I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

SO in the spirit of the new year, I am joining in with a group of friends for the competition outlined at the Six Sister's Blog:

www.sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

I am not planning on following the bean diet as religiously as before, but I would like to accomplish a few things.

Last night at my first weigh in I was tipping the scales at 138. Yikes! Before Christmas I was 132, so I guess I got a bit TOO lazy over the holidays. While I am not really in it for weight or inches lost, I would really like to motivate myself to get back in the gym regularly, as well as to lay off the Coke which crept back in over Christmas.

In the interest of motivation, I will hopefully get back to semi-regular posts here, as they did a wonderful job of keeping my going the first time around! My overall goal weight wise is fairly inconsequential, but I would like to get myself into a size 4 during the next 8 weeks. I am hovering between a 4 and 6 right now, and just a few pounds, or tightening up what remains at the gym, should do the trick. Wish me luck!

And best of luck to my competition as well. Let the games begin!!!

The Challenge to Weight Loss

So now that I am down to a trim 143.5, I am finding one overwhelming challenge that I didn't really consider prior to starting this whole weight loss plan. Clothing. On August 1st I was solidly filling out a size 10. By August 28th an 8 was pretty comfortable. Now, on September 11th, I find that some of my 8's (like my almost new GAP dress pants in grey AND black) literally fall off of me if I put them on, and some 8's (like my New York and Company black pants) are still a squeeze. I can get them on, but I need a larger top to cover the bulges....and I KNOW you know what I mean!! :) More complicated still, I have 2 pairs of pants in a 6 that fit fairly well now.

The challenge? Finding things to wear when I don't want to spend much money on things that are larger than I will end up. How do you handle these "in between" stages???

Chickpea Flour

One of my favorite fall treats has got to be pumpkin bread....make that bread, cake, bars, muffins, coffee....really anything. This is a really hard one to let go of this year. I have searched high and low for recipes that I can adapt to "sort of" meet my restrictions, and it is next to impossible. I did purchase Karen Hurd's Book "The Bean Queen's Cookbook" which included a recipe for pumpkin muffins using chickpea flour, and they. were. TERRIBLE! Total waste of the $12 it cost to buy the chickpea flour and xanthan gum.

This failure makes me feel very apprehensive about trying the yeast bread with chickpea flour. Any suggestions you may have on recipes that could be adapted to keep one of my favorite fall treats on the radar would be most appreciated!!

Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

Update- Week 4

It has been a while! Between my first week or so back to work, and the start of K4 for Addison, we have been wrapped up in a whirlwind of a week! I have a few meal ideas to share before the big reveal. First up, thanks to a comment on Facebook by Rachel over at Rachel's Ramblings, I decided to give pizza a try this week using a portobello mushroom cap as the crust. It was DELICIOUS!!! We flipped the cap upside down and scooped out the stem, spread on some sauce, cheese, and a little italian sausage, and grilled. AMAZING! Even if you are not into going no carb, it was fabulous. I highly recommend it!

I also tried BOCA black bean burgers this week. Another surprisingly good filler! I have never thought that I would be a fan of such a thing, but even out of the microwave it was tasty! (And I am VERY picky, so this says a lot!!)

I spoke with my nutritionist last night, and she is VERY pleased with my progress. I did have some questions about breakfast ideas, and she offered a few good ones. Feel free to comment if you have any suggestions on ways to have breakfast on the run, without carbs, but with beans. That's a head scratcher for sure!!

My numbers for this week????

145.6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now down 14.4 pounds from day one. Yay me!! The biggest success? Not the number on the scale, but the number in my pants. I wore a pair of size 6 khakis that I bought in August of 2007, and haven't work since September of 2007. Not only did they fit, but they were comfy! Now I remember why I bought them in 3 different colors....

Week Two....and Three!!

Ok. It has been a bit! This was my first week back in school, which left me with a few challenges. First, time. Isn't time ever elusive??? Second, how to maintain this diet while working, without going crazy???

Here's what I have been doing. Breakfast was the biggest challenge, but thanks to my ever creative husband, we came up with an idea. We whisked a few eggs, black beans, ham, green peppers, and mushrooms together, divided the mixture between a few muffin tins, and baked at 375* for 30 minutes. Voila! Mini quiches that fit the bill! Topped with a bit of salsa, they were delicious!

Lunch has primarily consisted of canned black bean or lentil soup (Wolfgang Puck has one of each that are amazing!), or a salad with beans sprinkled on. Nothing new or overly creative to report for dinners this last week or so, but this week's challenge is to try chickpea flour yeast bread. Could be a HUGE lifesaver if it is palatable!

The stats?

Well......

Day 1: 160 lbs
Today: 150.2 lbs

Almost below 150!! Yay me!!!!

And that is with the Snicker Swirl from Culver's that I "snuck" yesterday......

We're Back!!

Update on the weekend:

In spite of eating out, odd eating schedules, and a myriad of locations for meals, I was able to stick to it! The only exception: I did succumb to a piece of Addison's birthday cake. The results? Wicked headache and nausea. The culprit? Sugar. It had to be. I was FINE up until about 5 minutes post eating, and was fine again once I had a few bottles of water and a delightfully tasty dinner, whose recipe is posted below. Interesting, huh? Apparently sugar really IS bad for you! (Insert obvious shock and awe)



Tuna and White Bean Salad (a delightful side dish, or surprisingly satisfying main course!)

Ingredients

1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (15- to 19-oz) can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (1-lb) seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 lb tomatoes (3 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 (6-oz) cans tuna packed in oil (preferably olive oil), drained

Preparation

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife. Whisk together garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.
Gently toss beans, cucumber, tomatoes, and parsley with half of dressing. Transfer to a platter or bowl and arrange tuna on top, breaking up any large pieces with a fork. Drizzle remaining dressing over tuna.

www.epicurious.com

First Weekend Away

So this weekend we are heading to Rockford to spend some time with my parents and grandparents for Addison's 4th birthday. I am a bit anxious about how I am going to keep this all going while away from the convenience of home. My plan has been to pack a few of the essential items, like beans and nuts, and just rely on eggs and salads, which are usually available anywhere, to get me through. Here's hoping for the best!

No change today in weight loss, but no change = no gain, so that's great! Below is a picture of today's lunch. Greek salad with white beans, and a sprinkle of feta cheese(I know cheese is technically cheating, but how much harm can it do???)



Have a great weekend!