Week 10 weight loss!

Three pounds GONE!  Yay. Okay and to be honest it's probably more like 4-5 and here's why. TMI coming up so DONT READ if you don't want to hear it!  Constipation. Ug. This is part of weight loss. I can eat tons of veggies, fruits, etc. but it still messes with my body. And that stuff is heavy! I told you it was tmi lol.  It never fails, AFTER I weigh myself and eat breakfast I'm able to go. But that's okay... it will count towards next weeks weigh in.  I gave up on counting my inches because I've lost so many more than I even kept track of. It's too hard to figure it out because my body keeps changing rapidly so it's hard to measure. Just know when I started I was in a size 24 pant, now I'm in 16/18.  Yay!  I can't wait till I get to the skinny type 16's because I have a ton of those. Someone a few years ago who shops at H & M, Gap, Express, etc. gave me lots of her 12-16 size clothes. But they run really small so I have to wait.

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca

This weeks weigh in

Well I have to admit it, ever since Thanksgiving I've been having a really hard time not cheating! Even those two weeks I lost 4 pounds each I cheated. That made it almost worse, because of losing that much a week and still cheating, I told myself wow I can cheat and still lose! Um, not okay.  Anyway, no weight loss this week. Totally my fault, same with last week.  So I got my "UMPH" back yesterday and did not cheat! In fact, I ate probably too little calories for breast feeding. I didn't even make it to 1800 which is the least I'm supposed to eat. I did 1768 calories. I couldn't eat any more without feeling stuffed.  So I had to start over mentally yesterday and now I'm back on board. Sorry guys, I feel like I let me and you down! Next week's weigh in I'm gonna kill it though!

Forgot to add, I always peek at the scale the day after my weigh in because it never fails, I lost TWO pounds... it just shows it after my weigh in grrrr... so hey, I can't log it on my weight loss tracker, but I'm now 226!!!!

Weight Loss Results so far (inches lost too)

At this weeks weigh in (Wedsnessdays) I lost only four ounces. Considering how much I snacked over Thanksgiving, even though it was mostly veggies, I'm okay with anything that's not a gain!  To date, I have lost 15 pounds 4 ounces.

Inches lost:

2 1/4" off my waist
1" off my upper arm
1 1/2 off my upper leg
4" off my hips!!!!
Total inches lost: 8 3/4" in 2 months and 15.4 pounds.

I'm happy with these results so far... and I haven't even begun to exersize!

Rebecca

Another 4 pounds gone!!

I couldn't be happier this morning.  I am now 228! I started at 243 on October 5th.  I will post my inches lost tonight after Travis helps me measure, but those are amazing too.  Thank you all for your support and your little comments, both in person and on Facebook. They are truly what help me keep going!!

Want an idea of what I eat for breakfast?

I thought I'd give you an idea of what a typical breakfast may look like for me. Today, I'm at 445 calories, but that includes 90 of them for coffee and creamer.  So today, I had 1 1/2 oz of sandwhich meat, 1/3 cup fat free cheese, and 1/2 cup southwestern style Egg Beaters in an omlet. Plus I had 2 cups of hashbrowns. They cook down so it wasn't as much as it sounds. That is a nice full plate of food!  I'm very satisfied too.  Sometimes I'll eat Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal and that's 1 cup at 180-200 calories. In the bowl it sure doesn't look like much but it's SUPER filling because of all the protein/fiber in it.  On occasion I will eat a bagel with cream cheese when I am feeling like I need to splurge. So there you have it, my breakfast type foods.

Yay! I'm thrilled!

This morning I stepped on the scale and was so happy! 231.6.  Just to give you an idea, on October 5th I started out at 243.8 I think it was.  I haven't been under 233 in over TEN years!!! Travis has never seen me under 233 so each day for him is a new me!  So far, I've lost five pounds since my last weigh in Weds.  I'm going to be so happy when I get into the 220's. That was my first mini goal. My next mini goal will be under 200. I haven't been under 200 since hm.m.... probably since I was 21. I'm 35 so that's a long time.

This weigh in didn't go well

It says I am up two pounds from last week.  Gotta have a bad week some week right? Ug! I'm sure Chuck E Cheese, birthday cake, and emotional eating didnt help. Tomorrow's a new day though.

I"m sick and all I want to do is eat crap!

Ug right now I'm not feeling very good. And I swear all I want to do is eat like crap.  I want chocolate, fried food, you name it. Bleh! I hate days like this.

Update

Well this weekend was a nightmare. My mother in law passed away. It was really hard to eat well. In fact, they ordered pizza because it was cheapest. I had one piece and a breadstick. Later that day I ate a salad. But if I'm being honest... and I'm trying to be very honest, while I was in the cafeteria I bought a 90 cent piece of carrot cake. I'm sure it was like 300 calories. *sigh* such a sad day, I felt myself slipping back into the eating mode of eat when I'm emotional.  I didn't even tell Travis (my husband) this. It's easier to post it on a blog than talk about it in real life I guess. So maybe he'll follow my blog and call me out on it LOL. Anyway, that night my kids and Travis had Mc Donalds and after they were done eating, we drove to Subway for me. I was very proud of myself for this because I absolutely LOVE Mc Donalds Big Macs!! But I did good and ate a six inch and baked lays.  So even with that cake, I don't think I went over my calories at all. I didn't get my snacks in, that's the only reason. Just keeping it real.  I may not lose much by Weds. but I'm allowing myself to be okay with that.

Thanks for listening.

Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries (Biggest Loser cookbook pg. 122)

OMG! I love these fries. I actually prefer them over regular potato fries at home! They are to die for!! They are spicy though so you can control the spicyness by adding less cayenne and pepper. When you are mixing this all in a bowl, it's definitely going to look like there isn't enough olive oil....but they turn out great. I kept wanting to add oil which is terrible on the calories.

1/2 pound sweet potato, cut into 1/4" thick sticks
1 T grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese (I can't find reduced fat so I use regular)
1/2 t extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 t paprika
Pinch of cayenne
Salt, to taste (sea salt is the best tasting)
Pinch of ground black pepper
Ketchup (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.

In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes, olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.

Place the potatoes in a single layer on a medium non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese over them. Bake for 8 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and browned in spots. (This IS important, I always figured eh.. you don't have to flip them...but they turn out a lot better if you do)  Serve immediately, with ketchup if desired.

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 249 calories, 5 g protein, 49 g carbs, 4 g fat, 8 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 238 mg sodium

Angel Hair with Rockin' Red Clam Sauce (Biggest Loser cookbook pg. 185)

This took me a long time to try because I don't like clams, mussels, etc.  But I finally tried it and I'm SO glad I did! It's super filling and delicious too. I tweaked the recepe a bit because the amount of clams the Biggest Loser book used was way too little, and my pasta has less calories. It only added 13 more calories and you get a TON more clams! And they only have 1-2 teaspoons of reduced fat cheese. I put an 1/8 cup of fat free cheese instead..more cheese and no extra calories, in fact, less!

Salt
1 1/2 T finely chopped yellow or white onion (I didn't use onion in this)
2 small cloves garlic, minced (10 calories)
One 10 oz can baby clams, drained (125 calories)
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes (25 calories)
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (15 cals)
Pinch of red-pepper flakes, or more, to taste (next time I'll add more, I didn't add enough to even taste)
2 ounces whole wheat pasta (see replacement blog for brand I use, 180 cals for 2 ounces dried)
1/8 cup grated fat free cheese (50 cals)

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, mist a small pan with non-stick spray.  Set over meadium heat.  Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until almost tender.  Add the clams.  Increase the heat to medium high.  Cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.  Add the tomatoes, oregano, and oil.  Season with red pepper flakes.

Once pasta is done boiling, add it to the skillet mixture. Toss to combine.  Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 405 calories  (I didn't add any of the other stats like carbs, cholesterol, etc.because I added more clams and different cheese)

Greek God(dess) Salad - Biggest Loser cookbook pg. 149

This is really great tasting and awesome for getting your veggies in! And I'm not a fan of Feta cheese at all, but in this salad it's really good!

1 T minced fresh parsley leaves (I use dried)
4 pitted large olives, minced (easily minced in garlic press)
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 T lemon juice
1/2 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red or orance  bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 ounce (heaping 1/4 cup) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese (I couldn't find reduced fat so I used regular)
1 small (4 ounce) grilled chicken breast, sliced

In a serving bowl, combine the parsley, olives, and garlic.  Whisk in 4 T lemon juice. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, onion, and 3 T of the cheese.  Toss to coat the ingredients, with the dressing.  Taste and add up to 1 T more lemon juice, if desired.  Scatter the chicken over the salad. Top with remaining cheese.

Makes 2 servings

Per Serving: 106 calories, 5 g protein, 15 g carbs, 4 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 315 mg sodium.

Southwestern Chicken Pileup (Biggest Loser cookbook pg. 171)

I just had this for the first time a night ago and man it's so good and filling as well. I omitted the onions because I don't like raw onions. Also my calories came out different because of the type of bread I used, so make sure you count the calories the first time you use this recepe with the type of brand you use. I always mark out the book's calories and put mine in, including the calories next to each ingredient. Then I never have to do it again.

1 teaspoon salt-free Mexican or Southwest seasoning (I found one that Mrs. Dash makes)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small (1/4 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breast-trimmed of visible fat
1 whole-wheat pita (6 1/2" diameter)  (I ended up using )
2 Tablespoons hummus, preferably red-pepper flavor
2 Tablespoons no-salt-added canned black beans, drained
Several red onion strips
Several red bell pepper strips
2 Tablespoons chopped tomato
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 4 T Kraft fat free cheese which is 45 calories)
4 teaspoons guacamole (I used Wholly Guacamole - a half packet was 50 calories)

Preheat oven to 450. 

Sprinkle the seasoning and garlic powder evenly over the chicken.  Cook chicken in a pan with non-stick spray 3-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear.  Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pita on oven rack. Cook 1-2 minutes per side, or until lightly toasted.  Place the pita on a nonstick baking sheet. Spread evenly with the hummus. Top evenly in layers with the beans, the chicken, onion, red pepper, tomato, cilantro, and cheese.

Bake 6-8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Let stand for 5 minuts. Transfer to a plate.  Slice into wedges.  Top each wedge with your guacamole and sour cream, if desired.

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 356 calories, 38 g protein, 38 g carbs, 6 g fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 489 mg sodium.  (these calories weren't what mine added up to, again because I counted mine individually according to what the package said for calories)

I added 100 additional calories for an extra flat bread round. As you can see they are LOADED, this is a super filling meal.

TIPS I've learned

Just a few tips I can think of off the top of my head:

* Sugar free is almost always less calories than low fat or fat free. I've found this to be true in coffee creamers, jams, and icecream especially.

* I always count my own calories in a recepe verses relying on what the book recepe says. 9 times out of 10 the ingredient brands I've used are less calories! So I cross out the calories the book says and write in my own (on each ingredient too)

* If you aren't a water drinker because you hate the no flavor part of it, use a flavored powder! I use Great Value (from Walmart) powdered drink stuff and LOVE it... and I get a lot more water down that way.

* Look at the labels for calorie differences!  I was shocked to read that one brand of green beans verses the two others I looked at in the same section was a lot lower in calories. Why not get the least amount of calorie one and use those calories on something else. Seriously, sometimes it's a big difference on food items. I found this to be true in almost everything I buy. So I may look a little silly looking at labels the first or second time I shop for an item, but pretty soon you get to know the brand that's less calories and go for it instead. 15 calories adds up quickly when you are using a whole can of something and it's 15 extra calories PER SERVING.

*If you are really hurting for candy, buy a hard candy like Gobbstoppers (65 calories for 6) or Sprees. I think you can eat an entire package of Sprees for like 90 calories or something.

Low calorie snacks and replacement foods (10/20/10)

Confession! I actually counted calories two years ago and lost 65 pounds in 4 months. Then life happened, had to have ankle surgery, got pregnant with our 4th child, etc. and stopped. I only gained 10 of those pounds back (even after having the 4th)   Through those months of counting calories and my two weeks recently, I've picked up lots of little goodies as far as tips and replacement-type foods. So here are some of them! I will keep a date in the heading so you know when I've updated this post.

Pasta- We only use whole wheat. You can buy Kroger's (Baker's) version that's called Whole wheat, whole grain pasta or Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat blend. Kroger's is much cheaper. 2 ounces dry is 180 calories which is less than other wheat pastas and WAY less than regular pasta! It's the lowest calorie pasta I've found so far and believe me, I search for lowest cal...because I want to eat as much as possible!

Tortillas- By far, La Tortilla Factory tortillas are the lowest calorie out there I've found. Unfortunately Walmart quit selling them so I can only find them at Hyvee now. They are different flavors and the bigger ones are 100 calories!! Keep in mind that even whole wheat tortillas are usually at least 150 calories and you've just saved yourself 50 calories you can eat somewhere else. See next item for another variation of tortillas.

Flatbread- I use this as a tortilla and I just discovered these this week. LOVE them! Flat Out Italian Herb flatbread. Only 100 calories as well. They are shaped like a big rectangle verses a circle, so kinda fun. They come in different flavers and Walmart sells them as well as other grocery stores.

Wholly Guacamole- Why do I want to put "batman" after this when ever I read it or say it! lol This is SO yummy and a way lower calorie option verses fresh avacado. It's real avacado but pureed and you can buy it in little packets or in one big one. I buy the box of 8 little packets, each packet is 100 calories and trust me it's a ton to eat at once so I usually only use half and save the rest for another day. They freeze wonderfully too!

Laughing Cow light cream cheese- Man these are delicious and only 35 calories. I use them in cooking, putting cream cheese on a bagel, all sorts of things. My favorite is garlic and herb but the light also comes in french onion and swiss cheese. Sold at almost all grocery stores I've been to but cheapest at Walmart.

Kraft Fat Free Mayo- I was never picky about Mayo so I can't really tell a difference between this and real mayo. It's WAY lower in calories though. This is the lowest calorie fat free mayo I found.

Fat Free Pringles- OMG! Seriously, these are just as good as regular ones, especially the BBQ flavor. They also come in original and sour cream and onion. They are pricy, between $2-3 compared to the $1.25 sales you can get on regular pringles  but only 70 calories for 14 chips.. that's insane! I sometimes eat 28 of them just because it's only 140 calories when I'm having one of "those" days. The Sunday paper always has a coupon for these too though, not just regular ones.

Sugar Free Jam - I have both Smuckers and generic in my cabinet. Absolutely the way to go if you are a jelly/jam eater.  I was blowing so many calories on jelly for a PB & J that I started using this and one serving is almost too much jelly and way less calories.

Great Value drink mix- I might be one of the only people on earth it seems who doesn't like drinking water. Bleck! I just don't like the "taste" of it. I force myself to drink it sometimes but usually I am using this mix. I buy them at Walmart and it's so much better tasting than Crystal Light. It comes in Cherry, Apple, Iced Tea, Pink Lemonade, regular Lemonade (my favorite), Strawberry, Orange, Grape, Rasberry Ice (don't like) and a few other flavors. It's only 5 calories a serving but here's another confession. I do NOT count these calories.. because I don't want to discourage myself from drinking water.

Weight Watchers cream cheese wedges- Haven't tried these but I bought the Jalapeno Pepper one the other day and want to try it. These are exactly like the Laughing Cow cheese I mentioned up above except these are five calories less at 30 calories a wedge! A lot less choices in flavors though.

Athenes Hummus-Roasted Red Pepper- First time EVER I liked Hummus. Truly, I hate it by itself. But I tried this last night in a recepe I posted called Southwestern Chicken Pileup and it is by far one of my all time favorite recepes, even including non-diet food! I thought for sure I was wasting my money on this item because I just hate Hummus, but I'm so glad I took a chance.

Jennie-O Turkey Burgers- Very tasty and not flat or cardboardish. I've tried other turkey burgers and bleck they are just nasty! This one is very thick and flavorful and 200 calories a patty. On a side note, I found out that I could have eaten a regular burger for 170 calories once I had eaten this because we now buy 93/7 hamburger meat which is so low in calories. That's okay, this burger was awesome.

Sweet Pickle Relish- Not a huge difference in brands as far as calories go, but this is a sweet treat for any type of food like tuna sandwhiches, burgers or hotdogs, etc. I love using it because I can use a lot for barely any calories (like 20 for tons of it)

Skinny Cow icecream sandwhiches- Okay, pretty pricy at $4 a pop for six of them...but SO worth it if you have a sweet tooth! These are usually 140 calories and super fat and filling. And very very tasty. I never feel guilty eating icecream when I eat one of these. Flavors so far I know about are vanilla, chocolate, mint, strawberry, and  cookies and cream. You can get them at pretty much any grocery store. Sams club sells them in bulk and you can save some bucks by doing that.

Hostess 100 calorie packs- This is one of those annoying foods in some aspects. It's three teeny cakes. However!!..... the Chocolate cake cream filled ones are very rich and they really do satisfy a chocolate craving. They are super rich.  I also bought the banana nut bread ones and eh... I feel like I need the whole box of those lol.

Popcorn- Okay here's my deal on popcorn. I hate the light stuff! EWW! So I splurge and buy the mini bags of Jolly Time popcorn. Yep, I like the blast o butter ones. So what! I can use 190 calories and eat a whole mini bag, and that's what I'm gonna do baby. I have to buy the mini's though or I find myself saying "I'll only eat this much" of a normal bag and pretty soon I want the rest of the bag.

Peanut Butter- By far, Skippy low-fat peanut butter is the lowest calorie one I've found and it's really good. I don't notice a difference and I'm a huge peanut butter fan. 180 calories for 2 T. Have you ever measured out 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter for a PB & J Sandwhich? It's gobs of it! I use this on bananas and 1 T goes a long way.

South Beach Living, Peanut Butter bars-When someone told me to buy these I rolled my eyes. Come on, we all know the South Beach diet is like starving yourself! But these bars are heaven. I eat one almost every single day. They are reall satisfying because they are chewy and super tasty. They are 140 calories each and have 8 grams of protein in them!! They also come in Chcolate and Cinimmon Raisin I think. I don't care for the raisin one, the chocolate is just okay but the PB one is to die for!

Pepperidge Farm Flats- Something I just discovered this week. Yum! These are little round flat breads that are 100 calories. I used them on the Southwest Chicken Pileup I meantioned up above in the guacamole blip. I only used them because I couldn't find Pita bread but I may keep on using them!

Chocolate- Also just found these this week at Baker's in the candy isle. Reeses 100 calorie bars and York 100 calorie bars. I haven't tried the York ones but the Reeses is exactly like the "normal" candy bars in taste. Really good.

Sugar- I am a Splenda user now! I don't care for the silly little packets, I buy the bag of it. I put it in a tupperware container and usually put a spoonful of it in my coffee. It's still not the same as sugar but who cares if it doesn't have any calories.

Coffeemate NO SUGAR- Something I've learned on this journey that really surprised me. No Sugar stuff is almost always less calories than low fat! True in this case as well. Coffeemate no sugar is 15 calories a serving verses low fat at I think it was 25. Regular is 35. And I like the no sugar french vanilla. Still, I've been using the regular at 35 calories because lately I've been wanting to try new flavors of things and now I'm hooked on the Irish creme.

Light Caramel- I forgot the brand and I'm being lazy in not wanting to run upstairs. But it's the caramel you buy in the tub when you want to dip apples in it. I learned that the Light is actually 100 calories and the non-fat is 115! So buy the light..which you can find at Baker's. This snack has been a favorite of mine the past couple weeks because 2 Tablespoons can go a long way and that's a serving.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Biggest Loser cookbook pg. 79)

I took out the "Kimmi and Bruce's" on the recepe title. A lot of the recepes in this cookbook are named after the contestants that gave the recepe.  This is BY FAR one of my very favorite recepes I cooked this week! If you like chinese food you will love it. Even if you don't, it's sooooo good.

1 can (8 oz) bamboo shoots, drained and minced (way too hard, just chop up small)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and minced (I used garlic press and it worked well)
3 Tablespoons sherry
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter (Skippy has the lowest calories at 90!)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce (any kind)
2 packets (.035 oz each) sugar substitue like Splenda (I have loose Splenda so I used 1-2 T)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup minced onion
1/2 pound ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (buy this fresh, it's SO worth it!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon toasted seseme oil
8 small leaves butter lettuce (I just used regular lettuce leaves)
1 whole green onion, chopped
1 small cucumber, seeded and sliced into 1" strips (I diced, it's easier)

In a medium bowl, combine the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, sherry, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, hot-peper sauce, and sugar substitue. Mix well. Set aside.

Mist a large, non-stick pan with non-stick spray and set over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until fragrent.  Add the onions.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until tender and just starting to brown.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add the chicken, ginger, and salt.  Cook, breaking the chicken into small chunks, for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Add the bamboo shoot mixture.  Cook for 2 minutes, or until hot.  Stir in the seseme oil (I didn't toast it). Remove the pan from the heat.  Spoon the chicken mixture, evenly divided, into the lettuce leaves. Set on plate. Top with green onions and cucumber. (never tried it with green onions) Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 155 calories, 16 g protein, 22 g carbs, 4 g fat, 33 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 637 mg sodium.

*** A couple tips or tricks:
* This works and tastes fine if you already have chicken cooked! Just add the chicken and cook till warm.
*I rolled the salad leaves up so it was like a burrito.

Breakfast sausage egg muffin (my own recepe)

Super easy, filling, and tasty! Makes 2 muffins

2 slice fat free cheese single (I use Kraft = 25 calories each)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters (any flavor) (1/4 cup = 30 calories)
2 Biggest Loser sausage patties OR Jimmy Dean Sausage Patties (60 calories each)
Thomas Better Start wheat muffins (100 calories each)

Cook Egg Beaters in a pan until set. For Jimmy Dean sausage, place in microwave for 30 seconds. For Biggest Loser sausage patties, cook in a pan until browned. Place ingredients on muffins and enjoy!

Total Calories with Jimmy Dean sausage - 430
Total Calories with Biggest Loser sausage - 442

This picture is with Jimmy Dean sausage. I mixed the cheese with the eggs so you obviously cannot see the cheese slices.

Man-Sized Low-Calorie Breakfast Omelet (Biggest Loser Cookbook page 48)

This omlet is so filling! And if for some reason you don't find it filling, it's only 213 calories so you can still add some fruit to your breakfast. This and many other recepes have the three or four colors of bell pepper. I realize it can get expensive buying them so you can always substitue just using green pepper for them. I find it cheaper to buy them in the three or four packs..and trust me they have different flavors. Worth the price!

Ingredients:
1 uncooked Biggest Winner Breakfast Sausage patty (page 51), crumbled
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced mussrooms (you can use canned if you don't have fresh)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup orange bell pepper
1/2 cup Cheese and Chive Egg Beaters (I can't find this flavor so I use Southwest or Plain Egg Beaters)
1 wedge (3/4 oz) Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb cheese, chopped
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Set a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it's hot enough to sizzle water on it. Spray with cooking spray. Place sausage, onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers in the pan. Cook, stirring occassionally, for 4-6 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink and the veggies are tender.  Remove from the pan. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

Mist the pan again with cooking spray. Set over medium heat. Add the Egg Beaters. Cook, lifting the edges with a spatula as they start to set and tipping the pan for uncooked Egg Beaters to run underneath, for 2-3 minutes, or until almost set. With a spatula, flip the omlet.  Scatter the cheese evenly over half of the egg mixture.  Top with the veggies you set aside.  Fold the omlet in half. Cook for about 1 minute, or until cheese melts. Transfer to a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper (if desired).

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 213 calories, 24 g protein, 22 g carbs, 4 g fat, 28 mg choloesterol, 4 g fiber, 605 mg sodium.

Biggest Winner Breakfast Sausage (pg. 51 Biggest Loser cookbook)

This sausage is used a lot in the cookbook for different recepes so it's a good idea to make at least one batch of them. I made a few and froze them with wax paper in between each one. It's SO flavorful and you can literally use it for tons of different recepes, even ones you make up.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb extra-lean ground pork or port tenderloin, ground
1 Tablespoon minced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I use the already minced garlic in a glass bottle)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (they aren't spicy so this is just for flavor)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt (I almost always don't add the salt to any recepes)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pork, onion, garlic, thyme, sage, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Mix well. (I use my hands) Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts. Shape each into a ball.  On a sheet of waxed paper, flatten one ball into a 4"-diameter patty.  Repeat with the remaining balls.  Place any patties that won't immediately be cooked in a single layer or stacked between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight plastic container.  Regrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze.

To cook, place skillet over medium-high heat until it's hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.  Mist with non-stick spray. Set the patty or patties in the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until just starting to brown and no longer pink inside. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Per Patty: 72 calories, 12 g protein, 1 g carbs, 2 g fat, 37 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 101 mg sodium.

One of my favorite cookbooks I'm using right now.....

Man you guys, I tried some new recepes and all but one was delicious!! Right now I'm mainly using a cookbook called The Biggest Loser Cookbook. It has more than 125 recepes in it and so far most are very tasty.  I didn't like the Eggplant Lasagna one, but that could be because so far I haven't been able to pull off cooking eggplant at home and I've tried many ways.

** VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure when you use one of these recepes that you figure out the calories for the product YOU are using. I have found the cookbook to be high on calories verses what I use. Meaning, by the time I figure the recepe using the calories in the fat free cheese I use, the wrap I use, the tomato sauce, what ever, it's way lower in calories than what the book says. Don't jip yourself on calories! Every one counts to me.  So I write next to each ingredient in the recepe what MY calories were for the can of what ever... and I cross out the total the book has and put my own in.

First week results

My first week of calorie counting went very well. I did have three different events to go to in two days that were potluck-type events though. I know I probably could have lost another pound or two if I hadn't gone to those. I ate bad at those, not as bad as I would have if I wasn't doing this, but no excuses!

Weight lost - 4 pounds

The journey begins!

On October 5th, 2010 I started my journey to a healthier me.  I weighed in at a whopping 243 pounds. Because I am breastfeeding and don't want to lose my milk supply, I am chosing to do a 2000 calorie diet. That's probably a bit high but honestly most days I make it to 1800 anyway. This is a picture of me when I first started. I will post pictures once a month of myself to keep me accountable and show you my progress. I also take my measurements once a week and I will post those occassionally as well.

I hope this inspires you to join me on a life style change to become healthier!

Rebecca