Better THAN Lipo?

I never thought I would hear my self say these words, but I am actually enjoying the process of losing weight. We all love the concept of losing weight and we all love the part where our clothes fit and we like what we see in the mirror. But how often do you find yourself saying, "this is fun restricting my calories and depriving myself of that bag of chips"? I realize depriving may be a strong word, but that's what it feels like when in these situations because it is never fun dieting. If it was, we wouldn't be in this situation!

That being said, I am at 298 pounds. I am, for the first time in nearly four years, under 300 pounds. More importantly, I am 49 pounds lighter than I was a year ago and I am feeling it. What I am not feeling is crazy, deprived, starving, stressed out or mad at myself for having gotten so fat. This is huge, especially that last one. And I wouldn't be able to feel that if I weren't so suddenly confident that I am getting fully in control of my adult food and weight issues.

After a full month of being on the program (and a total loss of 39 pounds in said time), I wanted to share a new recipe that I tried today. It is still a little rough around the edges, so there is room for improvement, but it is definitely close!

Inspired by a Frisee salad I saw in a magazine, I created a mustard dressing inspired by one of my personal favorites, Honey Mustard. Since we obviously can't use honey, I used a dropper of stevia. It is NOT the same, but it definitely works for something new on the palette.

Dressing (in my Cooks 5-In-1 of course):

2 TBL Yellow Mustard
1 Garlic clove
1 dropper of Stevia (I used liquid, but I am sure you could use one packet dry)
Salt
Pepper
2 TBL water (optional depending on your love for mustard and spice)
1 dash cinnamon

I tossed the dressing over shredded lettuce (I am sure it would work great on shredded cabbage or another lettuce of your choice as well including fresh spinach). I then added one serving of egg white on top. Now let me share with you my trick that I finally came up with for cooking good egg whites in the absence of a shell or oil.


I take a small ramekin and place it on my scale and pour in exactly 100grams of egg whites (I found brands of egg whites at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods that have no fillers in them. Be sure and check the ingredients on the egg whites if you decide not to crack them yourself). Then in a small pot, I add about 3/4 of an inch of water (make sure it is well below the lip of your ramekin so that it doesn't boil into the ramekin once it gets cooking (another mistake learned)). I then put on the lid and leave them on the stove over a medium flame until the egg whites are cooked all the way through (it does take 10 to 15 minutes since you want to slow cook them, very different than frying an egg).


I am happy to say I have perfected them this way and they are a good protein that really sticks with you for the afternoon. And over the mustard salad... perfection! Let me know if you try it and if you make any changes!

Today is my official Day 20. If you thought I was being creative on the first week with my limited vegetable options, imagine how I am feeling today!

To avoid another afternoon of spinach or cucumbers, I decided to give kale a try. There was a great kale salad I made right before I started the program (what, you thought I didn't eat healthy before I started? No, I ate healthy. I also ate fried foods and sauces and cheeses. I ate EVERYTHING!). The salad I had made before was inspired by one my vegetarian friend and chef had suggested and another I had enjoyed from the deli of Whole Foods.

photo courtesy

It was simple. I kept the kale raw and marinated it in some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and tossed it with some fresh chopped *apples and a small bag of tropical dried fruit. Because kale is such a sturdy leaf, it doesn't wilt like lettuce, which typically doesn't keep beyond its initial serving once it's been tossed. But with Kale, I tossed it and stuck it in a large zip lock bag, which after about 2 days was perfect and only got better FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. So once you find yourself reunited with olive oil and dried fruit, I suggest giving that one a try. The sweet from the fruit cuts the slight bitterness of the kale and you'll feel good knowing you are getting its full nutrients (which they say is one of the best leafy greens for you).

That being said, I decided to come up with something kale related while on BTL and I'm ready to share my first experience.

For starters, I steamed the kale this time (although I am thinking next time I may try the marinated version. Just like with spinach, I think I prefer the raw crunch to the soggy steamed). While the kale was steaming, I got out my Cooks 5-in-1 (the more common version is the Magic Bullet and I will say magic is right, this thing has saved me on this program) and threw in the ingredients from Teri's BTL Salad Dressing:

The juice of one lemon
A splash of red wine vinegar
A splash of water
Sea Salt

and then because I had it, I threw in some fresh basil leaves and 2 stevia packets (similar in size to a Sweet N Low packet). Then I whipped it till it was frothy. Drained the leaves (even though they were steamed and not boiled, the leaves collected a lot of water). Once drained, I tossed it in the dressing.

This is one incredibly hardy vegetable! For those still looking to satisfy your oral cravings, imagine being lead out to the field and spending the afternoon chewing grass. That might not sound quite as appealing as I had intended, but imagine for a moment you're a horse. Now doesn't that grass thing seem appealing?

The stems remind me of chewing on a broccoli spear, the texture has a crisp chewiness (not in a bad way, but more of a really put your mouth to work way, which that first week of BTL would've been great!) and refreshingly fragrant thanks to all of the basil.

I will say, you won't need that much, but if you are still breaking through the psychology of "I only get this one meal, so I am going to stuff it with as much as possible", then make a whole pot. But believe me, you will find it quite satisfying. And because of the many flavor sensations (the tart lemon, the sweetness, the nuttiness of the "broccoli") and the chewing, I'd be surprised if you didn't agree, that this is one "satisfying" vegetable.



*if you are wondering, the apple keeps from browning thanks to the lemon juice!

Did anyone else watch tonight's Community? I love that show. I really do. But tonight, I think I'd have rather sat through a video watching someone fish.

The entire episode revolved around the power of chicken fingers. If there wasn't video of them eating chicken fingers, they were packing them up, passing them around or talking about them. My Achilles heel in food is not chocolate or desserts, like most people suffer. Mine is salty, crispy fried yumminess that you can dip in a sauce.

Tonight, while watching TV, I almost ate the couch. Fearful that my temptation might win and a cheat seemed inevitable, I reached deep into the cobwebs of my mind and got creative. Isn't there some quote about finding greatness in your darkest hour? Well that is what I did tonight.

I ran to the kitchen and got out my handy and loyal Cooks 5-in-1 (I really wish it had a better name) and filled it with ice, a packet of stevia and a half of a lemon (I just peeled it and threw it in. No need to waste time squeezing it).

Within about 90 seconds, I was eating a refreshing lemon icee. Guilt free. Craving killing. It almost felt like a treat and a reward.

The 30 minutes that show was on tonight, has been, without question, my hardest 30 minutes since starting this program!

Last Sunday, I took my shopping list to Whole Foods with me. Out of context of the meal plan (that I hadn't fully wrapped my mind around yet), I bought a radish and celery bunches. By Monday, as I was wrapping my mind around the meal plan (you get to have ONE vegetable at a time for one of your two main meals of the day), it dawned on me that I had no need (more like desire) to "waste" a meal on either of these vegetables (most notably the celery).

But here I am on day four of the restricted plan and already surprising myself at how in control I am already getting with my hunger. If you can imagine (as I am still trying), I made it until 2pm (not consciously) until I realized I hadn't prepared lunch. To make matters worse, I realized that the vegetables I am down to are (you probably guessed it) celery and radishes!

For a brief moment, I began to throw an internal fit. But then I got creative.

In a pot, I added about 2 cups of the Whole Foods 365 Vegetable broth, a few whole garlic cloves (I like the spice and the flavor garlic adds), chopped the entire celery bunch and added a few seasonings (cumin, mustard, sea salt, pepper and a little lemon juice). Once the celery was tender (but not mush because I still wanted some fiber in there), I transfered it to my blender.

Guess who just had a large and SATISFYING bowl of Cream of Celery Soup?

Would it have been better with some actual cream and perhaps a dollop of olive oil on top? Without question. But was it delicious enough to where I actually didn't miss it? Absolutely.

Now if only I can figure out something for those damn radishes...

Today has definitely gone by the easiest.

I am finding staying mentally busy is my best weapon.

Every time I see food or think about a restaurant, I immediately imagine myself devouring not just a nibble, but an entire banquet of whatever my favorite item is (can you say food addiction). Today I drove by a Dorito's delivery truck and imagined myself in an Ally McBeal vignette where I was actually eating the truck in giant bites that crunched like the chips themselves. And yes, I meant the truck itself, not just it's cargo.

The interesting thing is that for every time I have one of these images, I check in with my body and while my stomach is by all means hungry, I also find that it is "fine" and that I'm able to keep moving forward.

The hardest hurdle of the day was actually going to a movie and watching (and listening and smelling) as my friend enjoyed "free popcorn" Wednesday. I knew the movie would be a good idea because it was a guaranteed two hours of not thinking about food. I hadn't considered the concession stand.

However I do know that I felt better for not having had the popcorn than if I had indulged either on or off program, and that in itself is progress.

For dinner I made a sort of cole slaw.

In my Cooks 5-in-1 I blended Garlic, water, red wine vinegar, sea salt, pepper, one pack of Stevia, mustard powder and tossed it over a head of chopped cabbage.

Savory. Crunchy. Strangely satisfying.