Week 4

Monday: 130.6

I didn't exercise until 2:45 so I didn't end up eating anything until dinner.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/best-italian-pasta-salad/
Pasta Salad - we used 1/2 pound chicken breast instead of pepperoni, and 2 cucumbers, and 2 TBSP of balsamic vinaigrette, and 12 oz pasta. I think 8 oz pasta is better.

5 cups pasta salad: 1057
2 cups watermelon : 92

Total: 1149

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Tuesday: 131.2

1 egg - 80
3 cabbage - 51
5 pieces chicken deli - 50

2 cups frosted flakes 320
1 banana - 80
1 tsp PB - 32

5 mambas - 110

1.5 cups baked beans 525
13 doritos - 130

Total: 1403

**********
Wednesday

4 Ednas pancakes = 280

2 cups romaine 10
5 cups cabbage mix 85
1/3 cup baked beans - 133
salad dressing 50

2 cups romaine 10
3 cups cabbage mix 51
1/3 cup baked beans - 133
1/2 cup pasta salad 94
salad dressing 50

5 mini banana muffins - 66 each = 330
1 egg muffin 60

1 fruit rollup 50
1/2 muffin 33
1 banana ice cream with nibs 90

Total: 1459
**********
Thursday: 132.0

1 apple 80
1/2 cup cooked oats - 150
2 strawberries 16
3/4 cup beans 133
half a bagel 125

Air popped popcorn

To pop 1/2 cup popcorn kernals makes 16 cups of popcorn. This is a total of 440 calories on its own. 

We usually put 3 TBSP melted butter and about 1/2 tbsp of kosher salt over top and mix. This is a total of 720 calories, or 46 calories per cup of popcorn. 

One non-heaping cereal bowl is 2 cups, which is 92 calories. 

Week 3

Monday: 129.2 - first time under 130 for over 4 months. I was 6 days past my goal of being under 130 by the time I had my birthday (last week on Tuesday), but 6 days late is OK.

Lunch: 

-1/2 bagel (125)

- 2 pcs chicken (20)

- 1/2 pc swiss cheese slice (35)

- 2 cups romaine (20)

- 3 cups cabbage mix (51)

-3 strawberries (24)

Cooked meals for the week. Snitched:

- 2 meatballs (82)

-1/4 cup refried beans (60)
- 1 ghirardelli square (60)

Dinner: Spicy Fish Tacos with claw

- 2 flour tortillas (200)

- 1 corn tortilla (50)

- 3 servings of tilapia (41x3) with mayo spicy stuff (14x3): 165

- Mayo dressing, 1 tbsp (100)

- cabbage x 2 (34)

Mini blueberry cheesecakes for dessert: Each one is 187 calories

I had 1.5 of them. 

= 281 calories

Total: 1307

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Tuesday: 130.4

Puff pancakes
8 x 62 = 434
apple (80)
lasagna x 2 servings - probably at least 700 calories
4 now and laters (65)
1 ghirardelli (60)
handful of goldfish (60)

Total:
At least 1400 calories.

**********

Wednesday 
1/2 cup cooked oats (85)
1/3 apple (27)
1 strawberry (8)
1.5 pieces cream cheese banana bread (216 +108)
tea x 2
1 small tortilla (100)
2 eggs (160)
1/2 cup refried beans (133)
1.5 cups shredded potatoes (253)
1 chocolate popsicle (90)
1 ghirardelli (60)
5 mini chocolate muffins (410) Stupid.

= 1650 total

**********
Thursday

???
Fajitas
1 Now and Later (17)
1 granola bar (140)

**********
Friday - 131.0 pounds

3 cups cabbage - 51
1 egg - 80
Mexican corn salad (1/3 of the salad - 120 calories

Broccoli Rice casserole (10 servings; I ate 2 servings)
426

2 fruit rollups - 100
1/2 bagel (125)
1/2 cup raisin bran crunch - 95
a bunch of grapes
1/2 bell pepper (40)
7 cherry tomatoes (10)
1 oz cheese - 114
1/4 Jones Bro pop - 35
lasagna x 1 serving
2 muffins - 83 x 2 = 166

Total:
= 1362 + lasagna...probably at least 350 more calories (1712)

*********
Saturday

3 puff pancakes with caramel syrup = 500
1 fruit rollup (50)

3 cabbage (51)
1 egg (80)

5 meatballs (205)
1 cup cooked linguine noodles - 212
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce - 100

Total: 1198

**********

Sunday

1 cup cooked steel cut oats (370)
1/4 apple (20)

1 banana 80
1 tsp pb 32

1/4 rhubarb dish
like 1 cup of ice cream

2 cups popcorn 92
6 Now and laters 102
4 fun size twix/snickers 320
3 cookies (450)

Week 2 Food

I didn't do so well with keeping track of my calories this week, and I overate most days. Usually it happened after dinner, snacking on whatever. 

Monday: 130.6

I went grocery shopping at two stores, came home and unloaded, left to mail my grandpa's birthday card, came home, and immediately started cooking for 3 more hours. My feet and mind are weary tonight and I was snappy with the kids. I didn't eat anything beyond my 3 bites of taste testing until 430, after I had exercised and showered. That was dangerous ground, because I was very hungry. I should've started with a salad, but I didn't. Today is Ryan's birthday and I didn't eat any of the ice cream tonight because I was already over. So that was a bummer but fine; too much ice cream seems to make me get bloated.

Breakfast: None

Lunch or something:
1/4 cup taco meat - 79
1 oz chicken - 30
1/4 cup chicken cordon bleu casserole - 63

Snacks before dinner:
egg muffin - 55
1 Rhodes Roll cinnamon roll that was not good - 280
1 piece of homemade bread by Ryan - 140
3 jolly ranchers - 70

Dinner:
1 grilled cheese tuna avocado sandwich
- bread x 2 (280)
- tuna/avocado/mayo (157)
- 1 tbsp butter (100)
- cheese slice (70)
1/2 cup applesauce - 70
1 cup green lettuce -10
2 cups cabbage mix - 34
2 tbsp asian dressing 50

Total: 1488

**********

Tuesday: 
Breakfast:
-1/2 cup cooked oats (85)
- 2 handfuls cabbage (34)
- Easy over egg (80)
seasoning. Mix all of that together and eat hot.

Tea

3 Lindt Truffles (230)

Dinner: Tex Mex Quinoa Dippers
1.5 cups quinoa dip (375)
10 chips (130)

Dessert:
2 Star bars (230)
3 pieces Sister Sims bread (500)

Total: 1603

********
Wednesday: 
- 6 jolly ranchers (140)
- Tea with caramel (20)
- 2 cups romaine (20)
- 4 cups cabbage (68)
- 2 Tbsp dressing (50)
- 2 oz chicken (50)

-1/2 bag Ryan's beef jerky (105)
- 1 cookie (150
1 cookie (150)

Dinner: Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole (125 cal per 1/2 cup)
-3/4 cup casserole (125+62+10)
- 1 strawberry (8)
-1 romaine (10), 1 cup cabbage (17)

Dessert:
Captain Stinky Crunch (280 pointless calories)
1/2 cup ice cream (180)

Total: 1385
***********
Thursday: 
- 1 cup cooked oats (170)
- 1/2 apple (40)

- Dinner: chicken Scallion and Carrot Rice
- I don't know how much rice, but it added up to 436 calories
- I don't know how much chicken, but it added up to 330 calories
- romaine (10)
- 1 cabbage mix (17)
-1 banana (80)
- 1 tsp PB (32)

Dessert:
1/2 bag goldfish (stupid!): 420
- 1 cupcake (200)
3 jolly ranchers (70)

Total: 1905
*********
Friday:

1 pancake (80)
1 egg (80)
1 cabbage (17)
1/2 bagel (125)

Dinner: Refried beans and cheese burritos
-I had 2 normal sized tortillas (10"): (300)
- 1/2 cup beans (120)
- Shredded cheese - not sure how much but it totaled 157 calories

Dessert:
- 1 pc bread (60)
1 Tbsp PB (95)
- 5 now and laters (85)
6 jawbreakers (180)
3 starbursts (60)

Total: 1359

*********

Saturday - we went to Backbone state park. Fun!
10 Ritz - 160
1 granola bar - 140
Tea
1 graham cracker - 65

Homemade Chicken nuggets and french fries and fry sauce and ketchup.
2 ghirardelli squares - 120

*********
Sunday

3 waffle squares with syrup and whip cream
3 cups popcorn
1 taco meat burrito with avocado and cheese and sunflower seeds - 160 taco meat,
4 starbursts 80

Cabbage Mix Recipe

This makes a total of 22 cups and 370 calories. 17 calories per cup. 1 cup is roughly a large handful of mine.

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped(154)

2 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), diced (62)

2 jalepenos (8) - seed and dice these

2 large carrots, diced (82)

7 radishes, chopped (7)

6 Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped (35)

4 Green onions, chopped (20)

Cilantro, 1/2 cup (2), rough chop

Total: 22 cups, 370 calories, 17 cal/cup. I try to keep a bowl of this in the fridge the whole week. 

When I eat this for lunch or dinner, I usually have green or some sort of lettuce with this. I do a 1:2 ratio, 1 green salad to 2 cabbage mix. Then use some sort of low-calorie vinaigrette. 

*Can add:

broccoli

cauliflower (if you're into that...I am not)

purple cabbage (a tiny bit bitter in my opinion, but still very good)

Sprouts

Cucumber
Grape tomatoes 

I don't like celery added into this mix, but to each their own.
When I do an over-easy egg, I heat the pan, spray nonstick spray, sprinkle some sort of spice flavoring or salt down, crack the egg into the pan. Then I add a handful of cabbage to the top of the egg and sprinkle on more spices. Then I flip the whole thing over and finish cooking. This tastes SO good over an english muffin, steel cut oats, potatoes, or just on its own. 

Week 1 (but really, week 3)

This is week one of me recording meticulously everything I ate. I have been "trying" to lose weight for more than 6 weeks, and really, more than 6 months. But this is the first time I am breaking down and writing it all out. I did this when I was in the last 10 pounds the last time I was trying to lose this weight - it was the only thing I hadn't tried and guess what, it worked.

Monday - I didn't weigh myself or write anything down that day because I knew I would be heavier. But this is the day I finally recommitted to writing stuff down and trying to get between a 1000-1500 calorie day (9100 calories in one week). Some days are more successful than others.

Tuesday - 134.0

Breakfast:

Tea

2 fried eggs (160) 

1 cup cabbage mix (17 calories)

1/2 cup black beans (110)

Snack: 

1/4 cup dry oatmeal (75) 

10 grapes (20)

Banana with 1/2 tbsp PB (80 + 50)

Dinner:

Tami's Rice Stuff. I think I had half the bowl and did not measure how much this initially made. But the total batch with 1.5 c uncooked rice (1012), canned pinto beans (200), black beans (400), 1/4 c canola oil (480) + .5 lb chicken (500 = 2500 cals, so I guessed I ate (1250 total)

Snack:

8 cups popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped = 8 cups popped = 880 calories) + 1 bag microwave popcorn (500 for 10 cups). This is a total of 25 cups, and 1380 calories. I ate 8 cups of it, which was (460 calories total). 

Total: 2000. This day was pretty much over as soon as I ate so much rice. But I made it worse by adding a bagged microwave popcorn to our regular popcorn. I also ate the popcorn more out of habit than hunger.

***********

Wednesday

Lunch: 

2 cups green lettuce (10

4 cups cabbage mix (68)

2 Tbsp Asian drsg (45)

1/4 cup dry steel cut oats (170) that I then cooked up 

1 over-easy egg on the oats (80)

1 cup cabbage mix on oats (17)

Dinner: 

1/2 an egg muffin cup (30)

1/4 egg muffin cup (15)

2 cups tortellini soup (410 cals)

2 cups cabbage mix mixed into soup, yum (34)

3 Ritz Crackers (48)

Treat: 

2 Bomb Pops (80)

Total: 1007. If you average out today and the last day, I'm at 1500, which is good. 

*********

Thursday: 132.2

Steel cut oats (1/4 cup cooked, this was not enough. I overcooked it and it got dried out) (170)

1 over-easy egg on oats (80)

1 cup cabbage mix on oats (17)

Dinner: 

2 cups green lettuce (10)

4 cups cabbage mix (68)

3/4 cup leftover of Engine 1 burrito mixture (??)

3/4 cup leftover Tami's beans and rice (??)

1 cup total of Bush's baked beans (300)

Dessert: I didn't have anything except tea and that was really, really hard not to eat something.

Total: let's say 1262 total calories today. 662 known, and I'd guess Tami's beans and rice and the burrito mixture totaled up to another 5-600 calories. 

*********

Friday: 131.4 

Tea

Breakfast (ate at 11)

Steel Cut oats (1/4 cup cooked) (170)

1 strawberry (8)

1/4 cup almond milk (8)

Little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar

1 over-easy egg (80)

1 handful cabbage mix (17)

2 tbsp cottage cheese (25)

Lunch:

2 cups green salad (10

4 cups cabbage mix (68)

2 Tbsp Asian dressing (45)

5 pretzels 

1 Ritz

1-1/4 cup Special K cereal dry (140)

Dinner: 

3 pieces of gross Jack's frozen pizza (310)

1 cup almond milk with 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup to make choc milk (30 + 90)

1/3 cup Special K (35)

1 Ritz (12)

Dessert (I was dying for chocolate or anything.)

1 cup neopolitan ice cream (210)

1/2 bag of Fun-size peanut M and Ms (shared other half with kids) (45)

3 starburst (60)

Tea

Total: 1364

*******

Saturday
Tea
Breakfast:
1/3 cup dry steel cut oats then cooked (170 + 85 = 255)
1 granny smith apple (80)

Snack:
Star Bar (110)

Dinner:
1.5 cups quinoa tex mex (413)
10 chips (130)

Desserts:
Star Bar (110)
4 pieces of Susan's bread...like 4-(500) calories. Dumb dumb dumb.

Total: 1598

********
Sunday - Mother's Day
Breakfast:
Baked Blueberry French Toast, 3 pieces (290 per piece = 870)
1 Banana (80)
1/4 granny smith apple (20)

Dinner:
2 cups romaine (10)
5 cups cabbage mix (85)
2 oz chicken (50)

Snack: 1 cup popcorn (40)
1 chocolate chip cookie (156)
1 chocolate chip cooke (156)
1/4 cup coconut chocolate bites (160)

Total: 1627

Things about weight loss.

Things I know about weight loss:

1.  I will lose weight more quickly, more steadily, and less painfully if I record my numbers. I have tried for the last 6 months to lose weight, but I do well for 1-2 weeks (sometimes 1-2 days), and then I lose one or two pounds, and decide I can back off. Or, it gets hard or I get very hungry and I just eat. If I record things, results will happen, and less drawn-out and painfully. It really is crap to try hard for 1-2 weeks and go through all the pain of starting to try to change habits/eat less, and then kill it with 2-3 overeating days.

2. My weight gain/loss is 95% correlated to how much I bake, and even more so, how much of the baked goods (especially the batter/dough) I eat. If I allow myself "just a little taste" or "oh but that would taste so so good," it will be minimum 2 cookies/mini-muffins later, and maximum 8 or 9. Best to just tell myself DON'T EVEN HAVE A TASTE, NOT EVEN TO LICK THE BATTER OR MY FINGER. I do bake several times a week for the kids right now, but I don't let myself taste it, and, I try to do it when I'm not very hungry (i.e., DON'T bake from 2-6 pm).

3. Lunch is never enough. Period. 

4. Try eating something shortly before dinner (that isn't crackers or crap food...maybe an apple or a banana). It helps me not come to the table famished.

5. After-dinner hours can be very tough. Chewing gum is helpful, having someone to check in with is helpful (for me it's Ryan), and sometimes, sometimes just going to bed is helpful, sometimes just giving in a little to that temptation to eat some crap food is helpful. 

6. It's OK to say to myself, "This doesn't fit into my food plans for today, even though it looks great." I am in charge, not my cravings or "wow that looks sooo good" or "I love cake batter and cookie dough so very much, I'll just have some" cravings.

7. Record every day.
- Calories taken in.
- Calories/servings per meal.
- What the meal/parts were.
- Can even do fat/protein/carb breakdown (should be 25/15/60% of total calories, with less than 10% of all fat coming from saturated fat)
- Record weight every day that I weigh myself (which is on workout days, after I have showered, and as long as I haven't eaten before I weigh myself).

8. Find BMR. Mine currently is 1367. If I don't eat over 1300 each day, and I work out 4x/week and burn about 300 calories (1200 calories total), it will take me apps. 3 weeks to lose 1 pound)

And so, here begins my recording. I think I'll try doing this a week at a time.