Cheat Day

So I'm calling today my cheat day, but really all it's only tonight when we have dinner at my boss's house. I'm really looking forward to it because his wife is such a great cook, but I hope that I can keep some willpower and take it easy on all the things that are bad for me.

The numbers were down again today--165! Woohoo!

Today's a busy day, so I have to run--I'll have more time tomorrow.

Okay--Debbi mentioned that I should post some of the recipes that I am finding and trying out. Here's one that I made the other night, and am eating at work, at my desk, as we speak. I've posted it instead of sending the link because not everyone can log into Cooking Light, which is where I found it (I think you have to subscribe to the magazine).

I did make a few substitutions, though. I used Parmesan cheese instead of Asiago, and I sauteed some red peppers and tomatoes and Boca crumbles and added balsamic vinegar for flavor. It's wonderful and reheats well. Oh, and I went for whole wheat pasta as well.

Here it is:
Cavatappi with Spinach, Beans, and Asiago Cheese
The warm pasta slightly wilts the spinach and softens the cheese during tossing.
8 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
4 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 6 ounces uncooked spiral-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)CALORIES 401 (27% from fat); FAT 12g (sat 3.4g,mono 6.2g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 18.8g; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 306mg; SODIUM 464mg; FIBER 6.7g; IRON 6.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.7g Cooking Light, OCTOBER 1996

Let it snow

Man alive it's snowy out here. It makes me want to ski the fresh snow up in the mountains, or at the very least, snowshoe. Oh well, I have to sit here instead, in front of the computer all day, thinking of new ways to avoid eating the things that are bad for me.

Which brings me to my updated numbers for today--166.4--that's 4.8 pounds less than on Monday! Clearly I was retaining some water from my sodium-fest of a weekend, but still, it's nice to see the numbers going down every morning. Not that I don't think that they'll go up at some point, but the lowering numbers are making this whole "detox" thing really helpful.

Tomorrow night is one of my "cheat" nights, and I am hoping to walk away from it with some food dignity--we'll have to see.

I made some great vegetarian recipes last night, so I've got some good food here today, which does helping making the right food choices easier.

More to come. . .

It's getting better all the time

Okay, so it was glad to see that the 171.2 was some sort of water weight--it was nice to be down a few pounds when I stepped on the scale tomorrow.

So far, the detox is still working (but let's face it, I'm only 36 hours in). I worked out this morning, ate right all day, and now I'm heading to the grocery store armed with some good vegetarian recipes.

It's snowing outside. I hope we get hit with a big one tonight.

More to come tomorrow.

Day 1

Things are looking a little bleak for me on Day 1. . .I stepped on the scale this morning and I was seriously about 6 pounds heavier than I was a couple of weeks ago. Could all of that Thanksgiving food, multiple nights of drinking and fried food during the Bears game have really done me that wrong? It's a good thing The December Project is starting early.

171.2. That's a lot--especially for someone who exercises a lot and is a pretty healthy eater. Or am I?

I think I am going to also post my food log as I move through The Decmember Project. Even if it only holds me accountable to myself, at least I'm keeping track.

Here it is:

Breakfast:
Egg White omlette with 2 eggs and veggies (75 Calories)
Water

Snack:
Kashi Cereal with hot tes (decaf) (110 Calories, 1.5 fat grams)

Lunch:
Amy's Organics Eggplant Lasagne (360 C, 6 fat grams)

Snack:
Sugar-Free HC (60 C, 1 fat gram)
Two Kashi Granola Bars (Total: 240 C, 4 fat grams)

Starting Early

Okay, I've decided to start The December Project a few days early. It's just that after such a glutenous, over-indulged weekend, I think it's important to start getting on track right away. Tomorrow, I'll weigh myself and start to put in weight updates. I'm not so sure I want to see what pops up on the scale, but that's something that I am just going to have to deal with. It's also one of the reasons why I'm trying this whole thing out.

I went to the grocery store when we got back in town tonight, and I bought all fresh vegetables and some organic vegetable broth to make a vegetable soup. It's all cut-up and in the crock pot now, and it should be good to go by morning. I really think that I need to stay on top of the healthy food thing by going out of my way to make sure there's always healthy food on-hand for me.

I'm nervous about cutting out the Diet Cokes and Diet Dr. Pepper tomorrow. I hope I can get used to tea in a hurry!

I'm off to research some more info for The December Project. I'll post interesting research once I find it.

Getting ready for December

Okay, here's the very first post in what I hope to be a long line of posts that will chronicle The December Project. What's The December Project? It's something I recently came up with--I'm a healthy person. I run a couple of times a week, I lift weights, I see a trainer once a week for half an hour, but why is it that I still can't lose weight, and why am I tired and why is my skin bad? Could it be my unhealthy habits like social drinking, diet cokes at least twice a day, and a love of all food that's bad for me.

Sure, I eat healthy most days of most weeks, but if there's even a whiff of a cake in the building, you can bet I'm standing next to it.

So I want to change things up a little. I want to try a vegetarian diet (with fish), I want to cut-out the caffeine in my life, and I want to stop eating processed foods (no more frozen lean cuisines in an attempt to save calories).

So here's my deal with myself:
Starting Dec 1, 2006, I will begin The December Project. I will stop eating meat, I will increase my intake of fruits and vegetables, I will stop drinking alcohol and diet coke, and I will continue (and perhaps increase?) my daily exercise.

I have allowed myself some exceptions and they are three events:
Christmas Dinner at my boss's house.
My work Holiday Party.
My husband's holiday party.

I think this could work. More research to come. Friday's the day.

Okay, I told my family over a large Thanksgiving-leftovers dinner about my December Project. I'm not so sure they believe me. I hope I believe me.