Stay on track!

Shrimp... I love shrimp, and I love that you can buy it in giant bags of pre-cooked shrimp that only require soaking in water and it's ready to eat! I usually mix mine with pasta (barilla's whole wheat pasta is 200cal per serving and it fills me up) and some kind of sauce - you can usually find a jar of alfredo with 100 cal per 1/4 cup, and if you toss it with the pasta it coats it enough to give it a nice creamy flavor but not gloppy and excessive. Or tomato sauce - I usually just simmer a can of diced tomatoes with italian seasonings and other veggies, and then mix the pasta in and the shrimp and heat it all up in the same pan. Other things with shrimp.... Just defrosting them and eating it with some cocktail sauce on some crackers, or sauteeing it with olive oil, onions and garlic with a side of veggies and couscous or something. If you like canned soup, a good vegetable soup with small defrosted shrimp is good, gives it some protein so you'll stay fuller longer. Whenever I make anything I usually mix in fresh spinach, either baby spinach or regular spinach. Here on the east coast people also put shrimp in their macaroni and cheese! Haven't tried it but I did have lobster in my macaroni at a restaurant once! Other than that... that's pretty much the only ways I eat shrimp. You could also get the baby shrimp, that they sell by the canned tuna, and put them in salads. Sometimes they're called salad shrimp.
 
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Wow! Thanks a lot. I will be having some shrimp meals next week! The shrimp in macaroni and in tomato sauce with noodles sounds wonderful. I've been getting Prego light traditional sauce. Only 40-50 cals per 1/4. Really amazing. It's what I used for my mini pizzas. Delish!
 
Breakfast:
1 english muffin - 110
american cheese - 70
1 large egg - 74
1 piece candian bacon - 20
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese - 80
strawberries - 20
1 cup milk 90

breakfast total: 464

Lunch:
1/2 cup oatmeal - 150
strawberries - 20
1 tsp brown sugar - 15
splash of milk - 0 - did not have this
granola bar - 90 - only had one bar
chobani - 120

lunch total: 395
day total so far: 859

don't know what's for dinner yet... I would like to make a bean chili but it's been so hot... and chili is such a cold-weather food. But it's sooo good :) Just like a three-bean chili, no meat... mmm :)

snack: other half of granola bar - 90

dinner:
1 serving pasta + ten noodles more - 220
1 chicken, feta and spinach brat - 130
mushrooms, onion, capers, olives - 40
green beans - 70
tomato sauce - 100

day total - 1509

Walked 2 miles at lunch time, went to spinning for one hour after work. Met one half of my weeklong goal of going to spinning twice a week in the month of August.

My parents are coming to visit from Michigan tomorrow, which means a weekend of restaurants and "treats". My mom knows I am trying to lose weight (dad would tell me I don't need to), and so she knows I am going to cook a few more meals than when they usually come visit me, and that I'll be trying to suggest healthy restaurants (if such a thing exists). Luckily we are going to a seafood festival on Friday, which means I can choose things cooked healthily (there is a raw bar!) and we will be walking around, and we are also going antiquing at another festival, which is a lot of walking too. So hopefully I'll get some walking in and make good choices. I'm going to cook some yummy fresh salmon one night, with lots of fresh steamed veggies, so that's one day covered. I'll see the results at my weigh-in on Monday :D
 
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So, this was a bad morning. Last night I weighed myself right before bed, after my shower, and I was at 159.2, and I thought that was great because that meant my morning weight would be 2-3lbs less! But alas, I woke up this morning and weighed 159.6. So, this is a bonafide example of water weight - I weighed less before I went to bed than when I woke up, and I'm pretty sure I didn't eat a whole box of doughnuts in my sleep. I wonder if Aunt Flo is coming into town...

So then, I didn't feel like eating breakfast my I made myself:

1 english muffin - 110
2tbsp peanut butter -119
1 tbsp raspberry jam - 50
1 cup milk - 90

-369

And then I didn't know what to pack for lunch because I apparently forgot to buy lunch foods for myself at the grocery store, plus I was thinking about the scale so I packed:

1 protein bar - 180
2 string cheese - 160
1 chobani -120
1 medium orange - 80

-540
-909
I'm going for a short run today at lunch, as a drill instructor I had at training last year invited me over to his office across base to catch up around lunchtime. So I'll run over there and see him.

THEN - THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER - Big Sisters called and I was matched with two Littles, and this afternoon I get to go and look and their profiles and see which one I think I would mesh with the best. So I'm really excited about that.

My parents are also enroute to Rhode Island from Michigan, which is cool. I haven't seen them since last August. Wow, almost a whole year. That is kind of sad.

So I will have to be triumphant over the scale until Monday. This is such a mind game!!! I should only weight myself once a week but I know the scale keeps me accountable and excited... most of the time :(

edit: Ran 2.1 miles at lunch to another office to visit with my DI, so 1.05 miles each way. Not continuous, but still!

Dinner:
Broccoli and cheese - 50
flat bread - 100
quorn chx patty - 130
mayo - 90
rice and beans and a little cheese (1/2 cup) - 172
slice of american cheese - 70

Dinner total: 612

Blueberries - 70

Day total: 1591
 
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Are you in the military?

Great job on that run girl! And I know what you mean about checking the scale. I know I should only do it once, but I know when I check it early and I've lost some, it's an amazing boost!

Also, I hate Aunt Flo, she's awful!!!!
 
I am in the military. I got off active duty about six months ago, and that is when I started putting on weight. So that is another motivator for me, because as a reservist I still take the same physical fitness tests and need to hold myself to the same standard. I should be able to deploy in the next year, so I would really like to be in the best shape of my life when that times comes around. I still work in a military environment, so it's good that I'm around it all the time, but as a civilian employee I'm not given the same amount of time to PT during the day as people on active duty or people who have active duty orders. Luckily I work from 7am-330pm, which gives me a lot of time at night to exercise and be active.

My parents arrived last night, and we were outside chatting with them and our dog was running around, when into the shadows and GOT SPRAYED BY A SKUNK. The adventures of having pets never seems to end, does it? Luckily he didn't get it bad, and we washed him down a few times and you can only smell it if you get down close to his face (poor little guy got a facefull of skunk butt).

Breakfast -
1 english muffin - 110
1 piece canadian bacon - 30
1 slice american cheese - 70
1 large egg - 74

1/2 cup cottage cheese - 80
strawberries - 27

Breakfast - 391

Lunch -
Luna bar - 180
2 string cheeses - 160
1 orange - 80
chobani - 120

Lunch - 540

L&B - 931

So tonight for dinner I fell off of the super strict measuring and counting regimen, because I was prepping food and talking to my parents and I was super hungry and I just didn't do it. However, I did keep good portion sizes and I only had one serving of food! I did taste things as I went along, and also ate little scraps as we were cleaning up, so I will count that with a rounded off number guesstimate. None of the food was marinated in oil, just brushed on prior to cooking.

dinner -
sugarfree lemonade (lemon juice concentrate, water, truvia, basil leaves) - 0
salmon, brushed with very little canola oil and seasonings (grilled) - 325
zucchini with light brushing of olive oil (grilled) - 50
couscous with grape tomatoes, spinach (fresh), pine nuts, chopped black olives, red bell pepper - 200
1 regular instant butterscotch pudding popsicle with 15 semi-sweet chocolate chips frozen inside - 125

picking at stuff before the meal, and after the meal - 200 (blueberries, bits of salmon, tastes of couscous, zucchini pieces

dinner total - 900

day total - 1831

I walked 2.3 miles at lunch time, I wanted to run but I brought my crappy shoes and they make my feet hurt. I ate more than I would have liked at dinner, and I could have fixed it all by not nibbling before and after. I overestimated at each of my guesses for the food, so hopefully my intake was less than that for the day. But that is what I get for not measuring and not being sure of my intake!!! But...

Things I am proud of:

Walked at work, even though it was hot.
Did not have any of the beer or wine that my parents brought
Only had one serving of food on my plate. Did not get up for seconds even though everyone else did.

Ok. Tomorrow night we are going to a seafood festival. I will do my best to choose steamed or baked dishes. Hopefully I can just eat at the raw bar the whole time. Gaaah!! Curse you, delicious fried seafood!
 
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So I have platued. There is no other explanation for this. I am STUCK and it is making me CRAZY.

breakfast -
chobani - 120
amonds - 80
(200)

I am still motivated, but I'm just so FRUSTRATED. This better not last long or I'm going to start getting pissed. It hasn't bee long, I need to calm down. I've only been stuck for 3 days. I can get past this. Things I am going to do to get past my plateu and not go crazy:

STOP WEIGHING MYSELF EVERY DAY
mix in more interval work, especially at lunch time.
monitor my calories more closely. I still count and watch, but I feel like I could be more accurate.
drink more water - have been getting headaches lately

Lunch:
1 cup couscous with veggies mixed in - 180
1 salad from dave's market, full fat green dressing and olives - 150 (3 tbsp)
actual salad itself - 90 (iceburg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives)

lunch total - 420

Dinner at the seafood festival -
I had
25 mussels, steamed - 175
1 cornbread muffin - 200
1 stuffed quahog - 400
bites of stuff from other people's plates - 200
sips of strawberry frappe - 75

(1050) wow - what a disaster. I over estimated on a lot of things, but still. That is freaking terrible.

day total: 1670

I guess it's not that bad when you look at it from a day's perspective. I did try to limit my intake earlier in the day to compensate for the horribleness of the seafood festival.
 
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i ve pateauded too and it really sucks... it s hard on the morale... but i know it s just a matter of time.
i m glad to see everything is good on your side ... will pass by later to check up on the news

A
 
You can do this chelsea. Your goals to get past the plateau are great, I'm sure you're gonna burn right through it.

This is one of those times when you really need to tap into the reserve tank! Give it all you've got!
 
Soo.... lots to write about. I didn't do a good job at keeping track this weekend at all - but I did really make an effort to have healthy stuff.

Friday night was a disaster at the seafood festival, but when i added it up with everything i ate that day, it only came to about 1700. not awful.

On Saturday, we went to a festival pretty far away. For breakfast I had
1 protein bar - 180
blueberries - 50
1 chobani - 120
(350)

For lunch we were at the festival, but it was a classy festival so the portion sizes were smaller. I had chicken barbque on a whole wheat bun, half a cup of potato salad and water. The BBQ was not slathered in sauce, it was just tossed lightly in it. it was also skinless. So on the web, it said that 3oz has 163, but i'm betting my serving was more like 6oz. so
whole wheat bun - 200
bbq - 326
potato salad - 180
frozen yogurt - 140
(846)

Then last night we went out to dinner, where I ate half of my serving of frutti de mar linguine. It was a tomato sauce, with scallops (1), calamari pieces, shrimp (2), and mussels (10) and littlenecks (2). I also had a bite of potatoes from my mom's plate, and a bite of chicken parmesean from my BF's plate. I had one small end piece of foccacia with my meal, and a house salad with nothing of caloric significance except the house salad dressing, but it was light tossed, not poured on. I'm going to guess 900 calories for the whole deal. we did not get dessert.

day total: 2096

ugh. but seriously, it could have been so much worse. at the festival there was a wine tasting, i did not participate. i had water all weekend except for the sips of my mom's strawberry frappe. I didn't get fried stuff like everyone else in my group did at the festival on friday night. we walked a lot - different shops, at the festivals, and out it town to dinner and back. my mom and i also went on a 3.5 mile run (we walked a little) on saturday night before dinner. She is also trying to eat healthier so it was easier to make good choices when we were together. BAAH!!!!


This morning for breakfast we met them at Denny's. Last night I went to their website and found the healthiest menu options (almost nonexistant, I hate fake diners like Denny's). It was the only place open early enough for us to get breakfast with them before they left. I had the harvest oatmeal breakfast. It consisted of:

oatmeal
huge bowl of brown sugar on the side
skim milk in a cup
craisins
apple pieces
fruit cup
2 pieces of turkey bacon

out of that: i ate:
80% of the oatmeal
none of the apple pieces
everything in the fruit cup except the grapes and the apple slices
and the turkey bacon
their website says the breakfast is 530 calories, but an honest estimate of what I really ate is more like 475. So not terrible, but still not awesome.
turkey bacon (2) - 80
~1 cup oatmeal - 147
half banana, half cup strawberries - 70
1tbsp brown sugar - 33
1/4 cup skim milk - 23
1/4 cup craisins - 125

Now my parents are gone and I can continue to my regular life. Poor weigh-in day tomorrow... that is going to be depressing :(

on an upper note, my mom told me i look soooo skinny, and my mom told me that my dad said that he has never seen me look so fit. i contribute a good portion of that to the surgery, but also the 11lbs or so i have lost on my own.

lunch:
1 cup couscous with veggies mixed in - 180
blueberries - 50
cucumber w/salt sprinkled on it - 47

lunch total: 277

Went to the gym after lunch. Warmed up with 12 mins on the elyptical, stretched, and then rowed 5000m in 25 minutes. Then I did four weight exercises for the shoulders/back four times each.

dinner:
brown rice, 1/2 cup cooked - 160
1tbsp sesame oil - 110
stir fry sauce, 5 tbsp - 175
various veggies, sauteed - 50
quorn chix bits - 80
cabbage, raw - 10
1/2 cup butterscotch pudding - 170

dinner total: 775

day total: 1507

Things I am proud of today:

Went to the gym, finished rowing even though it was sooo hard and took forever.
We went to CVS to get some things and I walked down the candy aisle... wanted to buy something chocolatey so bad but I didn't.
Cooked a meatless dinner, even though for some reason I was really craving restaurant food (probs bc my parents were just here and we ate in a restaurant... i forget how luxurious it is to have someone else cook for you!)

Another week begins tomorrow... hopefully the scale won't be as devastating as I think it will be. Also: I got my period today (kind of). I decided to stop taking my BC pills, because I have been on them for cysts on my ovaries since I was 14 (aka 9 years). I think that i had irregular periods and that I got cysts because I was so overweight for a lot of my life. Now that I am getting out of that, I want to see if my body can be normal and healthy on its own. They told me I had PCOS when I was little, but I never believed them. So it's been about a full month since my last period, so it's about right that I'm getting it now. We'll see! But to be fair, for my weigh-in tomorrow, I will take into consideration that I am bloated and visiting with Aunt Flo.
 
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2000 calories is not a disaster!

It's not a "low-calorie" diet, but it's far from disaster!

Don't be so hard on yourself!

Keep up the good work and you're plateau will pass.
 
So, I had my weigh-in this morning and I have gained a pound in the last week. But I also have my period, and I refuse to believe that I actually gained a pound of anything but water. I have eaten perfectly well except for Friday and Saturday, and I didn't eat more than 2096cals on the worst day. Every other day I was between 1400-1700. And I did PT every single day except Friday, and even on Friday I walked a lot. So it is simply not possible, unless I have been secretly driving to duncan donuts in my sleep and eating. So I am not updating my ticker. I will wait and do it next Monday.

Breakfast -

1 whole wheat bagel - 250
peanut butter - 190
jam - 50

Breakfast total - 490

Lunch - 2 cups couscous w/mixed veggies - 360

day total so far: 850

SHOMYGOSH - just read abou the BEST IDEA EVER. I love rice but I hate how many cals are in such a small portion. I know it's not the same (because it's never the same) but boiling cauliflower and putting it thru a RICER. So it's like little rice-shaped granuals of cauliflower!!! Bahhh!!! Totally trying it.

Dinner -
2 corn tortillas - 110
1 large egg - 74
quorn ground beef meat replacement -80
1/2 tbsp peanut oil -60
enchilada sauce - 30
1/4 cup black beans - 60
zucchini & onion - 20
cheese - 100

dinner: 534

day total: 1384
 
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Breakfast -
1 english muffin - 110
1 L egg - 74
1 piece canadian bacon - 20
1 piece american cheese - 70
1 chobani - 120

breakfast - 394

coffee drink, french vanilla, 6oz - 75
Lunch -
left over stirfry from the other night, without rice - 415
cabbage - 10

lunch & coffee total - 500

day total - 894

dinner -
pork chop - 187
zucchini, bell pepper, onion - 40
steamed spinach w/red wine vinegar - 20
tomato, half - 18

dinner - 267

whole day - 1159

went to the gym. Walked at max incline for 20 minutes with increasing speed from 2.5 to 3.7. Pulled rope for 10 minutes, and then did core strength exercises from last month's Self magazine. They had these nice cards you could rip out with lots of plank exercises. Some sucked but other ones were really good. I also did 40 pushups on the flat side of the Bosu ball, but kept my knees on the ground.

Was super hungry after my workout, so we went to Rite Aid and got a muscle milk.. 220 cals.

new total for the day:1379. not bad!

hopefully tomorrow at work won't be super busy, and i will be able to get in a work out during my lunch break. lunch! speaking of which... i have nothing to bring. darn.
 
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Don't be discouraged about your weigh in. I bet next will be really great because in addition to what you lost by hard work, whatever weight you gained from your period will disapear!
 
I'm thinking about adding protein supplements to my diet - 5 small meals, with 2 being a protein shake. Thoughts? Comments? I find myself getting hungry during the day and it pisses me off. I also talked to a trainer at my gym, who recommended breaking a plateau by eating smaller meals more frequently than my three semi-large (although sometimes they don't feel so large) meals per day and incorporating more cardio, which I am already doing (45 mins instead of 30 daily). He was super ripped, so... how can I not believe him? LOL. But srsly, if you have experience with this, let me know! Esp. you lurkers out there.

Note: I took supps in college so I know about them - i.e. don't get the ones with 56 grams of sugar and 14 grams of protein, and I'm not looking at bars or any other kind of supps than powder mixed with skim milk (because it usually tastes like garbage with water).
 
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I don't see a problem with the proten shakes (or however you choose to get it). I know I struggle to get enough protein and have tossed the idea around myself. The idea of making some of your meals smaller so that you can eat more meals throughout the day is also a good idea. I've heard around here that it's good to eat ever 3-4 hours to keep hunger away.

I actually might look into the protein shake thing a bit more. I find myself getting hungry late in the evening when I'm at work and a low calorie protein shake might be just what I need.

I hope you had a great time with your parents this past weekend! Some of that seafood sounded really great. I'm making an attempt of trying new things, especially seafood. My fiance is from Louisiana and he along with his family love that stuff!
 
Yeah.. seafood is hard to get used to. I used to hate oysters on the half shell but I grew to like them. The consistency is the hardest part to like, I think. I still get kind of grossed out by calimari.

I will let you know how the protein goes.. I guess we will see in the coming weeks! I found one that I am going to order I think, so PM me if you want the info. (Don't want to seem to promote it.)
 
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