Simple Start Week 1: Lost 7 Pounds!!!

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Dropped 7.2 pounds this week thanks to Simple Start and a whole lot of water retention.

Dropped 7.2 pounds this week thanks to Simple Start and a lot of water retention.

It turns out that Simple Start is a great way to shake up my diet. I ended my first week on the plan by dropping 7.2 pounds. That puts my total weight loss at 94 pounds!

Oh, I know most of the weight was the water retention from my sore muscles, but I’m still going to celebrate this one. Seven pounds in one week is a lot.

I set a short-term goal of weighing 200 pounds by the end of April. Thanks to today’s loss, I’ve got 31 pounds to go with 15 weeks left.

A pretty sound start to the year!

Simple Start: Week 1 Observations
My worries about going over my daily carb limit were missed placed. Under Simple Start I got to re-introduce certain types of carbs back into the wild my diet.

Light English muffins, shredded wheat, sweet potatoes, rice…these are not typical Dot2Trot fare.

The old me loaded up on that type of food and my waistline ballooned.

The new me combines the right amount of protein, healthy fat and produce with those carbs. I found myself filling up quickly and didn’t feel hungry between meals. Overeating wasn’t a problem. The program is as advertised.

The big bonus — no cravings!  I love me some bread, so I feared the English muffins. My test was to only eat them with the designated meals. I planned to trash the muffins if I even thought about eating them as a snack!  Thankfully those delicious nooks and crannies didn’t pose any danger to me.

During the week I tracked and measured everything I ate. I know you don’t have to with Simple Start, but when I track and measure I lose weight. It took me forever to create those habits and I’m not going to lose them now.

When choosing the menu items for the week I paired everything with my training schedule, especially muscle workouts. Thanks to some strained leg muscles, I only worked out twice and ended up altering my menu towards more lower carb (50g daily) fare.

Simple Start’s flexibility allowed me to cut back on carbs without feeling cheated of great meals or flavors.

Bravo Weight Watchers!

I’m looking forward to trying some of the other dishes on the program. Just not any pasta dishes. I know I am not ready for pasta.

Awesome Jamaican Chicken

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Jamaican chicken makes a delicious and healthy dinner.

Jamaican chicken makes a delicious and healthy dinner.

I’ve been waiting since yesterday for the plumber to swing by and fix our busted water pipes (thanks Polar Vortex). Digging though my recipes I came across this old favorite chicken dish. It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks, Lean and Lovin’ It. The flavor is amazing thanks to the rum!

This dish goes well with quinoa mixed with garlic and a side of Cajun seasoned collard greens. To lower your carbs, skip the grains add roasted peppers with cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Unfortunately for me I only have frozen broccoli and cauliflower.  It will have to do because I want this chicken!

Chicken with Jamaican Jerk Sauce
Net Carbs: 11
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5
Servings: 4

  • Marinade
    • 1-1/3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
    • 2-2/3 tsp. soy sauce, low carb
    • 4 tbsp. Jamaican rum
    • 1-1/3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1/3 C fresh chives, chopped
  • 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  • 2-2/3 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. light brown sugar
  • 1-1/3 white onions, medium, chopped

Directions

  • Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Place chicken breasts in the bowl with the marinade and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Be sure to turn the chicken to coat all sides.
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium and add oil and sugar. Cook until the sugar is almost completely melted. You don’t have to worry about the sugar burning so no need for stirring. Remove chicken from the marinade and place it in the skillet, reserving marinade. Cook on both sides until light brown, about 6 minutes total.
  • Add the marinade and the onion and cook until chicken is cooked through and the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove skillet from heat. Place a breast on each plate, spoon the sauce over each chicken breast and serve.

My 5 Rock’em Sock’em Weight Loss Habits

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I love finding these little notes. Its another way to see how far I've come on my weight loss journey.

I love finding these little notes. It’s another way to see how far I’ve come on my weight loss journey.

Cleaning my home office, I found an old list of food habits I wanted to break. While not as angry as my Why I Want To Lose Weight List, it’s clear I wasn’t in a happy place when I started my journey.

No wonder I was miserable. Drinking 6-8 12-ounce cans of coke a day. Eating out daily for lunch and 3-4 times for dinner. Skipping breakfast. Sitting at a desk all-day and sitting on a couch to watch TV all night.

Yeah, I can see why my attitude was so bad. I was killing myself.

The good news is I broke those habits. The great news is I kicked them to the curb with five awesome food habits:

1. Water…a lot of water – I went cold turkey and just stopped drinking coke. The key for me was carbonated water. I missed the fizz not the caffeine. Fizzy water also made it easier for me to drink enough water each day.  Let’s face it plain old tap water is just so…boring. Now if I really need caffeine, I’ll drink unsweetened ice tea.

Tips to Create Habit:

  • Add lemon, lime or orange slices to your water for flavor.
  • Eat spicy food you’ll reach for the water.
  • Make a point of carrying water with you.
  • Try Waterlogged, an app to help you drink more high quality H2O.

2. Getting Active – I didn’t want my workouts on my “to-do” list. I made working out a priority, scheduling it in my calendar. I wanted exercise to become embedded in my daily routine, like brushing my hair. Now going from couch potato to active didn’t happen over night, although I tried. It took time and persistence. But when I started seeing the results – more energy, flexibility, stamina and weight loss – it got easier.

Tips to Create Habit:

  • Always start slow, like no more than 5 – 10 minutes if you are sedentary. Best way to avoid injury and avoid being discouraged right off the bat.
  • Find the right exercise for you – If you do something you hate you won’t stick with it. I hate aerobics classes. So I tried a spin class and love it. Now I so the class 3-4 times a week.
  • Phone a Friend – A workout buddy is a great way to make sure you keep your workout schedule.

3. Cooking Healthy Meals – When you quit your job to focus on losing weight, you tend to eat at home more often. So I’m always on the hunt for healthy and tasty recipes online or in cookbooks. I always loved cooking so this was easy since I had the time to have fun in the kitchen.

Tips to Create Habit:

  • Remove or hide from sight all unhealthy snacks from pantry, fridge and counters.
  • Keep your counters free from clutter so you have food prep space
  • Prepare food ahead of time!
  • I keep a basket of washed fruit on the counter for grab and go snacks

4. Eat 5 Times A Day – Actually I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks everyday. I have way more energy, fewer cravings, and no blood sugar spikes or crashes. All of my meals are much smaller and I feel satisfied. I make sure I eat a balance of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. And food prep makes all the difference so I can quickly grab something if I’m on the go.

Tips to Create Habit:

  • Prepare food ahead of time…I can’t stress this enough!
  • Make a plan! Writing down the times of day you plan to eat.
  • Create an actual menu so you know what you’re eating and when.
  • If you track, try dividing your calories up between the meals. It’s a good way to remind you to eat.

5. Tracking & Measuring – Before I start cooking, the first things I grab are my measuring cups and spoons, and iPhone.  The cups and spoons to make sure portion control. Just because I’m eating healthy foods doesn’t mean I can eat as much of it as I want.  I use my phone to track. Writing down what I eat when I eat it holds me accountable. For the most part, mindless eating is a thing of the past.

Tips to Create Habit:

  • Find a tool that is right for you – either app or paper
  • Track the food as you eat, don’t wait until later.
  • Create a weekly menu, which will help you with your tracking.
  • Even if you miss a meal, don’t stop tracking. Commit to it and you’ll get the hang of it.

What good food habits are you working on?

Dot’s 6 Ways To Stop Cravings In Their Tracks!

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Battling cravings for your favorite, but unhealthy treats? Check out some of my tried and true ways of kicking those cravings to the curb! Image courtesy of Stuart Miles and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Battling cravings for your favorite, but unhealthy treats? Check out some of my tried and true ways of kicking those cravings to the curb! Image courtesy of Stuart Miles and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The worst part of getting back on track after Christmas is the cravings. It takes about 2-3 days for the carb and sugar cravings to go away. I’ve tried different things, but these six little handy tricks tend to help me keep the cravings at bay.

6. Eat (Almost) Like a Hobbit — Hobbits subsist on breakfast, 2nd breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper.  I’m not advocating 7 meals, but eating more often during the day is a craving killer.  Five times a day is a good goal. I eat every 3-5 hours – breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. If I miss a meal, I go astray.  Easily.

5. Tigers May Hate Cinnamon, But You Shouldn’t — Cinnamon normalizes blood sugar levels and results in reducing cravings for the sweeter things in life.  Cinnamon is your friend if you want to prevent insulin spikes.

4. Find a Distraction – Sometimes the cravings hit because I’m bored. I have a few go to activities — jigsaw puzzles, knitting and walking — that take my mind off of any delicious morsel.

3. Chamomile Tea Is Better Than Bacon (at fighting cravings) — Not only is chamomile great at treating cramps, anxiety and insomnia, but a cup after dinner does the trick in reducing cravings for sweets. I always drink when visiting Starbucks!

2. Flossing Is Fun – I started brushing and flossing my teeth after lunch. Not only does sound dental hygiene keep the dentist at bay, but also it eliminates any desire for sweets or salty foods. I mean, name for me food that pairs well with toothpaste.

1. Make It Count! — If you feel deprived you will binge and not be very happy with yourself after. My philosophy is, if I really want chocolate, then I better not waste my time on some crappy, run of the mill candy bar. Nope. I’d rather splurge on a dark chocolate truffle, but just one.  It’s so rich and decadent I can only handle one, but it’s enough to satisfy the itch.

How do you fight your cravings?

H/T to blogger Leanne Nalani who posted a piece about striking a balance between healthy foods and cravings. I suggested a few tricks I use in the comments and then realized it would make a good expanded post on my blog.

Injured and Bored…A Deadly Combination

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First injury of the year. Hopefully another day of R&R and I can start working out again. Image courtesy of jscreationzs and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

First injury of the year. Hopefully another day of R&R and I can start working out again. Image courtesy of jscreationzs and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

It’s the start of a new year and I’m already injured.  I’ve either torn, pulled or strained some muscles in my leg. Standing is agony, walking stings, stairs are painful, and wearing high heels hurt something fierce.

What Happened?
My set included burpees (of course!), stairs (2 steps at a time) and then jumping jacks. I just started the first round of jumping jacks when I felt a sharp pain along the side of my leg near the knee. I shook my leg out, tried to continue but the pain was too intense and my muscles were tighter than a snare drum.

After checking my leg, my trainer called it a day and recommended some ice, plenty of rest, and a little stretching.

The pain is on the side and back of my right leg. The whole area extends 2 inches above and below my knee. My calf muscle loosened up a bit, but my hamstring is super tight.

I’ve done the Ibuprofen thing and used a heating pad for temporary relief. But now I’m feeling some tightness in the knee, which usually means fluid building up. If I see any swelling I’m breaking out the ice pack.

My leg is such a tease, running hot and cold.

When I’m Bored, I Wanna Eat
It’s only been 24+ hours, and I’m already bouncing off the walls. I don’t do boredom well. I’ve opened and closed the fridge about 10 times today…something I don’t do. When restless and don’t know what to do with myself I tend to snack, and not on very healthy things. It’s an old habit that wants to rear its ugly head.

I decided to distract myself with a trip to Starbucks to chill in a big comfy chair and write. I ordered a Grande Chamomile tea and then I noticed the pastries.  Crap!

Ignoring the tasty goodness rancid pastries, got my tea, sat down and started typing.

It took about 2 hours before the evil pastries started whispering my name.

Sigh…

Time to load up on another Grande Chamomile tea.

What 100 Days At The Gym Can Do For You!

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Just watch and be inspired!

Simple Start: Day 4 Musings

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Simple Start

Day 4 of Simple Start. It works, but not alone. You’ll still need Weight Watchers meetings, app and E-Tools  to break those bad habits and learn how to eat right again.

I had my first real test on the Simple Start program last night. The program succeeded, while I failed (a little).  We went out to dinner last night and I ordered a Cobb salad and stayed on track by replacing the salad dressing with oil and vinegar and requesting no cheese (fat-free not available).

A perfect night…until I ordered the 2nd glass of wine. D’oh!

Under Simple Start, a glass of wine is considered an indulgence and allowed.  My problem was the second glass. In my defense, it was just so tasty!

Other than this bizarre bias against the nectar of the gods, I’m enjoying Simple Start. It is living up to its name. The program takes away the guesswork for you. Just follow the prescribed menus or pick from the power food list.

And yet…that ease of use bugs me. I’m worried that people new to Weight Watchers will see how easy it is and think this is all they have to do to lose weight. Two years ago, I would have. I was still looking for the Easy Button. Now I know that one of the hardest things about weight loss is unlearning bad habits. If you don’t understand your triggers, and why you got fat in the first place, you’ll be doomed to dancing the ten-pound-tango every time a new diet comes out.

Certainly my Weight Watchers leader hit this point pretty hard in last week’s meeting.

And yet as the great wizard-philosopher Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore once said, “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”

It’s human nature to go with easy.

There is no easy peasy, nor lemon squeezy:

Simple Start is NOT the Holy Grail. The program gives you a kick-start and helps you build confidence. Follow it and you’ll see results on the scale. But if all that interests you is some movement on the scale, without learning from your mistakes, then it’ll be like that time you tried the 3 Day Diet, or the Cabbage Soup Diet, or the Hollywood Diet, or the Grapefruit Diet. Or my favorite one of all, the Tomorrow I’m on a Diet.

It’s common for folks in my meetings to say they can’t scrounge up enough minutes in a day to make healthy choices. Simple Start can help. But if you’re not willing to create time for yourself, no plan, no matter how easy, won’t help you in the long run.  Not even the Tapeworm Diet.

Look, I’m not saying eat perfectly all the time or that I never have moments where I don’t think about what I’m doing.  I still slip up (“cough” wine “cough”).  If you want to lose weight, you have to make yourself a priority in your own life and understand it’s not about dieting. It’s about changing your lifestyle!

I’m off the soapbox now.

(Damn thing’s about to shatter under me anyway…two glasses of wine, hello?)

I’m Speaking At A Weight Watchers Meeting

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weight loss fashion makeover

I’m sharing my weight loss adventure at my next Weight Watchers meeting. I’m so excited.

My Weight Watchers leader asked me to speak about my weight loss journey at the Saturday meeting.  I’m really excited but also feeling a bit overwhelmed. I mean, how do I distill all that I’ve learned over the last two years into 5 minutes?

Plus, my weight loss journey is a bit unorthodox  — I did quit my job to shed the pounds (not something I’m recommending everyone attempt).

This morning I’m working on my outline. I think I’m going to divide the presentation by years — 2012 was the learning curve and in 2013 I got my mojo back!

2012: Re-learning How To Eat
In 2012 I re-learned everything I could about food — dealing with cravings, which foods triggered binges, and most importantly, how food becomes fat in my body.  For me, understanding the science of Why We Get Fat is the key to my weight loss.

With Weight Watchers, you’re not deprived. You can have any food you want as long as you count the points and keep to your daily point range.

Well in 2012 I discovered I couldn’t have any food I wanted. The more carbs I ate, the more insulin in my blood, the more my body stored fat.

I eliminated sodas, processed foods and my trigger foods (pasta, bread and grains) from my diet. Sugar got the boot too, and I even limited fruit. I found I had more energy, felt fantastic and yes, the weight started coming off faster.

2013: Finding my inner confidence
I really feel that I started living my life for the first time in 2013.

I lost my excuse for not trying new things.  Weight lifting, yoga, running, new foods…I wanted to try everything! Heck, this life long fish hater fell in love with sushi when I tried it for the first time last year.

I even conquered a phobia. Walking into an Old Navy, Nordstrom and Macy’s dressing room for the very first time is nerve-wracking. Doing it all in one day was terrifying.

No doubt my fashion makeover gave me the biggest boost to my confidence. Sure I went from a size 28 to an 18, but the thought of shopping somewhere other than Lane Bryant is terrifying when you’re overweight. I’ve had plenty of dressing room meltdowns in my life to know.

Sure it may seem superficial. It’s just clothes, right? But when you wear clothes you never could before, try a new hair style, and get all dolled up for your very own photo shoot, it’s not superficial. It’s awesome.

So, all of that in 5 minutes? Easy peasy.

A Warning For Ladies Hitting The Gym

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Ok, I stole this but it made me laugh.

gym meme

Day 2 Of Simple Start

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simple start veggie omelet

My veggie omelet turned was very tasty, despite the fat-free cheddar.

I’m on Day 2 of Weight Watchers’ Simple Start plan and so far so good. The recipes are super easy to make and fill you up. I’ve kept on track with my net carb count fairly easily, and I’m enjoying the program so far.

I made two of the recommended meals today – a veggie omelet with a lite English muffin for breakfast and chicken Parmesan with a side salad for dinner. Both were excellent.

I did tweak the chicken Parmesan by adding spinach to the sauce. Yum.

As much as I worried about the amount of carbs in the food offerings, I ended up creating my own lunch (with power foods, of course!) because I needed more carbs.

After an hour of yoga, followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill, my trainer put the hammer to me with a very intense muscle workout. I needed my mid morning protein shake and 30 minutes later I gobbled up a chicken quinoa salad.

That hit the spot.

Keeping Score Of What I Eat
I admit I am still tracking. I know…I know you only eat power foods so there is no need to track.

Well I’m tracking for 2 very good reasons.

First, I need to track my net carbs. Yes I’m doing Weight Watchers but I’m doing a low carb version. Ever since my doctor told me 2 years ago I need to change my diet or become a diabetic, I’ve tracked carbs.

Second, tracking food is not second nature to me. I worked hard to create this good habit and it doesn’t take much to break it. Sure tracking is annoying, but if it helps me shed pounds, I can put up with it.

Today's indulgence: homemade vanilla ice cream buried under a mountain of berries.

Today’s indulgence: homemade vanilla ice cream buried under a mountain of berries.

Day 2 Indulgence
I’m about to enjoy a half a cup of homemade vanilla ice cream loaded with blueberries and strawberries. So, the same indulgence as last night.

I have to admit, I do enjoy the ice cream. It’s a rare treat these days. It’s something I’d pass on simply because of the amount of sugar. But with my carbs in check I can indulge a little.

But I think homemade frozen custard is on the horizon.