Nov. 16: Down Some Pounds

For once, the scale is making me happy.

It's probably because I was so sick, but I am down 6 pounds from the beginning of the month!  Today's weigh-in was 180.

I've made a huge change in eating habits, even though I am still dealing with WICKED cravings.  I'm being strict, but not so strict that I rebound.

A huge difference is cutting back on the Diet Coke. I don't know why, but when I drink that all the time, the way I so enjoy, I eat more.  I know there are studies with various hypothesis on why people drinking lots of diet soda gain weight, and it seems it is very true for me.

I'm sure with cutting out the fast food, the sodium intake is totally different.  That would also account for a few pounds.

The exercise thing is just NOT working out for me.  I've been under the care of a chiropractor for severe neck and back pain.  After two weeks, I can't go much further than a kilometer until I'm dragging my leg behind me in a most undignified fashion.  The chiro says to listen to my body and not force anything, and has also banned me from heavy lifting in the gym until this is straightened out.  I think I'd feel so much better if I could go out and take long wanders with the dog.  At least I don't have a pounding headache every second of every day anymore.

I had tried going to the doctor for this, but all they did was tell me it was stress and give me pain killers.  I'm getting more relief from the chiropractor after just 3 visits than the 3 doctors visits and multiple bottles of medication they gave me. While I'm definitely not anti-modern-medicine, there are some things a pill won't fix.

The meal plan is right on track for the week, and that in itself gives me a big buzz of success!

Nov. 14: Weekly Food Prep

This week, I'm really feeling the cooking bug.  Maybe because it's cold and foggy out, maybe because last week's food prep kept me so successfully on plan.  Whatever the reason, I'm itching to get into the kitchen today!

First things first, I'm roasting 2 chickens.  Have you seen those flattened chickens at your local grocery store?  They are supposed to cook way faster that way.  Anyhow, they are on sale, so I'm grabbing two and making them today.  While they are in the oven I'm going to also make a batch of baked brown rice.

The chicken soup I made last week was such a hit that my daughter R asked me to make it again this week.  So after the chicken cools, I'll remove the yummy white meat and put it away for other meals and then I will put the carcasses and dark meat in the crockpot overnight to make broth for more soup.

Sunday: Roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots, green beans

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Mexican chicken  casserole (recipe below)

Wednesday: Chicken noodle soup

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza night



Mexican Chicken Casserole

("Casserole" usually indicates something baked in the oven.  We're going to nuke ours in the microwave in one dish servings.)

cooked chicken

cooked brown rice

canned rinsed black beans

frozen corn

chili powder, cilantro, sea salt

salsa

tortilla chips

finely shredded cheddar

plain non-fat or low-fat yogurt

Based on your pre-determined serving sizes, add chicken and rice to a large bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of beans and corn, and then season to taste with spices and salsa.  Heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until hot.  Carefully remove the dish from the microwave and top with some shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips.  Return to the microwave for 30 seconds, top with  yogurt and then enjoy!

One of the really nice things about this dish is that, depending on your nutritional goals, you can tweak the macros to suit.  For the kids, you can top it with a bit more cheese if you want.

Now that I am finally feeling healthier, this is the week that I am going to start my early morning walking plan.  I'm going to start off with a brisk 20 minute walk with the dog, and see how things go from there.

My goal has changed.  After the epiphany I wrote about yesterday, I really want to lookin the mirror and love what I see.  I want to treat myself kindly and feel beautiful.  I want to stop punishing my body with food and instead, nurture myself with food and activity.

I'm off to church and then the grocery store! 
Have a great week!