WIAW: gluten free doesn't mean calorie free

It's Wednesday, which means it's official weigh-in day.  You all know I'm scale obsessed so I weigh in more than once a week, but Wednesday's number is the one I count.

Last week I was really excited because I finally broke 150 after many, many months.  

This week?  Not so excited.  I haven't seen the 140's since then.  I thought I was eating very well all week.  I was being "good".  I didn't drink on the holiday and last night I cut a workout a little short so I could rush home and eat something paleo before my daughter's track banquet which was catering pizza and breadsticks. (This after having a meltdown on FB about how much I hate eating like this and not wanting to blow a month's worth of work for one stupid piece of pizza.)

I was "rewarded" with a 1.4 pound gain.  

This got me thinking about what I've been eating.  Just because a food is paleo or gluten free doesn't mean it's calorie free.  I've tried to find some substitutes to make me a little happier with this diet but the fact is, I'm still eating too many calories.  

I wanted to eat my burger on Memorial Day on a bun.  Those gluten free buns are 170 calories and what sucks is they don't taste that good.  I should have saved the 170 calories and $5 for 4 buns and just eaten my burger with a knife and fork.

I have a sweet tooth and have wanted dessert.  Avocado chocolate pudding with strawberries and coconut whipped cream contains "healthy fats" but it's still fattening.  Frozen banana "ice cream" contains a shit ton of calories, even though it's essentially all fruit.  

I need to cool it with the treats and replacement carbs I guess.  I know not all calories are created equal but it appears 1500 calories is still too many.  

WAIW: paleo-ish week 1

About 10 days ago, I made the decision to try eating paleo-ish in an effort to get my weight and eating habits under control.  What's "paleo-ish"?  I've upped my protein, veggie and fruit consumption and started eating sweet potatoes.  Other than fries, I don't usually eat regular potatoes anyway but I need something to replace some of my carbs.  I've cut out all grains (with the exception of oatmeal before long runs and a little bit of oatmeal in last night's meatloaf), no dairy, and for right now, no alcohol.  I'm still putting non-dairy flavored creamer in my coffee because I'd probably cut someone if I didn't have at least one thing that makes me happy. I haven't gone nuts and bought a bunch of weird and horribly overpriced flours or switched from soy sauce to coconut aminos - whatever the eff those are.  So, paleo-ish.

Some of the foods I've tried have been real winners.  The Chicken Fried "Rice" I posted on Monday has probably been my favorite new meal. For Cinco de Mayo, I had homemade chicken fajitas wrapped in lettuce.  This was a little bit disappointing when the rest of the family is eating tortillas but it was passable.  The Mongolian Beef with Broccoli over cauliflower rice was decent but missing something. I need to work on that recipe a bit.

There were also some flops.  The avocado stuffed burger was just a PITA to make and I think would've tasted better with the avocado just on the top.  Also, I really hated eating a burger with a knife and fork while everyone else had theirs on buns like normal people.  The bottom right hand picture was a big time flop.  That mound of grey stuff is supposed to be an avocado turkey burger.  The flavor was ok, but as my son pointed out, it looked like puke.  The kale and sweet potatoes were good though.  For breakfasts, I've been eating eggs scrambled with veggies or made into an omelet with a side of fruit.  I decided to make little egg cups (like in a muffin tin) and those were just ok.  I think I'll stick with taking extra time to cook the eggs in the morning.

I did make one mistake by having a Diet Coke one day for lunch.  I was up a pound the next day.  Maybe completely unrelated or maybe not.

As for weight loss?  I lost 7.2 pounds between last week Monday and today.  I'm sure 90% of that is water weight and just like on Biggest Loser, this coming week will probably suck for a loss, but it's a start.  I was really hoping to be back into a better decade today and I missed it by almost 2 pounds. Probably won't see it next week either.

So, yes, I'm going to try to stick with this.  I DO plan on having a beer after my race on Saturday but I still haven't figured out what I'm eating Friday night.  I'm also still looking for paleo-ish recipes that don't require a ton of super weird or expensive ingredients, so if you have ideas, hit me up in the comments.

Fitness Friday: how do I fuel and how do I celebrate?

So, if you've seen any of my other posts this week, you know that I've been re-vamping my eating to be paleo-ish.  I've cut grains, most sugars, and dairy.  This has worked great this week - as of this morning I've lost just over 6 pounds since Monday.  Don't flip, I'm sure at least 5 pounds of that is water.

Now I have a huge issue though.  All my usual pre-long run/pre-race meals are off limits.  

Gone is my ability to eat my usual chicken parmesean on Friday nights.  This is also one of my family's favorite meals, so my guess is I'll be cooking it for them and then eating plain chicken and a sweet potato or something while they enjoy this.

Gone is going out with friends after the race to celebrate.  I also usually have a beer the night before a race and now I can't have that either.  I know I'm whining about stupid shit, but it kind of pisses me off and this is exactly why I didn't want to go paleo in the first place.  One of my friends suggested chips/salsa and cider instead of beer, but those aren't exactly healthy alternatives (and technically, corn chips are also off limits because they are a grain).

Corey is coming in next week Friday and mentioned going out Friday night and then after the 5/3 River Bank Run race on Saturday.  I have no idea where we will go or what I'll be able to eat/drink when we get there.  It kind of takes the fun out of a weekend with friends.  

I'm not really looking for suggestions because I got a ton of them on FB.  Most included brown rice (also not allowed) or rice noodles (not allowed).  I'm hoping that my dinner tonight of plain chicken and a sweet potato helps me get through 10 miles tomorrow morning.  If not, I'm pretty much screwed for race day next week.

WIAW: aka Why I gained 6 pounds on vacation

Yes, it's Wednesday, and that means it's weigh-in day.  Rather than bog everyone down with the numbers (it was 6.4 pounds up on Saturday but I'm down 4 since then), let's take a look at the reasons WHY....

A stop to tour the city a bit and eat at West Sixth Brewing Co.

10k race at Pisgah Brewing and breakfast at Early Girl.

Amazing fish tacos at Rita's, Lagunitas on the beach at
my hotel, and breakfast at Lost Dog Cafe.

She Crab Soup at Noisy Oyster (I died and went to Heaven), bottomless
mimosas the size of my head at Toast, and dinner at
Southend Brewery and Smokehouse.

Late dinner after many hours of driving at Bluegrass Brewing Co.

So, I should probably be glad that the damage was only 6 pounds and the fact I've already lost 4 of it means most of it was bloat, but still.  Wow.  If I hadn't run almost 20 miles on vacation (not counting Sunday's half marathon), I'm sure it would've been much worse.

Have you ever had She Crab Soup?  Do you even know what it is?  If I lived anywhere near fresh seafood, I'd be trying to learn how to make it.

#WIAW: back to tracking

As much as it makes me crazy, I'm back to entering my food into this.


I'm not convinced it's going to do any good & I don't know how long I'll last, but I'm making an effort.



I do great with breakfast, but it's the rest of the day that usually goes to pot. On the bright side, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right.

Do you have a favorite tracking app?  Does tracking make you stabby too?

Have you entered my Suddora headband giveaway yet?

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Semi-wordless Wednesday: fresh!

Another great use of the fresh basil (bruschetta) & zucchini from our garden (sadly the tomatoes are from the store - ours just aren't getting red)



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Menu Plan Your Butt Off

So here's the deal...I'm sick of the fighting every night about what to have for dinner.  I'm also sick of eating the same 4-5 meals every frigging week.  Hubs has also decided that there should be no eating out for the rest of the month (yes, I know it's only March 5th) because we're going away for vacation the first week of April.

Therefore, this weekend I decided to use my time on Pinterest and ZipList wisely and come up with a meal plan for the week.  I did not meal plan breakfasts or lunch because the kids are on their own for breakfast & I pretty much always eat oatmeal.  Lunch is at school for them (or they make pb&j) and I typically have a lean cuisine and salad for lunch or sneak off to Subway.

So here's my basic plan for the week:

Monday: Tortilla Pizza, salad (D has a jazz band performance tonight so I let him choose dinner)

Tuesday: Mini Turkey Meatloaves, Lipton noodles, green beans

Wednesday:  Skinny Chicken Enchiladas, refried beans, salad

Thursday: Slow Cooker Pork and Zucchini, sauteed asparagus

Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad (I had to include one standby so the family wouldn't mutiny)

Saturday: Shoyu Chicken Thighs, steamed broccoli, brown rice

Sunday: Crock-Pot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, green salad

In reviewing the plan with the family I got whining and complaining and eye-rolling, but this is it.

LLRB 365: 2011 Week 43

How in blazes have we made it through October and into November already?  Did all of you enjoy your extra hour of sleep Saturday night? I used it as an excuse to stay out later - oops.

Here's my week in review:

Monday

10-31-11

Happy Halloween!  Considering I thought we had agreed we were going to hide and not hand out candy this year, I thought the giant bowl of all my favorites M bought was rather cruel.

And, for those of you who wanted to know what I did with last week's fabric purchase, I give you: A Bag of Cotton Candy. (All of the teaching staff dressed up as "candy" this year. Please be kind)

Tuesday

11-1-11

Today, I give you a picture of my reward for running the marathon - a bunch of new clothes (excuse the messy closet).  (Also, the nerd in me absolutely loves this date, but I never took a picture of it.)

Wednesday

11-02-2011

Happy palindrome day.  The picture has nothing to do with that, but whatever. It's my blog.

Thursday

11-3-11

My daughter competed in the conference prelims and finished 23/33 after 5 dives.  She qualified for semifinals but bowed out since she wouldn't be able to compete in the finals on Saturday anyway because of a schedule conflict with marching band.  I'm so proud of my girl for how hard she's worked this season.  

Friday

11-4-11

We headed to the east side of the state to celebrate my friend Jen's birthday!  An all vegan menu, tons of wine, and the company of good friends was exactly what I needed.

Saturday

11-5-11

D and K's marching band competed in the state finals and got to march at Ford Field.  They finished 10/12 at finals and 10/15th in the state for Flight 1 (the largest schools).

Sunday

11-6-11

I almost didn't each lunch on Saturday until I remembered the leftovers in the fridge from Anita's in Ferndale.  (Seriously, if you are ever in the Detroit area - go to Anita's in Ferndale.  Even if you aren't in the area, it's totally worth the drive.)

There you have it.  The end to another busy week.  Hopefully things will settle down a bit now that diving is finished and marching band is almost done.  How was your week?  Anything fun to report?