Kinda fell off the radar again

Posted on Saturday January 14 2012 · 3 Comments

Seems like I lost my posting momentum.  There’s lots of stuff going on right now, not all of which I can really talk about on the web.

But the good news is that, although I have not been posting my food, I have been tracking it.  I’ve been careful all during the week to make sure I am not adding extra at night.  The weekends are another challenge for me.  I tend not to eat regular meals, and sometimes find myself snacking.  I know that the meals I eat during the week will keep me on track, so this weekend my goal is to stay with the same meal plan that I have during the week.  I’m good so far today.

One other weekend challenge has been camping with the Boy Scouts.  When you are sleeping outside in the winter, you cannot be low on fuel.  Have to “feed the furnace” as they say.  So, low calorie diets really do not mix well with winter camping.  I know that I personally need a serious lunch and dinner on days that I am sleeping in the cold, or I will not stay warm.

So last weekend’s camp out in the woods did not help my diet much.  Also, when I go off my diet, I tend to just throw it all away.  I can’t seem to just stop at what I need.  Somehow the cookies speak very loudly.

Fortunately, my weight is still going down.  I’m down about 5 pounds now.  Its not too bad.  I was targeting about 2 pounds a week.  Monday is actually the official weigh-in day, do that’s why weekend eating is so important.  Don’t want my body to go back into storage mode for two days before I check my weight.

So the running has been good.  I’ve gotten out for 3 miles in the mornings, 3 days a week.  The pace sucks but oh well.  Today I need to do 5 miles.  Thursday morning we had our first big snowfall (4 inches), and I got the pleasure of running in that for the first time in a year.  I had forgotten how much harder it is to run in the snow.  I had YakTrax but it was still tough and my legs ached the next morning.  Friday’s are still rest days.

So that’s what’s up.  Haven’t been posting but I am staying on track more or less.

 

Filed Under: Diet, Weight, and Exercise, Food, Running

getting faster bit by bit

Posted on Friday January 06 2012 · 1 Comment

I ran 3 more miles today and I noticed that my finished times are slowly getting faster.  Not by a lot, but maybe 10-15 seconds each time, even though its getting later in the week.  I’m hoping this trend continues.  I haven’t done a good job of getting out the door early.  I’ve been getting to bed late and its making it hard to get up.

Also?  It was damn cold this morning:

Outdoor temps are on the bottom.  Cold.

I was going through my training plan and looking at an upcoming Half Marathon that I want to do.  The timing is a bit short (two weeks) but its not unreasonable.  While doing that I noticed that my training just happens to coincide with the precise plan I would need for the Vermont City Marathon.  A serious case of cart-before-the-horse, but still.

I’m having trouble with the food blogging.  I eat the same thing for breakfast everyday so the picture is of the same thing.  Is it copping out to just skip the breakfast or to just use the same picture over and over?   My camera takes very high resolution pictures and I have to scale them all down so I can upload them.  There may be a setting where this can be adjusted but I don’t have the patience to find it.

Here is breakfast for the last two days to make my point:

Today’s breakfast is on the bottom.  Not much difference.

And lunch is strikingly similar too:

Today’s lunch is on top.  Although I did forget to include the water and fish oil yesterday:

Dinner at least gets some variation.   For dinner last night I had a chicken sandwich (on very smooshed bread!)

Along with my Chobani yogurt and bran.

But tonight I was over at my parents’ house and mom had made pot roast.  I forgot to get a picture of my plate so I took a picture of the leftovers in the pot.  I really didn’t have very much.  I was being good.

And I had some yogurt for dessert:

And I also cheated a little bit with this:

It was just he beaters though.   Trust me, I wanted to DRINK the bowl of batter.  Although, as I write this and see all the food again, I’m getting hungry.  So I added one more snack to today.

This is Hormel turkey pepperoni and Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar, with horseradish mustard on top.  Yum!  :)  Its a reasonably low number of calories, but enough to quiet my stomach.

Filed Under: Diet, Weight, and Exercise, Food, Running

3 miles and more food

Posted on Tuesday January 03 2012 · 5 Comments

This morning I got out for my three mile run, albeit exceptionally late.  Tomorrow I will do better.  Here’s my food for the day below.  Since I basically eat the same thing every day, I’m going to start just taking pictures of it all in one big group food shot.  No need to re-explain myself.

I was able to take pictures of lunch in the morning at the same time I ate breakfast, so the two meals kinda blend together here.

All-bran, ground flax seed and milk (same as everyday)

Lunch has steamed carrots and broccoli with chicken breast.

I wrap some of the chicken stuff in a small pita. Good fiber. :)

Also with lunch is my daily spinach salad with 1 tomato, some sliced yellow pepper, and some cucumber.

Italian dressing (3 tablespoons) made with extra virgin olive oil and dressing mix.

My apple and selzer water (zero calories).

Desert at lunch is 100 calories of dark (>85% cacao) chocolate.

Fish oil at breakfast

My water bottle (1500 ml)

This was part of my dinner at home.  Whole wheat bread with fat-free mozzarella cheese and Hormel turkey pepperoni.

One of those chocolate cake ball things again.

And my Chobani strawberry yogurt with bran.

Filed Under: Food, Running

Food from yesterday

Posted on Tuesday January 03 2012 · Leave a Comment

Yesterday I did not make it to my weight workout.  Not such a good start to the year.  I went to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Horrendously graphic, violent, and gruesome.  Not a show for anyone under the age of 35.   Women will find it particularly disturbing because of the theme and several of the more violent scenes.

However, I did get pictures of food from yesterday, which I had meant to post this morning but did not get to it because I was goofing around and not getting done what needed to get done.  Anyway, here it all is:

 

So first up is my usual All-bran with ground flax seed and milk.

Then later I had a favorite treat of mine, Caponata, which is an Italian eggplant appetizer.

Its got lots of good oils in it and not too many calories, but TONS of sodium.  I try to eat this sparingly.  And no I did not eat the whole jar.  Maybe 1/3.  Still.

Yes, I did eat potato chips but it was a small bag.  Pencil shown for scale.

And a bosc pear.

And my favorite chicken sandwich.  That being, chicken and mayo with salt and pepper.

The bread above is homemade, as is the bread here.  I made it that day and it came out pretty good.  I like it with Promise Light, which is affectionately known as mono- and diglyceride spread.

Yet another pear.

We were out of Chobani yogurt so I went with our Stonyfield strawberry with my All-bran.

And lastly, two pieces of Valrhona chocolate.  Yea!

Ok, that’s it.  And let me say that all the picture taking is hard work.

Filed Under: Food

Food log

Posted on Monday January 02 2012 · 1 Comment

I’m following Amanda’s blog and have signed up for her monthly project, which is to keep a food log.  I’ve done this in the past using an Excel spreadsheet (used it to track calories and weight) but haven’t done it with pictures before.

Here is what I ate today:

Ok, this first one is kind of a regular with me.  I have this every day.  I even bring it for camping trips if I can, as well as “away” races.  All-bran, skim milk, two heaping teaspoons of Red Mill ground flax seed.  Good stuff.

I get my three fish oil pills in the morning after breakfast.  I have some doubt as to its efficacy, but I figure it can’t hurt much.

I tend to each a lot of chicken.  Since this is the weekend, I have a regular chicken sandwich.  Whole wheat bread.  A bit of Miracle Whip.  ;)

Fruit.  ‘Nuff said.

Now these things below may look like meatballs but they are actually made of cake.  Santa bought me a cake pop maker (looks like a waffle iron really), so I tried it out.  They come out crispy on the outside and cakey on the inside.  I had two.    Spoon shown for scale.

Remember what I said about chicken?  Second chicken sandwich of the day.  And carrot.  Vitamin A.  :)

This is 1 cup of Chobani fat-free strawberry yogurt with All-bran thrown in for crunch.  Good stuff.  Sorry it was out of focus.

And just before bed I had a can of progresso beef soup.  Reduced sodium but still more than I really should be having.

So there it is.  Food I ate today.  Its a bit of a pain having to go get the camera before I eat, but I can deal so far.  During the week, I can take a picture of my lunch before I pack it away, so I won’t have people wondering why I am taking pictures at lunch time.

Looking back at today I see a distinct lack of green anything.  During the week I have a salad every day, but I guess on the weekend, that slips.  Hmmmm.

Filed Under: Food

Running and cake pops

Posted on Wednesday December 28 2011 · 3 Comments

So, I’ve run now two days in a row, which is a record for me of late.  I like think that two in a row is considered a trend.  :)

Just three miles and just under a 10 minute pace.  Trust me, this is a lot for me right now.  I’m watching the food intake again as well.  I was reading an article about a study they did in Australia about people losing weight and keeping it off.  They looked at certain hormone levels and such.  Basically, as soon as the obese people began the program, their bodies went into survival mode, increasing their hormones that increase appetite, and suppressing the hormones that cause satiety (sp?).  And it stayed that way for a year during the program, even after their eating went back up to normal levels.  Their bodies tried to make them fat again!

The net conclusion was that people who lose weight will ALWAYS have to work hard to keep it off, because their bodies will continue to try and make them obese again.  I guess thin people will never have this issue.  Sigh.

Speaking of losing weight, I did make something new recently.  I found a recipe for cake pops, although its not what I usually see for this desert.  You basically bake a cake, grind it up and blend it will a cup of butter cream frosting.  Then roll it into big balls, freeze it, and dip it in chocolate.  The centers are soft and a kinda gooey, but still taste like cake.  Here’s a pic of the results:

I do like how they look, even if they have  an odd consistency.

Filed Under: Diet, Weight, and Exercise, Food, Just chocolate

The magical shrinking Ghirardelli chocolate chip bags

Posted on Sunday December 18 2011 · 1 Comment

I’ve been buying Ghirardelli chocolate chips for years.  Its what I use for making truffles and it has performed very well.  I’ve gotten the recipe down just perfect so that I know how much cream and butter to add to two bags of chips to make the right consistency.

But that all changed.

When I pulled out my bags of Ghirardelli chocolate chips today, I discovered something wrong.

Yup, that’s right.  Ghirardelli shrunk the amount of chips in the bags.  They left the wrapper the same (except for extra advertising), but put fewer chips in the bag.

It’s an all too common method that companies are now using to increase profits without overtly raising prices.  Put less product in the same packaging and leave the price the same.  Its like buying a ca and finding out that it didn’t include the back seats.

I was very disappointed to see this .  It makes me feel less trusting of Ghirardelli. I understand that they want to increase profits like everyone does, but sneaky ways like this makes me feel they are dishonest.  I mean, if they would do this, why wouldn’t they cheat on the ingredients too?

Filed Under: Childish Rants, Food, Just chocolate

still not playing

Posted on Wednesday June 08 2011 · 2 Comments

I haven’t been on the game since I quit, so I am very proud of myself for that.

On the other hand, I have not run since last week, which is not so good.

I’ve decided I am disgusted with myself for letting the fat climb on me again, so I am dumping the sugar again and going back to my 1700 calories a day, without candy, bread, and sugary things.

Typical food for the day:

All-bran with 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flax seeds, skim milk
chicken with carrots, broccoli, and often some fat-free refried beans
whole wheat wrap (50 cal, 7 grams of fiber)
spinach salad with cukes, tomato, and green pepper
3 tablespoons of Italian dressing with extra virgin olive oil
large apple
100 calorie piece of 90% cacao dark chocolate (my one vice, don’t hate)
can of raspberry lime Polar Seltzer
2 cups of fat free cottage cheese

Actually everything, except the cottage cheese, I eat during the day.  This has been my typical diet for a couple years now.  Its the evening food that makes me gain weight.  If I’m watching my weight, I’m careful about what I eat at home.  If not, well, I end up stuffing in 1000 calories of other stuff, and there goes the weight gain again.

What I like about this plan is that I only have to modify one meal really, dinner/home food.  Which makes it easier for me to focus on ways to avoid junk.  If I can get working on a project it will take my mind off the junk food.  Its really only a few hours before bed, once I get home, so I don’t need to distract my cravings for very long.

But I do need to get out and run now.  I need to run and lift some weights.  I miss the weight training.  I looked into joining Planet Fitness.  The gym is cheap enough, I just don’t want to join and then not go.  Also, you have to let them do automatic withdrawal from your bank account, which I have a real problem with.  Thinking about it.

 

Filed Under: Diet, Weight, and Exercise, Food

Does sugar make you sad?

Posted on Friday March 04 2011 · 3 Comments

When I eat candy and sugary stuff, its first makes me feel happy (because I’m eating candy and sugary stuff), and then I feel sad.  And then the next day, I want MORE sugar.  I did so good this week, but then I ate some candy on Thursday, and then I was sad.  And now I can’t stop the sugar cravings again.

Filed Under: Diet, Weight, and Exercise, Food

Its above freezing!

Posted on Wednesday January 26 2011 · 2 Comments

The first time in about 6 months its actually above freezing.  And coincidentally, I have a run on my schedule, so I went and ran and actually did not die.  My was was somewhere near 8:20.  Yea, me.

I went camping last weekend and froze my butt off.  I had planned to run when I got back, but my legs were killing me from walking around in the snow all weekend.  Plus, it was -5 °F outside and I had had just about enough of the cold weather.  The official marathon training didn’t start until Monday anyway.

I ran my three miles on Tuesday, which actually should have been on Monday, but I missed it for some stupid reason.  I had moved my crosstrainings to Tuesdays, so Tuesday technically is a run day.  Overall, I really just missed a crosstraining day.  I’m ok I think.

I’m still having trouble with eating sugar.  I was good until the marathon last fall, and then I had sugar snacks close the race.  That started up the addiction again.  Campouts don’t help, because there are sugar-ish snacks and things that you eat while outside.  You have to each when camping out in very cold weather.  Not gorge (sp?) yourself, but you do have to eat full meals and not allow yourself to be hungry.  Especially at night.  If your furnace goes out, your body temp drops and you will be cold.  Sleeping outdoors is not the same as spending the day outside.  When you stop moving and go to sleep, you need to keep your metabolism from slowing down.  Of course, I may have overdone it.

So I am working my way back to normal eating.  I’ve got my regular low-carb-ish lunch, bran at breakfast, but I have to wean myself off the candy.  I have a small handfull of mini jelly beans that I end up bringing.  Today it morphed into a roll of fruit lifesavers.  I bought a bag of lifesavers at the store to save on the vending machine costs.   I’m hoping the extra wrappers will slow me down when eating them.  Eventually, I won’t need them at all.

I got a blister on my foot tonight, which is disappointing, but expected.  All my callouses had come off, so I guess the blisters will return.  I will probably start using Bodyglide on my feet again.

I signed up for the Boilermaker this summer.  I hope it won’t be hot, but I recognize that it probably will be, being July and all.

Filed Under: Food, Running
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