Started off ok.....

Well I started off okay on Tuesday until the evening when I had company who brought chocolate cream pie -- I only had a small piece but it did put me over a little.
For breakfast I had pumpkin protein bars, egg whites, and munched on a pepper.
For lunch I had a big salad with chicken and almonds and a fruit salad. Dinner consisted of a veggie lasagne -- without noodles, used cauliflower (will post recipe later) and the chocolate cream pie.
My totals were 1433 calories, 69 g fat, 144 carbs, 82 g protein. Well, it looks like my protein wasn't quite there again. will have to keep working on that.

I am hoping I didn't ruin this week's progress with that pie. Will have to be extra diligent this weekend.

A case of the Mondays!

Well back on track it was for me and the momentum of having a loss last week is pushing me forward to keep up with the good work! For breakfast I had pumpkin protein bars (2), Chobani greek yogurt and some egg whites. Lunch was salad with chicken and almonds as well as some string cheese. For dinner I had some left over chili with couscous and a sugar free pudding cup. My tv snack was some fruit salad made with grapes, oranges, apple and nectarine. Yummy!! My totals for the day were: 1250 calories, 25g fat, 194g carbs, and 94g protein. Well, I didn't get enough fat in and I was 10 grams shy on the protein. It's hard sometimes to eat enough protein when I have a sweet tooth so I go for the fruit. I guess it's better than having a brownie.

A loss!!! :)

I am happy to say that I did end up losing weight last week. Over the weekend I did have a cheeseburger and some cake and icecream, but I still managed to lose. I guess being very good during the week makes a big difference. I am down to 179. I am hoping to continue the downward trend!

Friday

I did fairly well on friday considering I was traveling. For breakfast I had two of those pumpkin protein bars. My lunch was some chili, some string cheese and a piece of blueberry buckle that someone made at work. For dinner on the road, I had 2 slices of white pizza with broccoli. All in all, my totals were: 1338 calories, 187 carbs, 41g fat, 57g protein.

Thursday had ice cream!!

Another good day even with an icecream cone! It was so hot out, I just had to have something. I had my protein bars for breakfast and snacked on some greek yogurt and a string cheese. Lunch consisted for a salad with chicken and an apple and an orange. For dinner I had half of a large wrap and then a medium twist ice cream cone!! I was a little higher than the past two days, but still within my range (Calories - 1354, Fat - 35, Carbs - 190, Protein - 81).

I am hoping this weekend goes well since I am going up to my mother's for her birthday, I know I will inevitably have some cake and icecream. However, I do know that it will be a pool party, so maybe I can get some laps in to make up for it. I am doing well this week, so I really don't want to screw things up over the weekend. The weekends are my hardest times since that's when people go out and I don't have the normal structure that I do during the week.

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Ingredients
8 egg whites
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (1%)
2 cups of oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 scoops of vanilla protein powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup splenda
1/2 cup water

Directions
Mix all ingredients and pour into 9x12 pan spayred with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cut into 16 bars. If you want these crunchy, then take the bars and cut in half sliced down the middle. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and place cut side down. Re bake at 375 until brown and crunchy.

Nutritional breakdown (per bar)
Calories - 81.2
Fat - 1.1g
Carbs - 9.8g
Protein - 9.2g
*Nutritional information will change depending on the protein powder used.

When I made these I didn't have pumpkin pie spice so I just used cinnamon. Next time will definitely use pumpkin pie spice, I think it needs a little more of a kick.

Another successful day

I am pleased to announce that I did well again on Wednesday. I need to keep the momentum going! Below was what I ate:

Breakfast
Pumpkin protein bar (recipe to be posted later today)
Strawberry greek yogurt
beef jerky

Lunch
Salad with teriyaki chicken and light Italian dressing
apple
Orange

Dinner
Whole Wheat Couscous
Chili
sugar free fudgesicle

Snack
100 calorie bag of popcorn

My totals for Wednesday were:
Calories - 1269
Fat - 19g
Carbs - 100g
Protein - 105g

Well, I was within all the necessary ranges, except fat. I guess I have eat more fatty food items instead of getting fat free all the time. Everyone needs a little fat in their diet.

Tuesday was a success!

Well, I must say, Tuesday I did much better with the eating plan. Here is what I ate:

Breakfast
Banana Oatmeal Square (see previous post for recipe)
Fit & Active Chocolate Peanut butter meal replacement bar

Lunch
Burger (no cheese and no bun)
1 serving of shelled edamame beans
one string cheese

Dinner
Teriyaki marinated chicken breast
one baked potato with one tablespoon of smart balance light

Snack
100 calorie bag of popcorn
one sugar free fudgesicle bar

All in all, my totals for the day were was follows:
Calories - 1283
Fat - 53 g
Carbs - 136 g
Protein - 80 g

I am trying to keep to the following ranges per day, the higher end would be for days I exercise.
Calories: 1229-1409
Fat: 44-61
Carbohydrates: 35-52
Protein: 105-140

As you can see, I was within each range except for protein. It looks like I didn't quite get enough protein in. I can handle that, at least I kept up with the rest. Wednesday I will try to get the right amount of protein in. I am trying to go a little lower carb with this, just because I know I can really overeat with them.

Banana Oatmeal Bars Recipe

Here is the recipe of the banana oatmeal bars that I have for breakfast a lot. They are very filling. Are good room temperature or even toasted. I make a big batch and then freeze them so I can pull them out when as needed.

Banana Oatmeal Squares
2 cups dry oatmeal (not instant)
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup splenda (or sugar)
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Add wet ingredient mixture to the dry mixture. Pour into sprayed 8 x 8 square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces.

Nutritional Info:
Calories - 174.8
Fat - 2.3 grams
Carbs - 33.5 grams
Protein - 7.2 grams

The first day

My first, Monday wasn't as good as I was hoping. I started off well with my banana oatmeal squares for breakfast (will post recipe later today). However, it slowly turned bad -- I ended up having to help someone move and then as a thank you they took us out to Friendlys - of course I could resist a sundae. Somehow I doubt I burned enough calories carrying stuff. I think now I can move forward and do what I am supposed to do.

first weigh in

Well, today is the first weigh in day to start this off. And boy, I must say I almost had a heart attack. I knew it was going up but I didn't realize that much. I weighed in today at 181.8 pounds. I guess I have been doing more damage than I thought. But today is a new and fresh start and I can do this. I am ready to get back on track and do what is needed for me. I will update this later tonight or tomorrow with what I ate today and any activity I have done.

Why I am here

I lost over 100 pounds a couple years ago. I only had an additional 10-20 pounds to lose in order to be at my goal weight. However, some personal issues came up in my life that hindered my results. I ended up going through a divorce, which was very unpleasant to stay the least. My life was uprooted and my good eating and exercise plan went out the window. I looked to food for comfort and a way to control one thing in my life. Now I am about 25 pounds heavier than before the divorce and I am ashamed that I no longer fit into all the cute clothing in my closet. I have been trying to get back on track, but have been unsuccessful. I am trying to get the right mindset to do this right. As motivation, I am trying to keep myself in check. Please follow me on this journey. I would love to hear from other successful individuals or those who are just starting out on their own weightloss journey. I am willing to assist anyone I can or just be an ear or offer a word of encouragement. For me right now, it is being motivated. I know what I am supposed to do but when confronted with a goodie, I lack the motivation to say no.

On Monday, I will enter my starting stats. Each day I will enter my food intake and any exercise I performed that day. I will try to include nutrient counts each day for what I eat. I plan to weekly enter my weight to keep track of how things are going. When I learn things along the way, I will post them here as well as any recipes or tips that I have.

For now, I am going to take the weekend in order to geared up for my new program on Monday.