Diet

 

So after trying medifast and staying true to the program I lost a whole 11 pds.

Worth 360.00 a month?

Not really

Hubby has lost 67 pds on medifast so we will continue to buy it for him.

We think the problem is that while the medifast meals are 110 calories and low fat they have anywhere from

200 sodium to 460 sodium per meal.

This is to high for my body.

I need about half the daily intake more than that and I gain water weight and then start to have health issues.

Which is why I have switched from medifast to the 100 calorie snack packs on average they have less salt.

Not to mention taste better and have 10 calories less per meal.

I am still following the medifast plan five snacks a day three hours apart with a lean and green meal for dinner.

I have substituted the snack packs as well as yogurt shakes, low fat string cheese am and now using the 

Alli pill with my lean and green meal at night.

I will of course take my multivitamin to make sure I am not losing vitamins.

So I am down 13 pds since I started

I am still under 200 pds 

not by much but below is still better than above.

I am also still losing and still working on getting thiner.

Will keep you updated

Weight loss

In one of my earlier blogs (Nov. 20th) I went through how to diet by only staying between your "magic" numbers.
~~ how many calories a day you can eat and still lose weight~~

I found staying below my set 1600 was easy staying below 100% of my daily salt intake has been the hard part.
At that time I had only been losing about 10 pds a year since my massive gain of weight with my health problems during my first pregnancy and my mother death (in which I gained a ton) I was a size 22 pants and a xxl top.
Less then 2 months later by following my number diet (which is eating less or healthier depending on the day) I am now a size 18 pant and a xl top.
The only exercise I have done as been infrequent and only for toning -to bring in the loose flab.

I have more energy, I feel more awake and I feel so much better about myself its a huge difference! So if you have been putting off losing those extra pounds because you think its going to be too hard I advise this - its easy and it works- if I can lose this much weight during the holiday season then anyone can lose weight by following their numbers.

My husband did not join me on this and in fact he gained 20 pds while I was losing so he is now on my "Magic number" diet and we will see how well he does.
In the main picture I was down to a size 20 I have lost another two inches since then and should continue to lose.

Chicken Fajita Casserole

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Tortillas stand in for noodles in a south of the border lasagna-style casserole.

Prep Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hour 15 min

Makes: 6 servings

1	can (16 oz) Old El Paso® refried beans
1	can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1	package (1 oz) Old El Paso® fajita seasoning mix
1	package (9 oz) frozen cooked Southwest-seasoned chicken breast strips, thawed
8	Old El Paso® flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch; from 10.5-oz package)
1	bag (1 lb) frozen stir-fry bell peppers and onions, thawed, drained
2	cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

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	About Concordance™

1.	Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix refried beans, tomato sauce and fajita seasoning mix. Stir in chicken.
2.	Spread 1/2 cup of the bean mixture over bottom of baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary, in baking dish. Top with half of remaining bean mixture, half of the stir-fry vegetables and 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, bean mixture, stir-fry vegetables and cheese.
3.	Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake covered 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer.

~~~Now for the recipe above the main bad thing in here is the salt so any of the cooking options you can find that have a low salt alternative add it in, the second problem is the cheese however as long as you shred* your own and just watch the rest of your fat for the day you should be able to have this just fine.

* Cheese that comes pre shredded has been coated with a chemical to keep it from turning into a big mushy ball of cheese.

Thanksgiving & Christmas a little healthier

One holiday down and another to go, most people in America either shopped and fought insane amounts of people for "sales" or stayed home to stuffed to move.
For our Thanksgiving we went with a less is more attitude which is cheaper and healthier then the traditional meals.
Roast Turkey - baked in oven bag keeps it moist with out the "extra" sauces and grease poured on top.
Baked broccoli with shredded Parmesan
Baked Sweet Potatoes (whole nothing but maybe a little butter)
home made wheat bread
lettuce salad with healthier toppings

Our lettuce Salad for Thanksgiving was
Romaine lettuce
chopped green onion
chopped fresh broccoli
mandarin oranges
dried cranberries
dried cherries
pecan halves
with homemade Asian dressing

and for dessert sliced Angle food cake (sugar free options available) top with mixed berries and sugar free cool whip.

(the secret to making this a very low sugar is to add in 2 tsp of sugar with the berries the night before you plan to serve this that way the sugar will draw out all the juices from the berries without dumping in cup after cup of sugar plus the juice tastes much better low sugar.)

Walking away from a meal like that does not leave you tired, drowsy or weak. When you drop into a stupor after a huge meal its because of all the fat and calories its not a healthy sign, if you indulge to much you can eat as many as 6,000 calories in just the one meal one slice of pecan pie is 800 calories!! (while its my favorite pie its shelved for the time being)
The fun thing about a Thanksgiving meal like the one above is its more affordable and easier to cook.

I am facing a huge task of trying to lose weight during the holidays however as long as I stay focused and watch what I eat I can eat healthy tasty meals and still lose some pounds.
I encourage all around me to try simplifying their food and lives :).

Little paid attention to food facts

With many menus putting out calorie counts do we really pay attention or do we think that in our "Enlightened" calorie and cholesterol days that they are protecting us, even looking out for us?
That would be were we are wrong, many restaurants are taking advantage of those who don't pay attention.
First find a reliable Calorie Daily Amount for you to set as a daily standard for me these are my "magic numbers"

You need 1847.2 calories per day to reach your goal weight slowly and maintain that weight without exercise.

If you reduce your current caloric intake to 1602.4 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise.

Now that we all feel more informed and empowered with our special new numbers what do they really mean? Well if I were to eat Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

with all these yuckies added in I would not be able to eat the whole burger let alone a drink or fries and that would be the only thing I could eat the whole day.

2,040 calories
150 g fat (53 g saturated)
110 g protein
4,900 mg sodium

for other bad vs good burgers you can see a quick look here although you can't click on any links unless you are a "member" of their magazine. Still a good quick look at how the restaurants take advantage of people many restaurants only post the calorie counts on their "low calorie, low fat menu". Take the Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
1,057 calories
65 g fat

As a big for instance, this is a Turkey burger, swiss cheese over sauted mushrooms and still packs a whopping one thousand calories that would still be almost my daily limit and if I had fries and a drink it would be my daily amount. Talk about eating for a day, and people wonder why they can't shed the pounds or why America is going obese fewer people are eating home cooked meals which are lower in fat and calories and they are eating more and more restaurant food full of these wonderful hidden calories.
So we should find some "Super" foods (for women) beans, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, sweet potatoes ect for every one adding them into our every day with very few extra calories like wads of butter or other sweeteners. Another good thing to think about is how to add fresh healthy foods to part of our every day lives.

However if your idea of eating healthy is grabbing a salad at a fast food restaurant instead of a burger you may still get burned. Again the fast food industry is taking advantage of people not reading the labels or understanding what the numbers mean to them for instance these salads

• Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad: 970 calories.
• Pizzaria Uno's Chicken Waldorf Salad: 920 calories and 62 grams of fat.

They both sound good and look good however they pack a huge punch with some very high numbers. Here are a couple of links to see different salads and how they match up. So how can you be healthy and not leave behind your fast paced life? I suggest you try to eat foods in season, fresh is Great and frozen is still a good option. Get a couple of easy healthy recipe books and try making food a day ahead. Find something that works for you and your life style, staying informed on every little detail can be very hard which is why many choose diets as its easier to follow a set list then try to navigate their way through all the hidden calorie traps.

For me I try to stay with local grown food in the right season, this is not easy with our markets today but as a stay at home mama who cooks it is easier for me then the on the go mom. However no matter the pace of your life if you add 10 minutes a day and 1 hour extra shopping a week you can change your diet eating healthier with out sacrificing the taste.