TAGT Day 5- Getting (sorta) Better

Today, I'm happy to report, was a vast improvement over yesterday. Intake-wise, anyway. Last night, the cravings hit. Maybe cravings isn't the right word...just the overwhelming memories of all my favorite junk foods, how it will be a long, long time before I'll feel ok to indulge again, and how all this means missing out on Halloween candy and Chinese food with Brian (such is our preferred way to observe Oct. 31.) On top of that, I was ravenously hungry really late last night, and wound up eating 17 (yup. Holy sh!t.) Chocolate chip cookies. I managed to not go over my sugar allotment, somehow, but still. Seventeen cookies. Never again.

Today began with the shake and cereal, and I have to say, I'm rethinking the shake thing. I hate foamy textured foods. About halfway through, I had to fight the urge to vomit. It was more than a little unpleasant, and I was still feeling gaggy later in the afternoon. I also weighed myself, and I'm 8 bloody f*cking pounds heavier than I was the last time I weighed myself, several months ago! Oh I wanted to scream and kick and throw things...but, despite wanting to do all of that, followed by drowning my sorrows in a bag of chalupas, it steeled my resolve to stick to the plan.

I was unprepared for snack #2, so instead of yogurt I wound up having a piece of steak jerky. Not my favorite, but it was good for low carb, decent protein, and even fewer calories than the yogurt. Dinner was pretty perfect. I do plan to get a food scale soon, and I need to figure out the whole measuring protein thing. I don't think I'm eating enough protein at dinner.

If I can somehow manage to ward off the severe hunger pangs, I think I will finish week one decently and head into week 2 with a good grip on things. Thing is, I'm honestly hungry, not just bored or wanting to eat some feelings- my stomach growls, I feel puky from low blood sugar, and I get a little nauseous. I guess it's part of the territory, sadly, so I need to find a way to handle it. Overall, I'm really proud of myself today. I had plenty of opportunities to have the drive thru or cheap junk foods that I like, but I didn't succumb. Yay me :)

TAGT Day 4- I Suck at This

Just to preface this- I'm writing this in the spirit of total honesty, keepin it real, being true to myself. To not admit failure would be doing myself a disservice, and I'm not particularly good at or comfortable with lying. That said, I suck at dieting, am terrible at change, and feel like a failure.

Today could have been great. Instead, I'm writing this, admitting how far below ideal I came. Instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I was still awake when 5, 6, 7am rolled around. And I hadn't actually had the allowable snack since before midnight. By 6 I was ravnous, so I made a sandwich (should have made the breakfast shake, but wasn't feeling it.) I had my sandwich and a serving of chips. Then another. Then another. Then probably another still, I stopped counting after serving #2. Around 10am, I finally fell asleep, and woke up around 2 or 3, then continued to sleep off and on until after 5pm. It starts with simply being unable to fall asleep, then I find myself a week later, living like a vampire.

I haven't eaten at all between 6-something this morning and about 7:10pm. And frankly I don't feel like cooking rice or chicken or eating salad. It's frozen chimichangas, because as far as today's concerned, I've thrown in the towel.

Tomorrow will be different. For starters, I have an appointment that I would prefer not to miss, and I'm hoping to hit the bed at a decent hour. Even if it means taking a melatonin or sleep aid (which I'm not a fan of, as they leave me unable to function for much of the following day. It's part of what got me here now.) I'm not giving up. I've just had a lousy day, that's left me exhausted after doing pretty much nothing. Tomorrow will be better. I will accept nothing less of myself.

TAGT, Day 3

Just a quick update (I may do this everyday, helps with accountability)- today was an improvement over yesterday. Still not 100% but better. I had the dreaded breakfast protein shake (why oh why did I choose vanilla?!?), an apple roughly 2 hours after that. Then, I slept. All. Damn. Day. I woke with glaring pain in both ears, and I have just felt unwell since this past weekend. I thought my sleep last night would be better, but despite hauling my butt to bed at around 1am, trying to sleep while feeling like every breath was full of glass shards, sleep just wasn't going to happen. It could be the crazy weather of late. Or I'm developing asthma! What fun :| It's always something.

Anyway, I still had to do a bit of make-do where meals were concerned. I had lunch very late, and wound up eating a chicken breast sandwich, made with the smaller of the two Hummus is Yummus chicken breasts I made last night. It was really good, and made me think of all the after Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches I've eaten in my life. Dinner was a repeat of last night's (only the chicken was a new flavor), and I tried a little sprinkle of Mrs. Dash's Onion and Herb seasoning on my salad. I think trying new things- even though this plan seems to be the antithesis of that- is key to not getting fed up with this lifestyle. There are so many salt-free seasonings these days, that it should take a while before that happens. (Side note, anyone else tried the new Mrs. Dash seasoning packets? The option to have salt-free tacos is pretty exciting for me. That may be a refuel meal.)

Tomorrow, I am fully prepared for, thanks to Brian. I'll be trying a new veggie side dish, so check back tomorrow for that! :)

Hummus is Yummus Chicken

I dedicate this recipe to my bestie, Dinnah. She's a pescatarian, and will likely never even eat this version of the recipe, but if not for her, I may never have had hummus. And I probably wouldn't forever associate the words hummus and yummus. So this is for ewe, Dinnah! <3 I'm trying to come up with fat and salt free options to season my chicken while doing TAGT. I have a few salt free seasonings, a couple of Southwestern ones from Mrs. Dash that frankly, I do not like unless they are added to other things. Like chili. Or brown sugar. I'm weird. I might have them mostly because they were the only options available at the time. My other option is a tiny jar of Sunny Spain from Penzey's, which is their salt free lemon pepper seasoning. It's such a basic option for flavoring a "healthy" meal, but that doesn't have to mean boring. For this recipe, I decided to pair this seasoning with some roasted red pepper hummus- thinking tangy will go well with tangy. As for the fat content- yes, hummus has fat. A serving is 2 tablespoons, which contains 3-4 grams of fat. I figured, I could use a small amount and get the flavor punch I wanted, for minimal fat. And I have to say, .6 grams of fat for an entire piece of chicken is no dealbreaker for me. I'll shut up now. On to the food!

You will need:

• 1 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 3/4 tsp hummus (I used Fresh Hummus Co. Roasted Red Pepper)
• 1/2 tsp salt free lemon pepper seasoning (I used Penzey's Sunny Spain)
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp minced, dried onion

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cover shallow baking dish with tinfoil (or not, if you have nonstick baking dishes.) Place chicken breast in dish. Sprinkle on lemon pepper and onion powder seasonings. Measure hummus, and rub onto surface of chicken. I wound up kind of making a paste-like rub out of the hummus and spices. When you are satisfied with the spread, sprinkle the onion flakes on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes (I actually made two, and baked them for about an hour, with great results.)

This makes a lovely, tangy piece of chicken, and the chicken I have prepared using this method has all come out nice and juicy. For you pescetarians out there, I can tell you Sunny Spain is great on tilapia. Just sprinkle some on the fish, make a topping out of feta and chopped, seeded tomatoes, and bake. Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle (another salt free option, btw) is also good mixed into the fish topping. Hope you try these and enjoy!

The Plan, So Far

There's a saying, about the road to hell being paved with the best intentions. I think that sums up much of my life.

This past Sunday was to be the start of my following the Think and Grow Thin plan. I planned for it (but not very well), but Saturday night, I wound up with a stomach bug or some other sort of intestinal unpleasantness. So my Sunday was spent on the couch, sleeping, or running to the bathroom. My eating was nowhere near what I'd planned to do. I started out not eating very much at all (a sandwich, with about half the meat I normally do), or too much of the wrong stuff (potato chips! Lots of hummus! Stouffer's mac and cheese!) Sunday was just a no go kind of day.

As for Monday, I wasn't awake for breakfast. For lunch, I had a salad instead of the sandwich and chips I'd planned for (I actually had no allowed chips.) The rest of the day I did decently, having apples at snack times, dinner was almost perfect- you're supposed to have brown or long grain wild rice. I only had yellow. I did portion out a cup of it, so at least it's helping develop a habit. I even cooked two more chicken breasts for the next two nights. I like to work ahead sometimes :)

I can say, I'm thankful for the hiccup in my plan, because it reminded me, if something isn't flexible, it will break. I'm going to follow this plan, but with some tweaks that I think are more beneficial to me personally. My #1 trigger food is actually chips. So, despite the fact that I actually control myself fairly well when faced with a bag of baked Lay's, I've decided to have a mixed greens salad in place of the chips. Surely extra veggies won't hurt, right? Other than missing breakfast, having yellow rice and no chips at lunch, I was pretty much on point for everything else. My snacks were apples and yogurt (with chia seeds), my chicken was prepared without added fat or salt, and I actually measured my salad for dinner, instead of grabbing a couple of handfuls and calling it x-amount. I did have some peanut butter and some Fiber One and skim milk after dinner. I'm still about 800-plus calories under goal according to MyFitnessPal, so I think today was a vast improvement, even if it wasn't perfect.

A final note, if you are interested in following this plan and need ideas for seasoning your meats, or you are just looking for good fat/salt free options, I recommend Penzey's Spices. They offer many salt free varieties. I am currently using Sunny Spain, which is a lemon-pepper seasoning, which is great on chicken, tilapia, and would probably be just as tasty sprinkled on salads. Check them out here. And check back tomorrow (later today?) for a crazy-easy chicken recipe!

Weeks 1 & 2, Think and Grow Thin

Today it starts! Three months of massive, life-altering change. Or at least that's the plan.

If you're following along with me on this journey, the plan is this: every other week, I will post about the nutrition plan for that period. On Saturdays, which is the day you're allowed a refuel meal, I hope to post a healthy recipe that I made that day (worry not, no tofu-seaweed wraps here.) Progress will be posted monthly, as will any random thoughts along the way. Also, hoping to post any different and new workouts I try, meaning different or new to me. I have Zumba for Kinect and have tried it once so far. It's something to work up to.

Now onto the meal plan!

For breakfast, I'm going with Option 1, which includes a protein shake made with 8oz water, 6 frozen strawberries, 1 scoop whey protein, and flax seed oil. Since it's easier to come by, I will be taking a flax supplement. Rounding out breakfast is 1 1/3 cups dry, lightly sweetened, whole grain cereal (such as Kashi. I like the really crunchy one.)

First snack of the day is one piece of fresh fruit (choices being apple, orange, pear or mango. I'm going with apples.)

Lunch will be Option 2, which consists of a 12" turkey breast sub on whole wheat, double meat, with mustard. It will be hard to give up cheese, but you're allowed to add romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion, sprouts, vinegar and pepper only. I do like adding plain broccoli slaw to a sandwich, for the crunch, but it's not allowed. For a side, you can choose between a 1oz bag of baked potato chips or one banana. I choose chips, as I hate bananas.

Snack 2 will be 6oz nonfat, no-sugar-added yogurt. I'm debating whether or not this will be artificially sweetened yogurt, or some plain Greek with a tablespoon of Polaner All Fruit or Sugar-Free Smucker's stirred in.

Dinner will be Option 1, which is 8-10oz boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, cooked without added fat or salt, 1 tablespoon nonfat sauce, 2 cups of one or a combo of asparagus, spinach, kale, broccoli or green cabbage (I think broccoli slaw would be great for this), and one cup of brown or long grain wild rice.

Snack 3 can be 1/2 an apple or pear, 1 peach, or 1 clementine (I choose clementines, as long as I can find any, otherwise it'll be apples.)

The only drinks allowed are zero-calorie ones. I'm trying to give up soda, and I drink a lot of teas, and really need to work on my water consumption.

The thought of eating the same meals day in and day out is both appealing and kind of soul-sucking all at once. On my own, not thinking about things, I usually do eat the same old things. But having to do so really makes my "you can't boss me around!!" side come rushing to the surface. It's worth it to try if it means improving my health. I will still be using My Fitness Pal to record my meals and workouts, because having to be accountable for my daily behaviors does seem to help keep me on track, and I've been really good about using it for the last few weeks. Refuel meals are not supposed to be an excuse to abandon all good sense and run for the border. I have a few ideas about what I'd like for those days, so look forward to those (hopefully) every Saturday.

So these are weeks 1 and 2! Fingers crossed that I keep it up and it leads to lasting change. Here I go :)

Apple Pie Oatmeal

I'm not going to pretend I made up the whole concept of this oatmeal. I did, however, come up with this particular version of it (by throwing stuff into a pot one morning; that's how I like to cook!) The nutritional stats I got by entering the recipe into MyFitnessPal. If you don't like oatmeal because it's always been more like oatmush to you, I suggest trying this. Especially with the steel-cut, because it has a thicker, chewier texture that has a more pleasing mouthfeel for some people. Squishy food. I completely understand and share the aversion. Even better, this makes about 4 servings, so it's a pretty quick breakfast option- just heat and go. (not so much quick the morning you make it, of course. But the mornings after, those are heat 'n go.) Hope you enjoy!

You will need:

• 1 cup Steel Cut Oats (I used Quaker)
• 3 small apples (used Red Delicious, but any small 2-2.5" diameter apples will work)
• 1.5 scoops Vanilla Whey powder (used Body Fortress brand)
• 8 tsp unpacked brown sugar
• 1/2 TBSP ground cinnamon (or use apple pie spice mix)
• 4 cups water

Bring water to boil in medium pot. Meanwhile, core and chop apples into bite-sized pieces (you can leave the skin on if you prefer it; I peeled mine.) When the water has reached boiling, stir in the oats, and return to a boil. Then stir in the whey powder, apple chunks, sugar and cinnamon (and a pinch of salt, if you like) and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 20-30 more minutes, stirring often, until it reaches desired texture/consistency. Serves 4. Keeps for one week covered in fridge. Just add a splash of milk, stir and microwave for about a minute on high.

4 servings- 269 calories- 48g carbohydrates- 3g fat- 15g protein- 34mg sodium- 16g sugar

If you don't like brown sugar, feel free to substitute with maple syrup, agave, stevia, whichever sweetener you like! Or you could even go without, and let the apples and oatmeal speak for themselves (so to speak.) I just divide the oatmeal between 4 containers (sorry, I don't have specific measurements, I just put equal spoonfuls into each container until it's all divided equally.)

I love oatmeal, and even though it can be time consuming, it's an inexpensive, satisfying and endlessly customizable breakfast option. If you prefer other fruits to apples, try cooking the oatmeal plain, then stirring in a tablespoon of Polaner All-Fruit to your bowl (I love doing this. And I usually add cinnamon to it, in general.) The Polaner is also good stirred into a cup of plain yogurt.

Try this recipe? Like it? Need some tweaking? Let me know!