Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What I Ate: September 29, 2010

  • Butterscotch-cinnamon protein frosty. This was great. I replaced my normal Special Dark cocoa with a little SF/FF butterscotch pudding mix and used Inspire cinnamon cappuccino protein with an extra dash of cinnamon. Very tasty (for a non-chocolate shake)
  • About 2 T half and half in Sbux decaf
  • About 1 oz. (or a tiny bit more) of roasted unsalted cashews. I'm ready for these to be gone so I can get back to my raw cashews.
  • 2 T half and half in hot chai tea
  • 1/2 chocolate Oh Yeah! split between 2 instant decaf coffees (this was made with VIA, so a little pricey. I'm going back to the storebought instant coffee for these!)
  • About 2.5 oz. roasted cashews (the rest of them)
  • About 3 oz. raw cashews
  • Pistachio-chocolate protein frosty

That's right. All I had to eat today is (too many) nuts, half and half, and protein shakes. And I was completely satisfied.

Exercise was 45 minutes on the elliptical in the morning and 75 minutes of all-levels yoga at Quiet Mind Yoga in the evening. The yoga class was very different from what I'm used to, but in a positive way. There was more pranayama (breathing) and fewer asanas (poses), and some of the asanas were self-directed. The instructor, Daniel, was awesome but was just way out there from anything I'd ever experienced. There was less emphasis on alignment and more on breathing and "getting yourself out of yourself," as he put it.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What I Ate: September 28, 2010

I overslept this morning, but other than that, I feel like I'm beginning to formulate a routine that will make sense. I intended to get up at 5, but didn't roll out of bed until 6:30! I actually think it will be fine if I wake up at 5:30 or 5:45; I should still have an hour of cardio that way.
  • Cinnamon cappucino protein frosty (well, more like a slushie - Inspire cinnamon cappucino tastes great but isn't thick enough to create a real frosty base without SF/FF pudding mix)
  • About 3 T half and half in decaf coffees
  • About 1 oz. almonds and 1 oz. cashews
  • Another ounce of cashews
  • 1 small roasted delicata squash seasoned simply with salt and herbs de provence
  • Pistachio-chocolate protein frosty

It was a vegetarian day! Not even on purpose; I am just ambivalent about meat most days.

Exercise today was 33 minutes on the elliptical and a 75-minute beginner yoga class at Quiet Mind Yoga in Columbia Heights. The class was decent. It's no City Yoga, but I liked it better than some random classes I've attended in other places. The class was a little slow-paced for my tastes, but that was expected because it was a beginner class. I deliberately chose a beginner class so I could get a better sense of what the studio was about at its most basic level. The jury is still out; there are lots of other classes to try with my nifty 2 weeks of unlimited yoga for a meager $20. And there are other studios I want to try, including an Anusara studio in Takoma Park/Silver Spring. But so far, thumbs up on Quiet Mind.

Monday, September 27, 2010

What I Ate: September 27, 2010

Yay! My new DC life has begun. I started a new job today, and I'm finally working back toward establishing a routine. I've activated my new gym membership and plan to start using it in the morning. For the past three weeks or so, I've been traveling in Detroit, I celebrated my birthday with *hiking,* yoga, and *fishing* and I managed to be both impressively ON the wagon (getting back down to my very lowest weight) and egregiously OFF the wagon (in lieu of a birthday cake, I ate the carbiest of carbs - graham crackers, peanut butter, and chocolate chips, plus goat milk chocolate peanut butter fudge from Split Creek Farm. The scale, understandably, didn't like that much.)

Anyway, this is what I ate today:
  • Chocolate cappucino protein frosty
  • A total of 2.5 oz. raw almonds, spread over 3 servings
  • A total of approximately 5 tbsp. half and half in 2 Sbux decaf coffees
  • 1 Texas BBQ flavored Primal Strip (vegan seitan jerky)
  • 1/2 sundried tomato Flatout Light, 2 slices of Hormel Natural Choice deli turkey, and about 1 tsp. mustard; 1/2 roasted organic delicata squash
  • Chocolate pistachio protein frosty
I've had a few good meals since I've been away - here are some of my creations:

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What I Ate: September 8, 2010

  • Rich chocolate protein frosty
  • 1 scrambled Wil-Moore farm egg over a protein waffle. I tweaked my waffle recipe down and it was a huge improvement! The waffle was delicious and didn't make a mess all over the counter. I added a little So Delicious coconut half and half to the egg and topped the waffle with sugar-free Mrs. Butterworth's syrup and a teensy smidge of butter.
  • Mocha protein frosty
  • 2 protein waffles made in my new way with a little butter, SF syrup, and SF Reddi Whip
  • A little more SF Reddi Whip
  • An ungodly amount of seared and roasted wild boar tenderloin with peach gastrique over onions sauteed in the boar jus and thyme-roasted diced butternut squash. My uncle hunts wild boar and gave me this tenderloin for free! This was my first time having wild boar tenderloin. Even though wild boar is technically pork, it looks and tastes much different from regular pork. First off, it's red meat, not white meat. Second, it has this gamey/barnyard flavor that I can't decide whether I enjoy or not. The gastrique was a great call because the acidity played well with the gamey flavor of the meat. Yet, unlike regular pork tenderloin, the wild boar didn't match up so well with the sweetness of the peach. I have another boar loin at my mom's house. I will make that one completely savory; maybe hit it with some smoke and spice.

What I Ate: September 7, 2010

Last day of work meant celebratory meals with boss/coworkers (lunch) and friends (dinner). With the exception of some sweet potato fries at lunch, yesterday was a very protein/fat-forward day considering what could have happened.

The scale showed a more favorable number this morning, the morning after, too: 177.6. That's not back at my lowest, but it's back in what I'd started to consider my "safe zone" of 176-178.
  • 4 oz. Oh Yeah! vanilla creme protein drink in a decaf coffee
  • Goodbye lunch at 300 Senate: Most of the patty, pimento cheese, and about half the bacon from the "300 burger" (pimento cheese burger) and . . . several sweet potato fries. I tried to choose only the crispiest and most pouchworthy fries; left the rest. They were delicious. I wish I could get my oven sweet potato fries crispier like these!
  • 3 oz. Oh Yeah! vanilla creme protein drink in a decaf coffee
  • 2 strips turkey bacon with a couple ounces Whole Foods fat-free mozzarella
  • Goodbye dinner at California Dreaming: Most of a grilled salmon filet dipped in a little salad dressing (honey mustard and hot bacon/onion vinaigrette). The salad came with a roll, a HUGE pile of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and hearts of palm. I ate a couple of the hearts of palm and a bite or two of tomato with the salmon.
  • Rich chocolate protein frosty
  • The last 1/2 oz. of Whole Foods fat-free mozzarella

I wanted to get in my last Fit Room time at the office, so I hit the elliptical for about 35 minutes. Time was tight being the last day, but I felt like saying goodbye to my Columbia gym!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

What I Ate: September 4-6, 2010

DISCLAIMER: I didn't eat so wonderfully the last three days. I'm struggling to stay on plan right now, and eager to go ahead and move and get back into a solid food and exercise routine. When I post what I ate, I'm not saying this is what YOU should eat, nor am I asking for advice. I don't need to hear, "Lay off the carbs!" because I already know I should lay off them. And, if the scale continues to creep up, this time I will know why. I was tempted to keep these days to myself, or perhaps to be less than honest about them. But that wouldn't do me much good. The key to success, ultimately, is going to be staying honest with myself about my behaviors.

So I'm posting these days, acknowledging that they are not ideal post-RNY days whatsoever, and fighting, one moment at a time, to make better decisions.

Saturday, September 4

  • Mocha protein frosty
  • Asparagus and candied turkey bacon with poached egg, preserved lemon syrup, and smoked sea salt. This was my post-yoga brunch and came in at or just below 100 calories.
  • 1/2 vanilla Oh Yeah! in Starbucks decaf coffee
  • 1 large peach and 24 butter toffee almonds
  • The last of my goat stew, and about 2 tbsp. Ruth's pimento cheese (yuck! definitely NOT as good as I remembered it pre-op. It was neon orange and appeared to have little real cheese in it. Pimento cheese must be homemade/housemade.)
  • Another mocha protein frosty
  • Evil middle of the night eats, not all at the same time or I would have popped right open: 1 large peach, a handful of honey nut Cheerios, a handful of Fiber One cereal, and a chocolate-oat Fiber One bar. ARGH - something about visiting the family makes me want to night-eat carbs. I'm working on this, but it will always be a battle and a process.
Sunday, September 5
  • Mounds-inspired protein frosty (chocolate coconut) - I added my stepdad's coconut flavoring that he uses for baking to my regular chocolate frosty recipe. It was so delicious!
    Chicken-black bean burger patty, about 2 oz. butter toffee almonds, and 8 pretzel M&Ms (ARGH! I wanted to taste them, but I was supposed to eat three - not eight!)
  • 1/2 vanilla creme Oh Yeah! in decaf coffees
  • 2 mini Ellie Krieger Crisp Crab Cakes (I love her recipe. I had these frozen uncooked, so I just heated them up in a skillet after church); 1/2 baked sweet potato flavored with cinnamon, lemon, vanilla, and hint of salt; 1 slice Hormel 2% sharp "cheddar" processed cheese (I ate this while I waited for the crabcakes to heat. I was starving. Church was way too long.)
  • About 1 tbsp. fat-free half and half in a sugar-free chai tea - yum!
  • Mocha protein frosty
  • And here's where I fell off the wagon again. Those cursed late nights: A handful of pecans, which made my stomach hurt (pecans often sit weird for me), so I dulled the pain with a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios. Again - argh!
Monday, September 6
  • Another Mounds-inspired protein frosty
  • More butter toffee almonds
  • Roast chicken
  • 1/3 hamburger, a tiny bit of chili, 1/2 slice 2% cheese, 1/2 pork chop, a couple bites hot dog, one bite bratwurst, and about 1/3 cup banana pudding ice cream. We had a mini cookout, and I saved all my carb intake for the ice cream.
  • More roast chicken and more banana pudding ice cream
  • A huge hamburger (just the patty) and the last few butter toffee almonds (less than 1/2 oz.)
  • Several tbsp. fat-free half and half in sugar-free chai teas and decaf coffees over the course of the day, particularly while playing Uno and Monopoly with the fam :)
On Saturday, I went to a 75-minute hot yoga class with a new instructor, Jenny, at City Yoga. On Sunday, I did nothing - was in church most of the day. On Monday morning, I walked 3 miles at AnMed track - not awesome, but better than nothing!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

A Snippet of What I Ate: September 4, 2010

Post-yoga brunch: Lightly steamed asparagus, "candied" crispy turkey bacon, and poached egg topped with preserved lemon syrup/zest and crunchy smoked salt.

Friday, September 3, 2010

What I Ate: September 3, 2010

Yikes! This morning, the scale said I weigh a whopping 179.2 pounds. Not okay! I'm fine with anything below 178. I ate way too much last night, and even overate my pouch (ouch - that definitely needs to stop) AND I ate very late. Like, I was still eating at 2 AM, after eating very little in the early part of the day. My #1 challenge is avoiding compulsive eating by listening to what my body wants. My body did NOT want all the random food I ate last night. Today was a massive improvement.
  • Choco-nana protein frosty: 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 scoop Nectar vanilla bean torte protein, 1 T Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, 1 tsp. butterscotch SF/FF pudding mix, lotsa ice.
  • Mocha protein frosty: 1/2 scoop Nectar cappuccino protein powder, 1/2 cup FF cottage cheese, 1/2 cup water, 1 T chocolate SF/FF pudding mix, Special Dark cocoa, a squirt of SF Reddi Whip
  • Approximately 2 oz. raw cashews from Fresh Market
  • Stewed goat with curry flavors, tomato, onion, garlic, bell pepper, collards, eggplant, and butternut squash, topped with an over-medium egg. I am LOVING this stew.


  • Another mocha protein frosty, made differently than the last one: 1/2 scoop Isopure dutch chocolate protein, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, a heaping spoonful of instant decaf coffee granules, water, both butterscotch and chocolate SF/FF pudding mix, a squirt of SF Reddi-whip

What I Ate: September 2, 2010

  • Vanilla latte protein frosty
  • 1.5 oz. raw cashews
  • 1 Muscle Milk Light vanilla in decaf coffees, some instant and 1 at Starbucks
  • A handful of Nut Harvest fruit and nut mix, with heavy focus on the nuts and just a couple of the raisins and dried cranberries
  • Fat-free cheddar protein waffle with asparagus and a sauteed egg over well (no more runny yolks until this salmonella scare is closer to being resolved, sadly. I buy organic eggs most of the time, but there's still a risk.)
  • Banana cream protein frosty
  • Tastes and a serving of my curried goat stew, which I made with organic goat shanks from Wil-Moore Farms in Lugoff, SC. The stew has goat, tomato, onion, collards, bell peppers, and butternut squash chunks which are leftover and which replace the potato that is traditionally in curried goat. Instead of using a chicken broth base, I actually made a goat stock using the shank bones.
  • Fresh mozzarella (naturally carb-free!) with balsamic vinegar, basil, and a little Roma tomato

Exercise was 51 minutes on the elliptical.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

What I Ate: September 1, 2010

Yay! It's September, my favorite month. I love the transition from summer to fall. A time of new beginnings. And a time of my birthday :-)
  • Mocha protein frosty with 1/2 scoop chocolate Isopure, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese, a little SF/FF chocolate pudding mix, and 1/2 sleeve Starbucks VIA (instant coffee)
  • 2 T half and half in a Starbucks venti decaf coffee
  • A handful of nut and dried fruit mix. I was very careful to focus on the nuts and to only have a tiny bit of the raisins and dried cranberries. Sugar, for me = massive weight gain. Even -- especially -- fructose (fruit sugar)!
  • Vanilla latte protein frosty
  • A teensy bit of Marble Slab ice cream. I was walking past the store and got the tiny spoon samples of Nutter Butter and Peanut Butter. I was curious what the difference in flavor was. The Nutter Butter has a stronger peanutty flavor compared to the
  • About 12 oz. of a 14 oz. container of Muscle Milk Light, 4 oz. in
  • Protein waffle mania continued (which y'all don't even know about, because I haven't talked about my obsession with protein waffles on here): Turkey bacon & fat-free cheddar waffle with an over-well egg and Mrs. Butterworth's sugar-free syrup. Followed up with some raw cashews.
  • Chocolate protein frosty with 1/2 scoop Isopure, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, SF/FF pudding mix, AND a couple T sugar-free Reddi Whip. The Reddi Whip wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I'll give it a few more tries.
  • Butternut squash oven "fries" with rosemary, salt, and pepper. I was just trying to see if the fries would work, and the plan was to have them for lunch the next day. Yeah, they were mush. Tasty mush, but mush.
For exercise, I went to Sunrise Flow at City Yoga SC this morning. It was awesome! We worked on hanumanasana, which looks like this:


Obviously, mine didn't quite resemble that . . . lol. But trying it was fun anyway.