Day 47 - what I eat

Here is a break down of what I try to eat in a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I also try to allow 150-200 calories a day for non-menu items like pasta salad, tortillas, popcorn, or wasabi peas.

Breakfast -
34 Kcal - 1 c. Kale
20 Kcal - 1 serving Spinach
80 Kcal - 1 c. Organic Soymilk
20 Kcal - 1/4 c. carrot juice
37 Kcal - 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
104 Kcal - 1 banana
62 Kcal - 1/2 c. Frozen Peas
50 Kcal - 1 c. Frozen peaches
50 Kcal - 1 c. Frozen strawberries
457 Kcal

Lunch -
140 Kcal - 3 tbsp Mixed seeds/nuts/dried fruit
40 Kcal - 8 oz Spring salad mix
90 Kcal - Pear or Apple
270 Kcal

Dinner -
20 Kcal - 1 c. Zucchini cooked
36 Kcal - 1 c. Yellow Squash cooked
41 Kcal - 1 medium onion cooked
227 Kcal - 1 c. cooked black beans, no salt
104 Kcal - 1 banana
428 Kcal

1155 Kcal TOTAL

Day 31 - End of week 4

End of one month, and weigh-in number 4 at 275.4. A total of 13.4 pounds lost. I am looking forward to what next month will bring, maybe another 10 pounds lost?

So here are some numbers:
Week 0 - Day 3 - 288.8 pounds
Week 1 - Day 10 - 281.9 pounds (7.0 lost)
Week 2 - Day 17 - 280.4 pounds (1.4 lost)
Week 3 - Day 24 - 277.0 pounds (3.4 lost)
Week 4 - Day 31 - 275.4 pounds (1.6 lost)

Average 3.34 pounds lost per week. I'll keep updating the average over time as I continue to lose.

Day 25 - 12 pounds gone

Today is day 25 of Eat to Live and I am 12 pounds down from my start weight.

I weighed on Day 3 at 288.8
Today on Day 25 I'm at 276.8

Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman is the easiest way to eat. Let me tell you, I am never hungry between meals. Never!

I have a 44 oz smoothie for breakfast. That is HUGE! It contains 3-4 servings of veggies plus 3-4 servings of fruit. Not to mention loads of vitamins and other phytonutriants from the natural foods.

For lunch I usually have a large salad. If I'm still hungry I have a 2nd.

Dinner is usually mixed grilled veggies and some bean soup.

And then dessert I have more fruit.


The best part of Eat to Live is no calorie counting. No worrying about numbers. Sometimes I almost feel guilty for being able to eat so much and want to eat less because my previous attempts at weight loss I have had to practically starve myself when it came to counting my calories. I have to convince myself to cram all these veggies in.

The weight is coming off, which is great! I can see the results. Now it's just the waiting game for it all to come off. I can't expect to get to my goal weight by tomorrow, but it WILL happen and I just have to remember that.



Also, Day 25 and I have not had even one hypoglycemic/low blood sugar episode. I have stuck to my diet completely except for two days where I sampled some of my boyfriend's mom's pasta salad. But even then I only had a very small spoonful to go along with the rest of my meal.

My next goal is to start doing some Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) Yoga.

Day 19 - rainy~

It has been raining the last 3-4 days and I haven't been able to get outside to hike. I think it is supposed to rain tomorrow as well =(

But today was a great food day!

I made a delicious green smoothie with spinach, kale, peas, carrots, banana, strawberries, flax seeds, water, and soy milk. Yum!

I think I ran out of soy milk, so I am going to switch to my backup coconut water tomorrow

Lunch I had a big salad and a bowl of lentil stew =)

And dinner I made stuffed peppers with quinoa, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. I also had a small side salad and some steamed asparagus.

I love Eat to Live!

Day 17 - Still going strong!

Okay, so I forgot to post yesterday.

A quick summary of yesterday - smoothie for breakfast; pear and black walnut salad for lunch; bean concoction for lunch; and veggie/tofu skewers for dinner.

Today was weigh in #2!

Starting weight: 288
Last week weight: 281
This week weight: 280

Lost 1 pound since last week
Lost 8 pounds total


Since I didn't lose that much weight this week, I've decided to cut out nuts and seeds for my next week and also watch fruit portions. I'm also making it a requirement that I eat a salad for lunch now. Breakfast will remain the same and dinner will be grilled/sauteed/steamed veggies and beans. I have tried out some recipes, but I think I really just like the natural flavor of grilling/sauteing veggies and will probably continue with that.

Since starting Eat to Live, I'm learning what sort of veggies I enjoy and which ones not so much. Here is my hot/not list

HOT:
1. Bell Peppers (especially red) love them raw, in salad, and cooked
2. Spinach/Kale - a must have for my smoothies
3. Zucchini and summer squash - one of my staples to grilling/sauteing
4. Onions - another staple to grilling/sauteing
5. Carrots - I hate the taste of raw carrots, but I sneak them in to my smoothies and also grill with them
6. Asparagus - love it steamed!
7. Mushrooms - well, I only like them cooked, but I love mushrooms!

NOT:
1. Eggplant - bland... I find it hard to use with other foods; and it's downright ugly looking
2. Fresh green beans - I bought a bag of these and they have just been sitting there. I tried steaming them and they don't taste very good. I will give them one more shot before striking them completely
3. Cooked tomatoes - ew... Tried them with my kabobs... gross... tried them in my eggplant dish... gross
4. Parsley - ok, so this one isn't completely ruled out, I just don't like it in my salad. It's a bit strong when fresh.

Day 15 - like any other

Today is a day like any other. A Thursday.

I had a delicious breakfast smoothie.
Lunch I had some leftover cauliflower soup.
Went for a hike for an hour.
Dinner I made grilled teriyaki vegetables. YUM!
Afterwards I made some lentil stew for tomorrow.

I have noticed that I am cooking more and more. =) I think I want to experiment with making black bean burgers. I like boca burgers, but I would really like to get away from preservatives by just making my own.

Day 14 - Hibachi!!

Two weeks of this new diet already?! Even going out to eat at Osaka Hibachi Grill for a friend's birthday I still managed to stay on track pretty well.

I chose all vegetarian dishes.

Oshinko rolls (pickled veggies)
Kampya rolls (Japanese squash)
Sweet Potato rolls
Hibachi Tofu and mixed vegetables

I didn't eat the fried rice that came with the Hibachi since I was already eating a little rice with my sushi. Plus there was egg in it. And I opted for low-sodium soy sauce. Unfortunately, I have no idea what all the chef put on the veggies. I will just leave that to my 1% allowance for the month for butter/oil/sugar.

Day 13 - Almost broke

Why is losing weight so stressful? I almost broke my diet today because of something my boyfriend said. I balled my eyes out, but we talked it out and it was pretty much all a misunderstanding.

I didn't break though. =) Losing weight is too important for me.

Think I'll snag a tangerine before I go to bed.

Day 12 - lackluster

Today has been kind of lackluster. Getting a bit bored eating salad all the time... Tomorrow I'm going to mix it up and try something new! I am going to make a lentil stew that I can freeze in portions and I'm also going to make some black bean lettuce burrito/wrap thingies. yums!

I am anxious to weigh myself again... but I am really trying to hold out for Saturday.

Day 11 - beautiful day for a hike

Day 11 - Today I went hiking on the south trail at Robinson Park. This was the first trail I had hiked when I tried to lose weight the previous time. It is one way with four hills in between which means you go out you have to come back the way you came. This trail put my legs to the test and I ended up petering out about a half mile from the end. I am hoping that in the next few days I'll be able to increase my distance and stamina. Though I do remember that the first time I did these hills I had to stop often from breathing really really hard. This time, I managed so I only had to stop when I reached the benches so that I could catch my breath.

After my hike I ended up having a bit of a headache, maybe dehydration? but I was drinking quite a bit of water. Regardless, I had a wonderful hike and can't wait to do another.

My clothes are getting loser and loser. I no longer struggle to get my size 24 pants on and no longer have to struggle pulling it up over my stomach fat that hangs down. My 1X shirts fit with only slight stretching to fit around the hips and the sleeves are loose around the arms. The shirt I am wearing today was too tight before I started Eat to Live (even with trying to stretch it). Maybe my boobs have gotten smaller, too? I haven't taken measurements of anything yet (because I sometimes get obsessed with it).

I would love if more of my stomach fat would disappear. =/ Summer is still a few months off so hopefully I can lose enough by then to fit into my shorts that I intentionally bought too small =)

Nothing has changed with my food intake. I have had no cravings for anything even though the family had BBQ ribs and pasta for dinner.  

Day 10 - 7 pounds gone!

Day 10 started off with weigh in.

Last week weigh in - 288
This week weigh in - 281

7 pounds lost in 7 days!

This is a great start for my Eat to Live lifestyle change.



I bought some clothes at a 2nd hand store with my mom. Three 1X shirts and a pair of size 16 jeans (too cute to pass up). I'll be able to wear the tops soon and the jeans later on. I'm still wearing size 24 pants. =(

For dinner I made a yummy soup that I found in my Eat to Live book. Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup. Cauliflower, carrots, leeks, bok choy, celery, spinach, kale, green onion, cashews, and tofu. (I modified the recipe by adding bok choy, green onion, and tofu). It was delicious! and leftovers for tomorrow and the next day.

Day 9 - Huzzah!

Today has been a great day. =) well actually, every day lately has been pretty great! I am loving Eat to Live more and more as the days go by. Today I went grocery shopping to restock the fridge. Lots of fresh foods to eat!

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing soup and salad for dinner. I think it'll be fun! A nice warm bowl of soup on a cold day. =D

Day 8 - yeaaaaaaaah!

A 1X T-shirt which was tight 10 days ago is now loose again. =D

Today has been a really great day. I got some new trail shoes which means I can get out on the trails more easily. I'm thinking tomorrow if the weather is nice I'll put in some miles.

My menu for the day:
Breakfast - smoothie
Lunch - boca burger, tofu, spinach, mushrooms, and mini sweet peppers
Dinner - big salad with tofu ranch dressing

I have no cravings for anything but veggies and fruit =D it's great. It's so easy when the fridge is well stocked with the foods I need to eat.

Day 7 - One week down!

Here's to one week down and many more to come. Just doing this one day at a time. =)

Day 6 - Loving "Eat to Live"!!!

Eat to Live has to be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I flipping love not having to count calories! Every diet prior I have had to keep a food journal... jotting down every little thing I eat. It also fell apart when I went out to dinner and no calories were listed.

My daily food intake with Eat to Live:
1 pound fresh green vegetables
1 pound cooked vegetables
4-6 servings fruit
1oz seeds/nuts
1 cup beans/legumes

Eat to Live does allow whole grains, some starchy foods, and small quantities of: eggs, fish, or bird 1-2 times a week or red meat about once a month... but I really don't see the point in adding it. I do eat one slice of rye or pumpernickel bread every few days for a sandwich, but that's it.

So easy! I don't eat bread, prepackaged foods, fats, oils, sweets, meat, cheese, dairy. Most of what I buy is either fresh or frozen produce. No preservatives.

I was so satisfied with my dinner tonight that I am flipping raving about it! A big salad, steamed asparagus and zucchini, and an apple. It doesn't seem like much but it filled me up. FILLED ME UP! Every other diet I have tried I'd still be hungry wishing I could have more.

I am sooooo happy right now! I cannot wait until tomorrow comes. =)

Day 5 - Off caffeine and NO headaches!

This is the first day of being off caffeine and absolutely no headaches! =D I'm sure I will have a few minor ones through the next few days as the caffeine receptors clear out. But going from one can of diet coke to no cans was pretty easy. Amazing how just a few days ago I was drinking 4-6 cans a day.

The menu of the day consisted of a smoothie for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, and sweet potato concoction with a side salad for dinner. I'm getting better at making smoothies. My favorite is blueberry, peach, spinach, and carrot. yum!

Today was extremely windy... I wanted to go out for a hike but ended up staying inside and cleaning.

Day 4 - withdrawals

My brain meat hurts... Caffeine withdrawal has been pretty brutal today... ugh... I am down to 1 can of diet coke now.... suffering...

I had a smoothie for breakfast. Blueberries, peaches, kale, spinach, and carrot.

Lunch I had some sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and a boca burger.

Dinner I had a big leafy salad with cucumber, pea pods, red bell pepper, and spinach. I then added some sauteed zucchini and a mix of nuts/seeds/dried berries. To top it off I added some delicious strawberry basil balsamic dressing. yum!

Afterwards I finished off half a can of black beans.


I also went for a hike at the park today.

Day 3 - I'm a nutritarian

Day 3 of my new life!

Today has been a most excellent day. I have only felt hungry once and that was about 4:30pm when I was planning on making dinner. I ate a couple strawberries to quench the little hunger pain and continued on my day.

Breakfast I made another delicious smoothie consisting of frozen blueberries, kale, spinach, a carrot, coconut milk, cucumber, and vanilla soy protein powder. I think tomorrow I will lean heavier on the cucumber, yum!

Lunch didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped, but it still filled me up. I cut up some chunky veggies, zucchini, carrot, asparagus, red bell pepper, and broccoli and sauteed them with a little Worcestershire sauce. In a second skillet I heated up some black beans with some mushrooms. Then combined it all. It was interesting to say the least...

For dinner I flipped through a vegetarian cookbook, but most of the recipes are pasta/bread/cheese/egg based that I couldn't really make any of it. I came to a recipe which was pretty much sauteed veggies and rigatoni, so I decided on that, but instead replaced the pasta with some mung bean fettuccine. (I wanted black bean noodles but the super market was out...) So I sauteed some grape tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers together, then tossed in the noodles. At the end I laid some sauteed tofu on top. This one was pretty good, but I think I used too many noodles. (Didn't realize that they'd expand so much, yikes!)

I love my new lifestyle! I love all the veggies I can eat! I love how full I feel from eating them and the best part it's all low calorie food full of tons of micro nutrients.

Today I've limited my Diet Coke intake to 2.5 cans. I used to drink 4-6 cans a day... yikes! Though with the lack of caffeine intake, I feel somewhat more aggressive. I'm hoping that this will start to fade over time.

I've also been drinking a lot more water and I can already feel my skin feeling healthier. It feels smoother to the touch.

I think I might put in a short walk tonight before it gets late.

Day 2 - Still going

Day 2 turned out a lot better than Day 1. I didn't feel hungry all day long like yesterday and didn't need as many snacks in between meals, which I think is good.

I made a breakfast shake with kale, spinach, blueberries, blackberries, a banana, a carrot, coconut milk, vanilla protein powder, and peanut butter. (I read that I should watch how much nuts I eat while losing weight since they are fatty, so I'm going to start limiting my nut consumption).

For lunch I made a sandwich with a Boca burger, spinach, grilled zucchini, red bell pepper, and portabella mushrooms on toasted russian rye bread.

And for dinner, my boyfriend and I went to Qdoba Mexican Grill and I had a naked vegetarian burrito. Rice, black beans, grilled zucchini, guacamole, lettuce, and corn salsa. It was delicious!


I still need to cut back on diet coke and add more water to my diet. I really don't like the tap water here, but maybe if I add a little lemon juice it will taste better.

So far so good, I haven't had any cravings for cookies, and I used to be a terrible binger on those things. I have also become more active when it comes to cooking in the kitchen, even if it is making breakfast for my boyfriend in the morning while I make my smoothie.


Overall here are some general rules I am trying to follow when it comes to weight loss:
1) Start my day with fruits and veggies in the form of a smoothie. When food is blended the body can start absorbing it almost immediately which leads to quicker energy release for the body at the start of the day. I have found I have tons more energy from a smoothie then if I ate a bowl of cereal with milk.

2) Eat lots of veggies, about 50-60% of what I eat will be veggies. At least half fresh. Veggies can lose their nutrients from being cooked so it is always good to eat fresh veggies as well to maintain maximum nutritional values

3) Make sure not to eat processed foods and limit carbohydrates passed lunchtime since the body will begin to slow it's metabolism down in preparation for sleep and leftover carbs/sugars will be stored as fat. Overall, I am limiting as many processed carbohydrates as possible. I may only have one slice of whole grain or other dark bread a day for lunch for a sandwich, but any other processed foods with flour have been cut out. I am also cutting out processed sugar and sweeteners, and staying away from artificial sweeteners as well.

4) Drink lots of water and cut out caffeine (still working on that last one) but I hope to have cut out diet coke in about a week. I want to ween off of it so I don't have terrible migraines.

5) Be active! I have led a pretty sedentary lifestyle for the last year and most of my jobs have been the sitting down variety. Now I aim to change that by going for more walks to strengthen my leg muscles, and lifting weights to strengthen my arms. In time, I'll be more and more active.



Here is the food pyramid I am following.

Day 1 - The Starting Line

Today is a new day in history -- insignificant to everyone else but me. It is the first day of my ultimate lifestyle change.

My goal today was to replace bad foods with better foods. Eat more fruits and veggies. Eat less salt. Eat less carbs. All-in-all: EAT BETTER!

I have to say, this is probably the first and the worst of the days... The first day is always rough when changing eating habits. There are still foods lying around that I can't eat... everywhere in fact. Hopefully my willpower will increase with each passing day.

This is what I ate today:

7:15am Breakfast (made by me!)

• Pan grilled zucchini, red bell pepper, and portabello mushroom
• Country Fries (orwhateverthecrapthey'recalled) -- one small new potato diced and pan grilled
• with seasoning
• 1 1/2 egg omelet with a little sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 banana
• Glass of SunnyD

10am Snack

• 1 large strawberry
• very small amount of lightly salted cashews

Noon Lunch

• Left over 6" sub from Subway (Turkey, black forest ham, veggies, honey mustard on wheat)

2:00pm~ Snack
My 1st attempt at making a smoothie with my new blender I got today

• 4 leaf kale
• 10 small leaves spinach
• 1 carrot
• 2 large strawberries
• 1 banana
• 3/4 red bell pepper
• 1 floret broccoli
• pineapple juice
• 2-3 tbsp peanut butter
• ice
• vanilla soy protein powder

(This shake ended up tasting a bit like leftover Lucky Charms remnants from the bottom of the bag... The texture of the shake doesn't help any either)

4:00pm - Dinner
By the time 4pm rolls around my hunger is still nagging at me... arg... So I kept myself busy and made a delicious Boca burger sandwich

• Mushroom and mozzarella Boca patty
• 1 slice russian rye bread toasted
• small handful of spinach
• Grilled zucchini and portabello mushrooms
• 1 tsp light mayo

6:00pm~ snack

• very small amount of lightly salted cashews

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Currently, I'm not keeping track of calories... I feel that I might become discouraged if I have to keep daily records of all that. Right now, I am only focusing on eating healthier and replacing bad foods with good foods.

Tonight I am buying some adjustable dumbbells so I can start building up muscle mass.

Week 1 goals
Switch to healthy smoothies for breakfast
Walk more!
Lift weights while sitting on my butt