Spinach and Feta Pita Yummo!!!

This has to be the best tasting pita pizza of all time! Maybe I was really hungry, but it was still awesome! Packed with vitamins too!

Here's what you need:

1 whole wheat pita
1 Tbs pesto, I used basil pesto but sun dried tomato would be good as well
1 Tbs onion (or more if you like)
1 Tbs fresh basil
1 Tbs fresh cilantro
1-2 mushrooms sliced
1/2 Roma Tomato chopped
Handful of baby spinach leaves chopped
1 oz Feta cheese, I used the reduced fat
1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbs Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. You can either place the pita on a baking sheet or directly on the rack. I made mine on a sheet but I think that next time I will put it on the rack so that it will be crispier.
3. Spread the pesto onto the pita.
4. Top with onion, tomato, basil, cilantro, mushrooms and spinach.
5. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top then add the parmesan cheese.
6. Drizle the olive oil over it.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until it is done to your liking.

This is not exact but this has roughly 215 calories, 16 grams of protein and 13 grams of fat. The fat can be reduced by using the sun dried tomato pesto and eliminating the olive oil.

Movin' on down!

Today marks the beginning of my journey into the NuYuRx program. I think I am really going to like this! Emily was very helpful and she listened to everything I had to say, even though I am sure it was a lot!

My day started off with the question, "honey, where's my scale?" To which I received a snicker for a response. Hmph. The minute I stepped on it I was nervous. One whole week had passed and I had hardly exercised and had worked 2 grueling 13 hr shifts. It was a bit unsettling to see that the scale hadn't budged, maybe even a bit upsetting. I pushed past it though and kept my head up. My mom fixed me a yummy breakfast of one organic, free range, from the chicken coop egg, 3 slices of turkey bacon and a slice of whole wheat toast. Yum, good way to start the day!

We were running late for my appointment, of course, it's the story of my life. When we arrived at the office I was full of excitement. I just couldn't wait to meet Emily. My mom came with me. She is my accountability partner in all of this. Having her there was very comforting. We were both able to gain some knowledge from the experience. They have a scale that reads everything about you. It's a little scary. I was actually thinking maybe the print out was going to have my bra size on there! The little piece of paper shows a lot about your body composition. I learned that 49% of my body is FAT. WOW. I am not sure if I am shocked by this or disgusted by it, not really sure which. I have a BMI of 40.4% and 122.6 lbs of fat. Ouch. If that isn't an eye opener I don't know what is. The best news of all this morning when I got on that high tech scale was that it showed me at 250.4 lbs!! That makes a total of 6.6lbs!!! Not too bad for doing it on my own. The scariest part of the visit.....cutting my calories down to 1200-1300 per day!!! Yowzers!

Visits to the nutritionist will be weekly. I am going to stop using my scale at home....YIKES!! I know!! It's going to be hard, but I can do this! It will be easier to track my progress with these printouts. She gave me a lot of information to look over with many good tips. So far, the one thing that has helped the most is the breakdown of carbs, fats and proteins that I should be eating. According to the guidelines I should be eating 50% GOOD carbs, 30% Protein and 20% Fats. Surprisingly, my pie chart for today shows very clost to that! I finished up the day with 50% Carbs! Spot on! 23% Protein and 27% Fat. Pretty close for the first day! Also, I finished up with a total of........drum roll please.............1,259 calories!!! That even included a trip to Mc Donald's!!! That was a milestone in and of itself. Lillian got a happy meal that mysteriously didn't come with fries. I figure if there are NO fries on the table I will not be tempted. Besides, it's better for her to eat the apples anyway. She didn't fuss to my surprise!

All in all I think today was a success. I feel empowered with knowledge to get through the week. It will definitely be a test this weekend as we head out of town to visit family. My mom will be with me and together I think we can keep each other on the right track. Keeping my fingers crossed and saying a few extra prayers tonight. Tomorrow will be a good day. I just know it. 

Back on the wagon.

I did it! Last week I lost 2 pounds! Well, 1.8 to be EXACT, but a loss none the less. Considering that the scale said I had gained 2 pounds the week before I consider this a huge success! That is a total of 4 pounds for the week! It all adds up to 5 pounds TOTAL! Yippee! Even though I had no scale I DID do measurements : P and I am happy to report that I lost a 1/2 inch all around (minus the thighs) and 1 inch in my chest of all places! The feeling of empowerment is strong! I CAN do this! The thrill and excitement is awesome because I have done this on my own thus far. No pills, no "magic," and no real plan. Simply eating less and exercising has done it! That, and keeping track of all of my food and being accountable to everyone is really working! An appointment has been made for Monday to speak with the nutritionist in the NuYuRx program. I am excited. This means even MORE accountability. I am actually excited to print out my food lists from FatSecret and take them with me. Almost giddee! Jamaica here I come 'mon!

On another note, I had a BAD binge night at work Tuesday. I am not sure WHY but the last couple days that I have worked have been hellacious! Is that even a word? Needless to say, I hadn't made the best choices during the day but was staying below my calorie line. For breakfast that morning I had a SuperSonic breakfast burrito. Oh those are my favorite! After craving one for weeks I broke down and got it. Not too bad, 550 calories as it comes. It was amazing that I was actually full before I finished it! Next time I will plan ahead (yes, unfortunately I am sure there will be a next time). I plan on having them cut it in half and wrap it separately so that I can freeze the other half. This way there are only 275 calories and I will feel like I am being bad! See, there is ALWAYS a solution. That was not the end of it. For lunch I took Lillian to McDonald's. I know, I know, but it's the ONLY air conditioned play ground in the city! I had an Angus wrap with NO cheese. I could've cut the fat even more if I had asked for no mayo and put fat free on instead but I was in a hurry and didn't realize it came with mayo, duh!  While I was at work it was, well, there is no way to explain how incredibly busy it was. So busy that it was on the border of pure insanity! I ate lunch at 1 and did not sit down or even THINK of eating until 10pm. Needless to say by the time I actually ate (midnight), I wanted everything in site. I started with a protein shake. That was good, but I wanted more. Next I tackled the piece of chocolate pie in the fridge, but I wanted more. It is beginning to sound like the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Next came 2 chicken strips and then a roll. I finally felt full and disgusted. BUT, I did not let it get the best of me. I vowed to start anew the next day and I did! The calorie budget for yesterday did get exceeded BUT I made better choices. I am almost positive that had I had the chance to eat a real dinner and make a better choice I would have. Given the circumstances I did what I felt I had or better yet needed to. The anxiety, pressure, stress, chaos had all gotten the better of me. I really wish I knew of a better way to deal with those things without eating. Oh well. Today is going to be a good day! Grocery shopping is on the list of things to do, as well as exercise! Woo hoo! I wonder how much I will save today??

My Big Fat Secret

So it really isn't a "secret." I love FatSecret.com. It is so incredibly easy to use and very user friendly. It is a lot of fun to look at what my "buddies" are eating and I stay accountable to them because they say can see what I eat! GASP! The other feature that is pretty cool is the diet calendar. I can view it in so many ways. Whether I want to see just today, this week, this month, this year, it is all available AND I can print it out! This will come in very handy as I am planning on joining the NuYuRx program at Women's Healthcare. I can simply print out my foods for the week and take them with me to my appointment.

On another note, I weighed myself today. AGH! I know. I had to go to the doctor though to get my jaw checked out. My husband says that it hurts because I talk to much. Hmm. Maybe he is right! Apparently I have TMJ. So, when I got to the office I was actually excited to get onto the scale. I feel like a drug addict, I swear!  It was a little unnerving to say the least when 254.6 popped up. But, I told myself, "HELLO SELF! This means that you have taken off the 2 lbs you put on AND maybe a little more since Monday." Considering I had my clothes and shoes on and I had had coffee and water before going I think that was pretty good. Now I am left feeling like maybe I am truly getting somewhere. I have stayed right at or under my 1,800 calories per day and hopefully I will get my exercise in every day. Yesterday I was able to do 5 more minutes on the bike without "sweating it." (Not literally lol, there was a LOT of sweat!)

I am off to get some housework done and maybe squeeze in some exercise before we are off to carpool, gymnastics and my personal favorite...GROCERY SHOPPING! And that my friends IS literal. I truly love it. Sick, I know.

Riding the Roller Coaster

The excitement and thrill of a roller coaster is like no other. The anticipation as you go clicking your way up to the top and then that weightless, gut dropping, heart stopping feeling when you finally creep over the top. The view from the top is awe inspiring. The wind is whirling all around you and you feel free. It is the ultimate adrenaline rush for me. Unfortunately, I ride a roller coaster every day but it is not nearly as fun or exciting for me or my family. After weighing myself on Monday I was terribly depressed. Should I have been? Probably, ok, absolutely not. Yes, I gained 2 whole pounds, but, I also ate things I shouldn't have and drank diet sodas that I knew I should be avoiding. It is highly likely that I gained water weight, and I knew this. Even with that knowledge I still let myself get completely down in the dumps after riding the high and the thrill through the weekend from the weight loss of the week prior. Needless to say, my husband has had enough. The scale mysteriously disappeared from the bathroom Monday evening only to return next Monday I was told. My first thought was of course, embarrassment. How silly of me to have allowed my emotions to control me so completely. They controlled me to the point that I was miserable to be around and no fun to anyone in the house. Everything was in disarray around me as I lied in bed sulking. I am sure anger was somewhere in there but who was I angry with? My husband for trying to encourage me and help me get to my goal? Or was I angry with myself for getting on the ride in the first place?

Yesterday was a much better day. I didn't exercise but I did stay under my calories for the day, even with the binge eating of the remainder of the banana pudding squares. Hey, at least I got my calcium and fruit! (They were low fat and low sugar lol). I felt terrible afterwards of course. But, I did not let that get me down. I had a protein shake and a salad for dinner to keep me on course. There were even calories to spare! So, at 11 last night while I was on the computer I let myself have a few low fat cookies and skim milk.

I suppose I will start today off on a better foot. I managed to get up before the kids left for school and the little one is asleep next to me. Now would be a good time to get up, get dressed and head outside for some gardening. Surely some fresh air will get my spirits up as I ride the roller coaster again, click, click, click, climbing my way to the top, waiting for Monday. I just hope it is a fun ride down and not a twisting knot!

My coffee is gone, and so am I!


OK, so I was going through my email and what do I find? An email from South Beach Diet and this is what it says:

Don't be discouraged if your weight fluctuates day by day. Shifts in water weight, changes in bowel habits, and even the amount of food you just ate can influence the daily variations you see on the scale.

HA HA...it's like they read my mind....

The Wonders of the Weekend

Today was a terribly depressing day. After a wonderful weekend I awoke to a weight gain of 2 pounds. Talk about being bummed! I kept telling myself I wouldn't let it get to me but it got the best of me. Nothing was accomplished and I started out the day eating things I shouldn't. After a healthy lunch of stir fried veggies and chicken I realized I needed to quit eating! Needless to say, it was a protein shake for dinner! It hit the spot, filled me up, and now I don't feel like such a pig! We had a get together this weekend to help a few friends learn how to "coupon." I tried my best to make healthy snacks, and for the most part I succeeded. The big downfall was Sunday. After getting up and going for a walk with my mom and eating a relatively healthy breakfast we went to church. When we came home we were cooking all different meals for everyone for lunch and as I cooked I nibbled on left overs from the day before. I nibbled, and I nibbled, and I nibbled. :( As of yet I haven't exercised today. I am hoping that writing this will get me motivated to get off my rump and get out on that bike! Surely once I do I will feel a lot better. That and looking at pictures of Jamaica seems to be helping....

Why is it that on the days I am off I have zero motivation, I can't get out of bed and all I want to do is sit around. But, on the days that I have to work (ie today) I am up and full of energy. Maybe it is knowing that I won't have a ton of time to get a lot done so less is expected of me? But by who? Myself? It's almost as if I justify not doing anything on my days off because well...they are my days off! Then, on the days I work I can say, "look at all I did AND I had to work today!" Seems really crazy but I am guessing that is what it is. Ha, ha, psychoanalyzing myself. I didn't get to do my work out yesterday. No excuses. I just felt too tired. I did however touch up the paint on my baseboards and clean the living room. I feel like I cheated myself by not working out. It will definitely be made up for today!

As far as my eating goes, I think I did pretty well yesterday. I stayed under 1700 calories and drank 8 glasses of water, again! It is not as hard as I thought it would be to get all that water down. I still treated myself with a Pepsi Max yesterday. I also made the mistake of getting a diet coke at Mc Donald's. Oh well. 8 glasses of water still made it in!

Does anyone have an opinion on daily weights? I know deep down inside that I shouldn't be weighing myself everyday. It creates a roller coaster of emotions for me. Lord forbid I go up on the scale, my day is then a rocky one. I just don't know how to stop it. There are days where I get on the scale more than once! As if it's going to magically say I have lost 100 lbs! Neurotic, I know. :) Here's to a glorius and blessed day!

The coffee is gone and so am I!



Breakfast:
Homemade protein shake (coffee, skim milk, protein powder, splenda and cocoa powder)
1 Slice of wheat toast with Polanar Fruit spread sugar free

Snack:
Atkin's coconut bar
4 marshmallows (nothing like waking up from an unexpected nap wanting to binge!)

Lunch:
Broccoli
Taco Meat
4 chunks of left over chicken

Snack:
Atkins Latte shake

Dinner:
Mc Donald's grilled chicken sandwhich (no mayo)
Small fry

Dessert:
Hunts sugar free chocolate pudding with lite cool whip

Day number 2 with 8 glasses of water down!!

On a roll

This week is proving to be a productive one. Thankfully. No internet means no time to waste on the computer. I do find myself occasionally surfing on my phone, but since it is rather inconvenient, it is usually purposeful. I did manage to take some pictures yesterday. They are really hideous. Ashamed doesn't begin to describe my feeling towards them. Looking at myself that way has really given me that extra PUSH to get moving and motivated. (Not that Jamaica isn't doing that already...ahhhh). Whether they get posted here, I haven't yet decided. Maybe I will put them up when I have lost 15 pounds and have a better comparison that can make me feel better about them, ya know, being in the past. I jumped on the scale this morning and I am officially at the "zero" mark on my scale. Phew...that is a big relief. Hopefully from here out the scale will have a nice minus next the gargantuan number it shows me! My sweet hubby spent a half our in GNC yesterday looking at all of the protein powders for me. He must have read every bottle there. He definitely knows more about protein now than he ever did! Oh, I also took measurements. Again, I am NOT posting those until there has been some improvement. They are right here next to me for safe keeping.

I mentioned before that I am using this really cool app on my Droid called Calorie Counter. Love it! While I was using it the other day I realized that they have a website as well. Check it out, Fat Secret. You can log your daily food intake and it shows you the percentage of your daily calorie allowance that you have used. It is really helpful. Another neat feature is the buddy option. If you have buddies they can see what you are eating. Talk about motivation and accountability! You can follow me there if you like. My user name is Mandamaern. The day ended yesterday and I was nearly 200 calories under my goal! Again, I felt like I ate a lot, but when it all added up it was right on target.

OK, I am off to get my day started. Computer time is about to end and the coffee cup (with sugar free french vanilla creamer) is empty. Time to get moving! House has to be clean for my coupon party Saturday. Woo hoo! Party animal here! :D

Yesterday's foods:

Breakfast:
egg white omelet with cheese
whole wheat toast with sugar free strawberry preserves

Snack:
Atkin's Mocha Protein Shake
Handful of mixed nuts

Lunch:
Tuna with 1 tbs of mayo and pickle relish
Lettuce
Cucumber
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Snack:
Atkin's coconut bar

Dinner:
Chicken breast saute'd with broccoli, onion and soy sauce
Peas

Dessert:
Lite Cool Whip
sliced peaches
Banana nut bread granola

Exercise:
Bike 25 minutes
Circuit training 10 minutes.

Back on track

School is back in session here. Yahoo! Now maybe life can start to get a little more "routine." A big goal for me this year is to get my rump up before the kids every day instead of waking up to the sound of the door shutting as they head out to catch the bus. In order to do this though I am going to have to change my schedule up a bit so that I am not getting home from work at midnight or later during the week. I really think that getting up with them is going to help me get motivated and get moving!

I no longer have internet when my husband is gone. This would be thanks to me having "wetted my phone in the ocean." It is amazing how much housework can get done when the giant time vacuum is no longer available! I am now forced to get everything done on the pc first thing in the morning and that is it. This may be very helpful. I actually found myself getting slightly...dare I say it....bored!

As I was going through my list of foods yesterday I was appalled by how incredibly long it was. My total calories were 1,657 but the list was so long! If I could cut out a few of those snacks it would've been substantially lower. Although, I guess I should give myself credit for at least choosing foods that are low in calories. That is one step up! I was reading somewhere yesterday that eating a breakfast higher in fat will help you to metabolize fats during the day. It's like revving up your metabolism to burn fat. This also helps to fill you up and keep you from eating too many....you guessed it...SNACKS! I suppose I should try to have eggs and toast this morning and see how it goes! I did manage to get back down to 255 today. It dawned on my yesterday that I have to loose 2 pounds per week to make my goal by the end of July. Wow, the pressure is on!

Another tidbit of information I read yesterday in 2 different articles (yea I had time to read since there was no internet...) when you work out you should mix things up to increase the fat and calories burned. There was a good work out plan in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine from this month that outlined it. You start with 5 minutes of cardio, do weights and sit ups, then finish up with at least 5 minutes of cardio again. I managed to do 10 minutes of cardio, weights and sit ups then finished with 10 more minutes of cardio. I can feel it today! It amazes me how out of shape you can get!

Here is to a great day!

And the challenge begins....

Ok...so I received a message from my mother yesterday that caught me by suprise. My mom is always trying to encourage me to lose weight. She is doing a great job getting rid of hers and wants me to be healthy and happy. She gave me a goal. One that I am very excited about! If I can lose 100 pounds in the next year and she loses her last 50 pounds we are going to JAMAICA! WOW. Shocked hardly describes my feelings. I am nervous about it though. Deep down inside I know I can do it. I fear failure.

The scale this morning said 256.6 pounds. I gained 3 pounds over vacation this weekend. My mother and I shared most meals to cut calories but I am sure that the long island ice teas and last 2 meals being at Mc Donald's did NOT help matters. Hopefully lots of water will help get this back off! She gave me a recumbent bike to use. It will definitely be used today, right after I get off this computer.

My meals for yesterday:

Breakfast: (not very healthy thanks to watching Julia and Julia the night before!)
1 french hamburger bun toasted in butter and olive oil
5 thin slices of deli ham
1 egg, scrambled
2 tbs of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of coffee with 1 tbs chocolate flavored ID creamer

Lunch: (after learning of my challenge!)
1 cup lettuce
2 pieces of sliced turkey
1tbs bacon bits
1 tiny tomato from the garden
1 tbs shredded cheese
15 sprays from the Hidden Valley Ranch salad spritzers
1 apple
2 tbs all natural peanut butter

Dinner:
1 slice of sausage with sweet baby rays BBQ sauce
1 cup steamed broccoli
1/2 cup french cut green beans
1/2 cup mac and cheese

Dessert:
1/2 cup sugar free fat free chocolate pudding
3 tbs lite cool whip topping

I had no snacks because I was full most of the day. The calories didn't get counted but I would imagine I was close to if not under my 2000 for the day. What do you think?

Here is to a better day today. I think I will try to get my calories under 1900 and start gradually cutting back. Maybe another 100 calories next week.

My boys are back home after being gone for a month and school starts next week. Things will hopefully get back on track and making meals will be easier I hope!!