This is what I'm doing

Needless to say I haven't really been successful dieting this time around.  I have spent the last couple days trying to figure out why that is.  It really comes down to the fact that I'm not eating like I should and I'm not getting the exercise I used to.  The last time I was really successful at weight loss was when I was living in Boston.  I didn't have a car, I was out of the house 15 hours a day between grad school, internship, job, social life, etc.  Nowadays I drive to work, sit at a desk all day, and then go home and just hang out around the house.  So December is get this fat ass moving month.  Here are my goals:

1. Successfully eat within 1200 calories a day.
2. Get 30 minutes of exercise a day (at least) and try new exercises.
3. Weigh in everyday and record my ups and downs
4. Keep a journal, track foods and exercise as well as how I feel everyday with what I've eaten or not during the day.
5. Stop eating out. Make all my own food. This will help with calorie control as well as my wallet (which Black Friday wasn't kind to).
6. Drink 64oz of water everyday.  Gotta pee that weight off.

I know that I'm most successful when I'm busy and active.  I am starting with little things.  Walking to the Safeway that's a few blocks away.  Working myself up to biking the 5 (relatively) flat miles to work.  Moving, moving, moving everyday is my new mantra.  I want to loose 16lbs by my birthday, which is 8 weeks away.  I want to fit into my just slightly too small jeans when I go out and celebrate the beginning of the end of my 20's.  These are the best years of my life and I have wasted enough time not being the person I know I am on the inside.

Wish me luck.  This first week will be a tough one, but I'm no longer going to fill myself with food to trick myself into thinking my life is full.

What am I doing?

I don't know what I'm doing this week.  I have eaten crap all week, and I feel horrible.  There isn't much more to say than that.  I am not doing what I need to do and I'm not seeing results because of it.  I have to find that thing inside me that can let me be successful.  Where did it go?  Have you seen it?

Skinnygiving!

I am very excited to share this post.  Melissa, from They Call My Hypo, and I took on the challenge to make a Thanksgiving feast without all the fat and calories.  It was a total success, if I do say so myself.  We reduced the calories, but kept everything chock full of flavor.  I was completely satisfied by what was on the table and didn't feel like anything was missing.  Another thing to keep in mind is that everything on this table is low in fat and gluten free.

We each made two dishes.  I made a brown rice stuffing and a pumpkin pie.  Melissa made an amazing stuffed chicken dish and green bean 'casserole'.  You can see those recipes over at her blog.  And I mean look at this:

You know you want to

So here's the best part:  The recipes!

Brown Rice Stuffing

1 tube italian chicken sausage (no skin added)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
2 medium granny smith apples, cored and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cook the brown rice in a separate pot
3. Brown the sausage until fully cooked, add to casserole dish
4. Use the leftover drippings from the sausage instead of adding extra oil and cook the celery and onion
5. Mix celery and onion in the baking dish with the sausage.  Add the brown rice, apples and dried cranberries to the dish.
6. Add the chicken broth to the dish to keep it moist, and put it in the oven for 15mins or until the apples are cooked.

Makes 12 servings.  Calories: 135, Carbs: 25.4, Fat: 1.5g, Protein: 5.8.


















Low Fat Pumpkin Pie

1 16oz can Libby's Pumpkin
1 can fat-free evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbl cornstarch
1/2 Tbl cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 egg white

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, cornstarch and spices in a bowl.
3. Whip egg white until stiff and fold into the pumpkin mixture.
4. Pour into an oven safe dish and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until you can put a toothpick into the center and pull it out clean.
5. Allow to cool.  Serve with a dollop of fat free whipped cream and reduced fat graham crackers.  Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings. Calories: 125, Carb: 29, Fat: .375, Protein: 3g.
Graham: 5 calories per 1/4 of a cookie.
Whipped Topping: 5 calories per 2tbl

I hope that you are all able to enjoy this meal as much as we did.  This gives you all the flavors of the holiday without all the calories.  You can eat a really full plate without all the guilt.  Happy Holidays from Three Stones/They Call My Hypo!

Cheers!

Fall is Upon Us

I love Fall.  Or really, I love the promise that winter is coming.  That first morning when you wake up and you see frost and you can taste the cold in the air.  There's something about it that's so refreshing after a long 'meh' summer.  Fall is when the rain comes again, and for a born and bred Washingtonian like myself, the smell of the first rain is something you look forward to every year.

The downside is that working out by walking isn't as fun as it was when it was warm and dry.  Now we have to hike up our big girl panties and march out into the miserable cold.  Rain smells great, and its nice to watch from inside, but not so much fun to be out in for extended periods of time.  Regardless, if I let rain get in my way I wouldn't exercise between October and May so I can't use that as an excuse.  I went walking last Wednesday with Melissa from They Call Me Hypo, like we do every week.  This was our first rain adventure.  She's not from Washington and has a few things to learn about proper layering.  I give you exhibit A:

Me

As you can see, I layered.  I am wearing a hat a sweatshirt and a waterproof jacket.  This is key for rainy weather.  I was actually too warm during parts, although I'll admit I should have worn gloves.  Here's exhibit B:

Not Me

As you can see her sweatshirt is not giving her the warmth and dryness that you need to rally when faced with inclement weather.  #1 rule for rainy weather, waterproof attire.  The sweatshirt will bog you down and give you a chill.

All in all, it was a good walk.  Energizing and proactive.  Don't let a little rain get in your way.  Just be prepared and wear proper clothes.  You'll be glad you did it when you get home, just make sure there is a hot toddy or something else equally warm waiting for you.  Next I'm going to share with you a great fall recipe for apple butter!  Nothing tastes more like fall than apples and cinnamon.  Also, this week is the Three Stones/They Call Me Hypo Skinnygiving!!!  We'll be making a holiday meal that's both filling and healthy.  Something that you can try with your family.  Coming Soon!

Eat Right for Your Type

Over the last week, when I wasn't getting pecked to death by students, I was reading a book called "Eat Right 4 Your Type.  Basically it talks about how the dietary needs for people with different blood types work and why.  I actually looked into this because I'm trying to find something that A) helps me lose this weight and B) helps me feel better.  

Also, every month I'm trying to add a vitamin to my regimen.  The more I look into these things the more I feel I need to be listening to my bodies individual needs.  The dramatic difference I have seen in my own outlook and attitude since I started taking vitamins is unbelievable.  I haven't felt this good in years, and hopefully soon, my body will start to reflect how healthy my mind is.  These are the vitamins I take every night:

The two small clear gels are my Vitamin D.  My savior from psuedohypothyroidism.  Continuing clockwise you'll see my Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin B (Which has helped my depression and anxiety significantly), my multi-vitamin, and the giant one in the middle is CoQ10.  I want to add Vitamin C to the party, but I take one step at a time.  I am loving the fact that taking these, and getting my chemical balance back in order, means that I am 100% off ALL anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, and sleeping aids.  I'm not against medication, and I will take it again if I need it, but it's nice to have that choice.

The biggest and smallest pills next to a quarter = perspective.

My hope with this new diet is that it will help reset my metabolism.  Since my blood type is A- I will follow the type A eating regime.  I won't go into too much detail (because I don't want to get sued), but basically I will eat as a pescatarian.  No red meats, very little poultry, and no gluten.  The no gluten part isn't exactly what the diet says, but it does say if you have issues with mucus to avoid it.  I have terrible sinuses and if this could help me wake up headache free it will be worth giving up things I love.  The meat however, apparently it just makes my ass fat.  It will take a lot of willpower for that one...

I'm just working to have a body that can keep up with my energized brain.  I love all this energy I have and I want to figure out a way to get my body caught up.  I'm going to fight off disease and live a better lifestyle.

Easy Peasy Breakfast Sandwich

So I'm trying to figure out some simple easy to make recipes for breakfast.  I'm terrible when it comes to breakfast, so it's best if I have something that I can grab as I run out the door 5 minutes late to work.  So I thought I would try a trick that I saw online.  The recipe is super easy and they still taste really good when you heat them up.  There are the best for a quick breakfast on the run (when you have access to a microwave.

Ingredients:
12 eggs
12 strips of bacon (regular, Canadian, or turkey)
12 whole wheat/high fiber English muffins
12 slices of cheese (I prefer Cheddar for a nice strong taste)

1.  Crack one egg into each cup of a cupcake tin.  In hindsight I would have scrambled the eggs before filling the tins, but c'est la vie.

2.  Cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 or until done.  While they cook prepare your other ingredients.

3.  Fry up some BACON!

4.  Toast the English muffins (hopefully you have a 4+ slice toaster cause this part can take a while.

5.  Build each sandwich with one egg, one slice of bacon and one slice of cheese.

6.  Stick it in the freezer until you're ready to eat it.

7.  To reheat, heat the egg separately, about 1 minute in the microwave, and squeeze excess moisture out of it. (This is the only unappetizing part, and I'm trying to figure out a way around this.).  Then heat the rest of the sandwich for 1 minute, stack it back together, and enjoy!

I still have some tweeking to do, but overall I have really enjoyed this recipe!  It has been quick and it lets me to get a high fiber, high protein breakfast.  The way I made it with pork bacon and cheddar there are 296 calories.  You can easily reduce that by using low fat cheese and turkey bacon (or Canadian Bacon).  I'm trying the all natural route so I used the closest thing.

I hope these make your mornings easier too!

Yummy Yummy Spring Rolls!

There are two things in life that you can't buy:  Fabulous Friends and Homegrown Tomatoes (it's a song, look it up).  Well tomato season never real got going around these parts, but thank goodness I have Melissa of They Call Me Hypo.  We had our Asian food extravaganza and it turned out AMAZING.  She made Baked Crab Ragoons that were low fat, delicious and easy to make.  Seriously go to her blog and check them out.

I made Fresh Spring Rolls that will go great with anyone's asian themed meal.  These are the perfect appetizer because they are low calorie and very filling.  They are a perfect start to your meal, or even as part of the main course.  The best part is they are really easy to make and you can substitute the vegetables you like for ones that you don't.  The first recipe of these I tried had a lot of rice sticks in them, but I added sprouts instead.  So vary the recipe based on your likes.

Fresh Spring Rolls with Sweet Sesame Dipping Sauce

Fresh Spring Rolls

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves (or more if you love cilantro as much as I do)
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 cup clover sprouts
• 1 tsp chopped garlic (yeah, right.  I think I used about a tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1 cup chopped, seeded red bell pepper
• 16 cooked medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, cut lengthwise.
• 8, 8 inch round spring roll wrappers (I use tapioca wrappers)
• red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Mix all the veggies, and the red pepper flakes, into a large bowl until they are well combined.
2. Soak the spring roll wrappers until they are soft and malleable. Lay them out on a flat surface and smooth until flat.
3. Lay four pieces of your shrimp on the wrapper.  I like to put the cooked side down so you can see the color through the wrapper.
4. Place about 3/4 cup of the veggie filling over the shrimp.  Fold one side of the wrapper over the top of the filling.  Then fold the ends up over the top wrapper.  Then just roll until the wrapper is securely holding the filling in.  Be careful not to tear the wrapper, but also work to make sure the wrap isn't too loose.
5. Continue until you have all eight rolls completed.
6. Dip and enjoy!

Sweet Sesame Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
• 1 Tbl sesame oil
• 2 Tbl reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp fresh ground ginger

1. Mix all ingredients in a jar, secure lid tightly, and then shake it!
2. Enjoy it with your spring rolls.

A super easy, super healthy recipe.  Nutritional Information per serving of 1 spring roll and 1 Tbl sauce:  130 calories, 15g carbs, 1g fat, 13g protein, 1g fiber.

Don't you just want to eat all of that?  Well you can!!!

Look forward to next month when Three Stones/They Call Me Hypo will conquer healthy holiday options!  Things will be delicious you'll be able to serve them to your whole family without anyone knowing they're good for you!  Be there!  Now go over to They Call Me Hypo and check out the recipes for Baked Crab Ragoons and Sushi, so you can impress your friends with an Asian food night!