing it was so small and barely filled my cavity, as it had way too much sodium. The Vitamin A is the only redeeming quality it had. Fail.

By mid-afternoon I was really hungry so I had a non-fat Greek yogurt with diced cucumbers, diced red onion, salt, pepper & dill seasoning. That held me to dinner.

Although I wasn't looking forward to the Rotini & Meatballs, I was pleasantly surprised as it was way better than the Lasagna. Doesn't look good, I know, but it tastes like Chef Boy Ardee macaroni & meatballs in a can. Well, how can I say that's good? When you're hungry you'd be surprised at what you suddenly think is good. I knew this tiny portion would not fill me up, so for a side vegetable I chopped some garlic and sauteed it in an olive oil spray. Then I heated a cup of water and threw a chicken bullion cube in it. When it dissolved I put that in the garlic pan and used it as a base for torn leaves of kale. That was good once I seasoned it with some salt and pepper. When the boys came home I had to leave the kitchen because they made cheese omelets with bacon on the side and the aroma was too tempting.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 220. Total Fat 6g-9%. Sat Fat 2.5g-13%/ Cholesterol 25mg-8%. Sodium 600mg-25%. Carbs 9%. Fiber 3g-12%. Sugar 6g. Protein 17g. Vitamin A 2%. Vitamin C 4%. Calcium 15%. Iron 15%.

Once again, this  mini meal had way too much sodium. At least the calories were lower and the calcium and iron numbers were decent. Pass.

At 9:30 I had dessert...Milk Chocolate Flavored Pretzels. These were delicious!

I wish there were more than 5 tiny pretzels in the bag, 130 calories.

I did have more energy on Day 2 so I was able to glide and ride my bike without getting tired. I also slept well last night. I am not stepping on the scale again until the end of the five days. Here's today's menu. I am looking forward to having a bagel for breakfast...

 

 

 

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 1 Review

When I last left you yesterday I had just eaten my breakfast muffin. It was a good two hours before I began to get hungry. For lunch I had the Fudge Graham Bar.

For those interested in the nutritional facts: Calories, 200. Total Fat 7g-11%, Sat Fat 4.5g-23%, Cholesterol 5mg-2%, Sodium 190mg-8%, Total Carb 22g-7%, Fiber 3g-12%, Sugars 12g, Protein 14g, Calcium 6%, Iron 15%.

The bar was quite tasty, but didn't fill me up. I looked on the pamphlet and it said I could also have 2 vegetable servings with it so I opted for 1/4 cup hummus with some celery sticks.

I felt hungry in the afternoon, which was probably the wrong time to go food shopping. However, I was a "good girl" and just bought what was on my list including fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free Greek Yogurt, fat-free salad dressing, fat-free Feta cheese, some fresh veggies, and fruit. According to the Nutrisystem JumpStart plan, I can add 1 Smartcarb and 1 Powerful snack twice a day. They recommend their shakes, bars, or patty, but I prefer the above. I also drank lots of water.

For dinner I had the Lasagna with Meat Sauce. One word...disgusting. It barely resembled lasagna and I don't think even folks who are not schooled in proper lasagna preparation, would add a pinto bean, a pea, or three kernels of corn when they make it. Thank goodness I cooked a couple of fresh mushrooms in fat-free olive oil spray and placed them on top, or I probably wouldn't have eaten it. I made a small salad with cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes in a smidge of fat-free balsamic dressing.

The "lasagna" nutritional facts: Calories 280! Total Fat 8g-12%, Sat Fat 4g-20%, Cholesterol 35mg-12%, Sodium 590mg-25%, Fiber 3g-12%, Sugars 6g, Protein 17g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 20%, Iron 15%.

I'm going to look at a Lean Cuisine Lasagna the next time I get to the store to see what the differences in nutritional values are. I've had some of their pasta dishes and they are way, way tastier. One of the hardest parts for me was cooking two other meals for my family. The boys had beef stroganoff, and the girl had pasta with butter. I already told them I won't be able to do that again and they're on their own the next four days. Lucky for them the boys have leftovers for tonight, and the girl will be working.

Around 9:30 I had my dessert, a Cheesecake Flavored Bar. Out of the four Nutrisystem "meals" I had this was the best tasting one. I'm sorry I cannot provide the nutritional information other than it was 150 calories, as Bella grabbed the wrapper and tore it to shreds.

A couple of observations of Day One: During the day other than one brief period which caused me to reach for a handful of grapes, I really didn't feel "starving," but my stomach made insane loud gurgling noises. I also frequented the ladies room more than usual. And by the evening it was like a flock of geese had entered my house. During the middle of the night I awoke very hungry feeling an emptiness in my belly. That never happens to me. Tonight I will keep a glass of water by the bed. I didn't have enough energy for my usual workout, so instead of using the glider I stayed on the bicycle.

Here's what's in store for me today...

Yum, yum...Not looking forward to the Chicken Soup lunch or the Rotini and Meatballs dinner.

Nutrisystem Jump Start

After my dieting methods proved unfruitful, I finally decided I needed help to start the weight loss ball rolling. After watching the Nutrisystem commercials that promises five pounds off in five days I thought that would be a good jump-start. I wasn't ready to commit to the entire program but was willing to spend $45 on the five day kit to see if it would work for me. Wal-Mart had a bunch of them on the shelves so I grabbed one and started the program this morning.

When I posted a pic of the box which contains 15 meals and 5 desserts on Facebook one of my friends asked if the pictures were to scale. They might be. Here are the breakfast choices:

 This is today's menu:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
Lunch: Fudge Graham Bar
Dinner: Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Dessert: Cheesecake Flavored Bar

The muffin didn't taste bad, but it was pretty small.

Obviously they needed the large bag so they could fit all the ingredients on it, many of which I cannot pronounce.

 The calories are 200, total fat 14%, Cholesterol 3%, Sodium 10%, Carbs 9%, Fiber 20%, Sugars 9g, and Protein 5g. Vitamin A 2%, Calcium 4% & Iron 6%. The only good thing about these numbers is the 20% Fiber.

I also had three cups of coffee with just a dash of skim milk. I hope this muffin will stay with me through my one hour work-out, although as soon as I finished it I had to go to the bathroom.

In three hours I will have lunch...a fudge graham bar. I can't imagine that will get me through to dinner, so I searched for and found a little pamphlet that lists additional foods that you can add to your daily meal plan. I can go out and buy some Nutrisystem shakes, but probably will go for the other vegetable options which are unlimited as long as I don't cook them in oil or breadcrumbs. I see a lot of celery munching in my future.

I will let you know how the rest of the day went tomorrow, and will post pictures of each meal in case you're interested in trying this program. One note...by the time I finished this blog post I do feel a little hungry. Maybe tomorrow I should wake up later and have breakfast and lunch at the same time.

Got Sugar?

Got sugar? No, not in your cupboard but in your blood! Suspect you may be a diabetic, or pre-diabetic but don't want to go to the doctor, spend mega bucks on a test and then flag your insurance company that you've got a new medical condition that they can use to increase your rates? Then get thee to a Walgreen's pronto!

Today and tomorrow from 10:00am to 6:00pm local Walgreens are offering free diabetic testing. And yup, there isn't any catch. They won't share the info with anyone but you. They're offering two tests...A Blood Glucose test which takes one prick of the finger and ten seconds to reveal the results. And a new test I just read about called the Hemoglobin A1C test which takes one prick of your finger, a little more squeezing to fill a larger vial, and then five minutes to reveal the results. The A1C test measures your average blood glucose over the previous 2 to 3 months.

Since I come from a long line of diabetics -- all my grandparents, and both of my parents -- and have some symptoms -- I'm very cognizant of the possibility of become diabetic. After I was diagnosed with RA and high cholesterol and high tri-glycerides I put myself on the Sugar Busters diet. The first two weeks I followed it to a tee but then got bored and made my own diet up. I try to not eat anything that has sugar or high fructose corn syrup, although sometimes that's just impossible. Even the crappiest cardboard-tasting "healthy" cereal has some sugar in it. So when there is I limit my intake to under 3 - 5 grams of sugar. Once in a while I will treat myself to a square of 85% dark chocolate. Two months since I've started I have lost 15 pounds, but it's not nearly my goal. Exercise is a vital component of keeping diabetes in check and I do strive to walk as much as possible. Weight lifting and aerobics have become more of a challenge since the RA and sometimes even walking hurts. To take care of that I bought walking sticks which helps my knees.

Even though I have lab work scheduled for next week, it's not to measure my sugar, only for liver (thank you Methrotrexate) and a CBC (thank you RA) and for cholesterol (thank you fatty foods) I figured I could save some bucks and go to Walgreen's to get tested. I did have breakfast so it wasn't a fasting test. The normal range for the Blood Glucose non fast should be less than 140 mg/dl. My level was 92 mg/dl. It took a struggle to get enough blood out of my finger (being anemic and all) to complete the A1C test but the tech finally got it. A normal level is under 7%. I registered 5.2%. Needless to say I am thrilled with these numbers. Looks like my lifestyle changes are working.

Diabetes is a very dangerous disease...what you don't know can kill you. A little sugar in your cupboard or coffee is okay,



a lot of sugar in your blood is dangerous, and could result in this...

Stop Depriving Yourself

How do you like that? According to this article, agave nectar is not the be-all, end-all, after all.

"Largely because of its very low glycemic impact, Agave nectar is marketed as "diabetic friendly". What's not to like?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index for one reason only: It's largely made of fructose, which although it has a low-glycemic index, is now known to be a very damaging form of sugar when used as a sweetener. Agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener (with the exception of pure liquid fructose)...

Research shows that it's the fructose part of sweeteners that's the most dangerous. Fructose causes insulin resistance and significantly raises triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease). It also increases fat around the middle, which in turn puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Fructose has also been linked to non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease. Rats given high fructose diets develop a number of undesirable metabolic abnormalities including elevated triglycerides, weight gain and extra abdominal fat...

Agave nectar syrup is a triumph of marketing over science. True, it has a low-glycemic index, but so does gasoline -- that doesn't mean it's good for you.

If you simply must have some sweets once in a while, a small amount of agave nectar isn't going to kill you. Just don't buy into the idea that it's any better for you than plain old sugar or HFCS."

I love that gasoline line! Better put the nozzle down. Here I've been traipsing all over town looking for the golden bottle, which by the way costs $4.00 for 11 ounces vs $2.00 for 4 pounds of sugar, and the nectar is not only not doing me any good, but sounds like it's contributing to the very problems I'm trying to get rid of! My triglyceride count is through the roof, I'm bordering on becoming a diabetic and have that nasty little abdominal fat thing I'm trying to shed. The whole diet I was following, which I've strayed from causing me to gain back five pounds quicker than I lost them, used agave as a staple. I don't even like the way it tastes so any recipe that called for it I just left it out. The only thing I was using the agave for was to sweeten my coffee. When I use sugar in my coffee it's less than half a teaspoon, so does that really make such a huge difference? I think probably not.

Now it's got me wondering if maybe my daughter isn't right about all these diets..."Forget about the latest fad mom, just eat smaller portions and exercise more...use more calories than you take in and for gosh sakes, stop depriving yourself!"

A Girl's Gotta Cheat

Sometimes a girl's gotta cheat. No, not on her husband, but on her diet. It's hard to be loyal day after day, experiencing the same ole same ole, isn't it? No, not with the spouse, but with the diet. Who enjoys eating egg whites, or plain yogurt, or non-fat cottage cheese every day, no matter what you mix in with them, or the worst of the worst, non-fat plastic, I mean cheese? Bland, bland, bland. Yeah, okay, like some marriages could get. How bland would your marriage have to get before you cheated on your spouse? My first husband would answer five minutes, but even after being married almost two decades to husband # 3, we haven't gotten there, so don't have an answer to that question, but I do know how long I can go before I cheat on my bland diet...3 weeks!

I'd been good, I lost 11 pounds over three weeks, ten in the first ten days, but then it stopped. I still kept at it, although I wasn't as gung ho as I was when the weight was shedding so quickly. The first sign that something was changing in my attitude is when I pulled out the popcorn bag while watching "24". Even though it was 94% fat free and tasteless it was still something I would not have thought about even doing the previous two weeks. Then came eating out. It started with lunch. Surely I could have sushi. Surely I can't eat sushi without one little sake. Hey, why'd you bring me the large bottle? Bring me another. It's okay I'll ride an extra five miles on the bike. The kids looked across the table at each other. My son nodded and said, "You lasted longer than I thought you would." My daughter held up one of her hands, "Open window" and pushed the other one under it, "There's diet." Harumph! I'd show them I can get back on track. And I did. I worked out extra hard that night and no snackies. I was thrilled to see I didn't gain anything the next day. Of course I didn't lose anything either.

The next night I thought since I didn't gain anything I guess one glass of wine with dinner didn't hurt after all. The problem with one glass of wine is that it turns to two quickly. And once the wine hits so does the appetite. I found myself suddenly craving something, anything, other than the tasteless low calorie popcorn. One of those 100 calorie cookie snack bags surely wouldn't hurt. Neither would a handful of pecans, they are healthy nuts after all. A Laughing Cow wedge is only 35 calories. Boy, am I thirsty. I think I'll have just one more sip/glass of wine. I couldn't understand why I began waking up at 3 in the morning again, thirsty and having to pee. I felt tired in the morning and needed orange juice to get me going. I thought I saw the scale budge a little, upwards. That's okay I'll just ride the bike another ten miles. And I did, but slower, much slower than usual.

When the weekend arrived my husband talked me into going out for dinner, twice. On Friday it was sushi and sake again. I was so proud of myself...I didn't have any of the ice cream tempura even though the waitress brought extra spoons. Since the sake had loosened me up, I had just one little nightcap of red wine before bed while watching the Marx Brothers. C'mon it was "Duck Soup" after all. Again I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, throat dry, bladder full and unable to get back to sleep. Repeat morning OJ ritual.

Saturday night's fare was a little worse than sushi. It was my weakness, Italian food. My husband talked me into going to Mama Maria's since we hadn't been there in a while. I agreed only if we didn't order a bottle of wine. Instead I had a Bloody Mary which was a great Bloody Mary. In fact, it was so great I had to have two! I thought I would have the appetizer mussels fra diavolo as my main meal. They were so good too I just couldn't resist grabbing one piece of Italian bread to sop up the sauce. My husband just got a pizza, but it smelled so damn good I just had to have one slice...I mean two. Then Domenick did the unthinkable...he sent over a chocolate covered cannoli and a huge portion of tiramisu. "I made this special for you, notice the real cocoa on it." Last time we were there he had asked my opinion and I panned it. How could I not at least try it this time? It was magnificent. I was very proud of myself as I only ate a sliver of it and packed the rest of it up for my daughter. I did have half the cannoli with my husband but turned down the sambuca, because after all, I am on a diet.

When I awoke that Sunday morning, I wasn't surprised to see that the scale had budged...upwards...by two pounds. Needless to say I was not a happy camper, but I was very happy when I was indulging. Was it worth the two pounds? You bet it was. I enjoyed going out with my husband, eating what I wanted, drinking what I wanted and having some laughs. Isn't that what life is all about? What good is it if I keep losing weight but am miserable? My husband doesn't care, he loves me just the way I am. In fact I think he wants me fat which sorta pisses me off. I'm dieting for me, not him, so I am determined to rein myself in. I mean c'mon a girl's gotta cheat sometime and isn't it better I cheat on a diet than on a husband, or he on me? Once that door is is opened there's no turning back, and no amount of pedaling that's gonna close it. Better to gain a pound or two than lose trust and respect. Bicycle here I come...

Back to Black

Something strange is happening to my hair and it's not the cut and style my daughter gave me, nor the blue-black dye she put underneath in the back of my head. Some of my roots are morphing through the dyed "natural blond" which is covering the white/grey and heading back to black!

I thought I noticed something odd yesterday when I was straightening my bangs. I lifted them up and saw at my scalp about 1/2 to 1" long in some places, black hair. I frantically began pushing my hair all around looking closely at the scalp and noticed it wasn't just in the front but everywhere. I ran to my daughter's room and had her look in he back of my head, on top of my head, underneath my head. Yup, there are little black roots sprouting. It's not on every strand, but they're there. How and why is this happening?

Can it be due to my recent lifestyle changes? According to WikiAnswers it can be and Lord knows if it's written there it must be true. Can this be another added benefit from my dieting, exercising, stopping smoking and drinking? I don't know. I started turning grey very young, and I always blamed it on all the video monitors and radiation I was surrounded by during my career in television. I also didn't have very good "lifestyle habits" then either, and sort of abused myself throughout the years, not worrying about what I was putting into my body. Since I've been very cognizant of every morsel lately, eliminating and/or cutting down on sugars and fats, and piling up on the protein, I wonder if my body is now rejuvenating. I don't know, but if my brown eyes start to turn blue I'm going to be doing cartwheels...

Prognosis: Positive!

It's been a week and 2 days since I started the "Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salad" diet so I thought I would post a progress report. Prognosis: Positive! I've actually lost 10 pounds! That's the most I ever lost in one week on any diet. Oh man how I wish I could lose a pound a day and after a month just be done dieting, forever, haha! I know that's not how it works. The first week is probably a lot of water and the 7 day diet was sort of a kickstart diet to rev up my body's metabolism. It worked. I feel quite energetic, more so than I've felt in a long time. I've also been sleeping through the whole night, that is when the spooks don't bother me.

I also have been exercising daily. Every day I ride the bicycle. At first my goal was to do five miles a day - now I am doing ten miles, even if it's not all at once, and I'm hoping to get up to fifteen. Every other day I also either lift weights, do a dance routine, or some other aerobics. I haven't even bothered with the Wii since it really aggravates me. I had received the exercise game that has the camera but it's so inaccurate. It'll tell me I'm not moving my arms or my legs right when I know I am. Meanwhile if I sit on the bed resting while it does some ridiculous yoga pose it tells me I'm doing a great job. I could see why my son mocks the technology behind the Wii. I wish it wasn't below Arctic temperatures since I would probably be out walking, but that's not going to happen right now.

I think eating every four hours is working well for me as it's keeping my blood sugar in check. That was one of the problems I was having. I'd be so hungry and feel so weak that the only thing that would give me energy was to pop something sugary in my mouth. Since I've been on this diet I haven't had any sugar and instead am using agave nectar. It is a great substitute and I highly recommend it, there's no disgusting aftertaste like most sugar substitutes have, it's all natural, and it's not heavy like honey. I've not had any bread the last week and I haven't really missed it as much as I thought I would. This week the diet introduces it back in but on a limited level. Saturday night was the first night I had steak and it tasted great. My family laughed at my portion size, 3 ounces, but it filled me up.

One of the drawbacks of this diet is that I think I've hurt my right hand from all the preparation that goes into it, or, I'm developing carpal tunnel syndrome. This diet requires a lot of peeling, slicing, cutting, chopping, mincing, grating etc. of fresh fruits and vegetables. My hand first started hurting from that freaking slap chop thing. Now I noticed that where the knife rests a "lump" has developed and the bottom of my hand looks swollen. The pain radiates up my lower arm and when I went to pour out the water from the pot of potatoes I thought I broke my wrist. I've also been doing a lot of pencil pushing, calculator crushing and typing for the end of the year shop shit, so that's not helped either. Good thing I'm not a tennis player.

It's been hard to hang around my husband though. Although he eats most of the meals I prepare, unlike my kids who are about to stage a mutiny (my daughter even introduced her brother, who was always opposed to even trying it, to the joys of ramen noodles), afterwards he snacks. "I'm so hungry," my husband complains. The sound of the peanut shells cracking and the wine glass hitting the table annoys the shit out of me. When he takes out his platter of cheese, the smell is too much for me to endure. I do miss my fresh mozzarella and blue cheese slabs. I can't sit in the same room so have been spending time in my office, riding the bicylcle, or I just go into the bedroom, watch tv and fall asleep. They tried to get me to go out to dinner last night, but I refused. I really want to make more progress before I allow myself some leeway. Do you know how hard it would be for me to go to a regular spot and not get the usual Bloody Mary, wine or sake? It was the same way when I quit smoking. I needed to avoid anyone who could tempt me and now I am no longer even tempted. In fact the very smell of smoke now sickens me and when I pass a smoker in the supermarket or on the street I can smell them even if they're not smoking right there and then. I have apologized over and over to my family for all the years I exuded that sickening smell. I just never realized it. Anyway, right now it will be harder to say no to that Bloody Mary or three when I'm out than to a cigarette, so why should I even put myself in such a position? I'm suffering enough, damn it!

But you know what, it's a good "suffering." I'm really not deprived of food, just eating the right type of foods. I'm seeing results and I feel positive. I no longer have the pain in my lower back. I'm not as hungry as I first was and I really do have more energy. My family is just going to have to deal with me eating healthier. What a lousy role model, eh?

Less Calories = Less Smiles

I got through the first dieting day and actually ate less than what was on the menu. I saw no point in eating a 380 calorie power bar in the mid-afternoon and opted for a 90 calorie Mocha Special K one instead. I also left most of the quinoa, yuk, and baby carrots that comprised 2/3rds of my dinner. The other third was a chicken nugget even though the diet book says it's a full portion of chicken breast. I drank seltzer, water and even had a cup of tea (which I hate even if it's flavored) although I longed for wine and Pepsi. I had a headache by late afternoon which lasted until bedtime and I figured it was because I was lacking sugar. I was also very cranky which got worse as the day wore on. Apologies all around. Hopefully today will be better and I won't be quite as moody or hungry. This was breakfast this morning...



Huevos Rancheros which was made with egg white, non fat cheese, potatoes, enchilada sauce, onions, cilantro. It was really good. I figured out yesterday's caloric count which came out to about 1,100 calories...a huge decrease from where I was a couple of days ago...less calories = less smiles. On the bright side when I stepped on the scale this morning two pounds were gone...less weight = more smiles. Skinny girls may not eat salads, but skinny girls must be hungry all the time.

I brought back the "Slap Chop" I had bought from Tuesday Morning . Not only didn't it work, but I also hurt the palm of my hand trying to use it and it damaged my counter top when it slipped after I struck it for the 50th time trying to chop an onion. The kids said it's my own fault as apparently I bought the "knock-off" brand, not the one that Vince touts. Tricky tricky little tv label on the box fooled me. I don't think it would really matter even if I had gotten the "name brand as seen on tv" chopper, as it probably takes more time to prepare your veggies for this device than it does to just chop them with a plain ole knife on a cutting board. Don't even get me started on what it's like to clean this butterfly design guillotine device. At least I didn't pay shipping and handling charges.

I've been freezing my butt off lately, well not at 3:00am when I kick the covers off and put the fan full force on me, but whenever I'm outside. The wind chill this morning was -3 when I got up to let the dog out. This weather is like end of February cold weather, or end of the world cold weather, not beginning of January little nippy weather. Lucky for him my husband took down all the lights on Friday when it was downright balmy at 30 degrees. If he hadn't they'd probably be up until springtime. Some neighbors complained that we should have waited until January 6th to remove them, "It's so dark and sad now." Good thing they said that to me before my starving diet attitude kicked in.

I've been working on my end-of-the-year shop crap and it's official...2009 was the worst year we have had. Between the government taking over the new car business early in the year, and then ending the year by taking over the used car business, we pretty much got screwed big time. Since I've always lived by the "rainy day" creed, I feel luckier than a lot of the other local shops I know. So many people seem so sad and miserable lately. I really hope this will be a better year for everyone and that change encompasses more than the meager coins left in our pockets.

No worries here...I have big plans for 2010.

New Year, New Blog

New Year...new blog.

Some of you know me from my previous two blogs, which due to circumstances beyond my control I had to make private, or from my most recent photo blog, MsElenaeous Pics. I've enjoyed posting some of my photographs but found that I missed posting some of my thoughts, observations, raves and mostly rants. I make no promises that I will post daily or regularly. Who knows maybe I may even post too many times a day. Whatever. It all depends on my mood, schedule and if I have anything to write about. I've found the best way to find out if a blogger has posted something is by "following" them - maybe that'll work for you too.

Anyway, first off let me say that I don't make any resolutions, just vows. The first of which is to lose freaking weight. When I saw myself in a picture recently I cried. This couldn't be me. I refuse to let it be me. I stopped smoking cold turkey. I could stop eating. Well, not stop eating, but eating more healthy certainly. So with that in mind I have determined to follow the "Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salad" diet. Today is Day one. For breakfast I had Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 tbs of crushed walnuts and a 1/2 tsp of agave nectar. This is supposed to stay with me for four hours. The way the diet is supposed to work is that I eat every four hours (a special diet under 400 calories per meal) to keep my blood sugar stable. I figure I better get on the exercise bicycle pronto before I lose any strength. I'm too embarrassed to even document my weight here but will relate my progress (hopefully there will be progress) as it happens.

The problem with a diet like this happens when you have a family to feed. When I showed my husband the 3 oz. chicken that each of us are supposed to eat for our main meal he said he couldn't even see it. According to the book, one 12 ounce steak should feed the four of us. My husband usually orders 12 ounces by himself. I figure I'm going to make my meals and if they don't want to follow along, they're on their own. I am determined to see this through and have already told my husband to not ask me if I want a glass of wine, told my daughter to not ask me if she should pop popcorn and told my son to not ask me if I want a Pepsi.

Besides family creating some potential "roadblocks" to this particular diet the real problem is the food the author recommends I purchase. She comes from California where there is an abundance of fresh fruits and odd ingredients. Here in Virginia it's not so easy to find a fresh peach, nectarine or watermelon this time of the year. Same thing with Sea Bass. I don't even know what fish I could use to replace it with so I'm going with flounder. Agave nectar was a search, and I finally found it at the Natural Co-op store along with other expensive products I needed to purchase. I took my daughter with me who commented she couldn't stand the smell of the store and that she'd never seen so many smug hippies. When she tried the organic pear that cost $1.99, at first I was annoyed when she spit it out. And then I bit into it. It was the worst tasting bitter fruit I have ever had and I can only hope that the red lentils, quinoa, rolled oats, wild rice, turkey burgers, agave nectar and other assorted stuffs taste much better than that expensive psuedo fruit did.

Don't worry this blog isn't going to be just about my diet, although if you have any diet success stories to share I'll be more than happy to hear them. In fact, I hope you'll be sharing many of your stories that relate to any of the entries I may post. Maybe tomorrow I'll post the "curse" I received in the mail a couple of weeks ago. That'll be good for a laugh...