"Soy" Long, Farewell!

Darn you, Internet! Darn you, for being chock full of information. :)

We stopped eating edamame, a.k.a. soybeans, several months ago after Dee was diagnosed with mild thyroid troubles. It was high up on the long list of unhealthy foods for thyroids. In doing more research since then, we're seeing all sorts of negative things about goiters and infertility, and all kinds of things links to soybeans, soy sauce, etc. Sure, they're high fiber. But at what cost? The former wonder-bean is taking a dive. So, we're off it. Tasty little killer beans they were.



That's me (several pounds ago) looking across a sea of vicious man-eating soybeans, wondering how I will ever free myself...

Now, we're digging deeper into foods that we still eat, which probably contain soy. Things like our standby dessert item: the fiber bar. In the not-too-distant future, I plan to experiment with some recipes and combinations to maybe brew up some homemade fiber-laden dessert bars. I've been reading up on things like bulgur, barley, oat germ, and other "fiber-licious" choices. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

We're also toying with the idea of weaning away from our standard faux-sweetener of choice, the chemically delicious Splenda. Sure, I read somewhere that Splenda contains trace amounts of some chemical that we can never digest, and remains in our bodies forEVER. And so what if it bills itself as a NO calorie sweetener that really has something like 45 calories per cup? Okay, I admit... Splenda may have pulled the wool over my eyes just a bit. We've read about honey and agave nectar and all sorts of natural things that we may also try, just for funzies.

Why does food have to be so complicated? Maybe, by going back to more natural things, it doesn't really have to be. I think people are learning to eat more like their ancestors ate. Of course, their ancestors probably only lived to be about 30-40 years old. But let's blame that on poor sanitation, bad hygeine, and lack of medical advances, shall we?

The only thing that stays the same, is change...

--Jay :)

Beginning Anew for the New Year!

Welcome back to the blog!

I'm speaking, of course, to myself. Where have I been? Consumed by (or should I say, consuming) the jungle of evil delicious things that lurk in the shadowy alleys of life.

As you may recall, this blog was prompted by a friendly competition with my brother-in-law to see who could drop the most poundage from January to August of 2010. After the competition ended (and I stomped his rear into the ground!), I got soft. And so did my mid-section, before ever even standing a chance to be any other way.

So I enjoyed food again. I didn't enjoy what food was doing, but I turned a blind eye. My memory fails me, but according to my last few blog update on June 26, 2010, I had gone from 371.5 to 328.5, dropping 43 pounds in 25 weeks. Dee had gone from 231.5 to 209.5, for a loss of 22 pounds.

Now, here I sit... a new year, with a revived spirit, and ready to kick this sucker in the tail again! I'm currently lumped here at 362, which mean I let 33.5 pounds of food defeat me in something like 4 months. Dee rebounded a mere 18.5 pounds, where she now sits at 228.

Are we embarrassed? Are we ashamed? In a word... NO. If anything, I hope to show that there is no easy button. Sure, when we stick to our plan, it works. If we slack off, well... it doesn't. I still hope to inspire and motivate through all the ups and downs, because this is a constant battle. In the end, I shall win the war.

Let the battle begin...
--Jay :)

The Plan (The CliffsNotes Version)

I figured we finally needed one good post that would be a quick answer to my most commonly received question: "What are you guys DOING to lose weight?!" I already gave a good overview in my April 2010 post entitled "A Day In The Life", but figured I'd make this one plainer and simpler, reference it in the very top post on the blog at all times for easy find-ability, and keep it updated with any new tips and tricks we stumble upon.

Last Updated: 1/8/2011

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Here's a quick version of the science behind losing weight:
In order to lose an average 1 pound per week, you need to figure out how many calories your body burns naturally over the course of a day, then subtract 500 calories per day. You can do this by decreasing your caloric intake, or by increasing your daily activity to burn more calories. There's a handy calculator linked in the sidebar below to help figure out these numbers.

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Here's a snapshot of what we eat and do each day:

• 7:30am - Wake Up

• 8:00am - Breakfast
~ 1/2 cup "quick" oatmeal with Splenda & cinnamon
[140 calories, 2.5 grams fat total]
~ 0.75 oz. raisins, mixed into our oatmeal
[65 calories, no fat]
~ 1/2 cup egg substitute, fried or scrambled
[60 calories, no fat]
~ 6 oz. non-fat yogurt
[90 calories, no fat]
~ large cup of coffee with Splenda & powdered "light" creamer
[20 calories for the creamer, no fat]

• 11:00am - Snack
~ 10 mini pretzels
[55 calories, 0.5 grams fat]
~ 6 almonds
[41 calories, 3.5 grams fat]
~ 0.75 oz. raisins
[65 calories, no fat]

• 1:30pm - Lunch
~ 1 serving of any lunch recipe (see sidebar below)
[average 175 calories, 1.5 grams fat]
~ large salad with lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, etc.
[calories and fat are negligible]
~ 2 tbsp. fat-free Italian dressing
[20 calories, no fat]

• 3:00pm - Snack
~ 1 medium apple or orange
[65 calories, no fat]

• 6:00pm - Dinner
~ 1 serving of chicken chili (see sidebar below)
[250 calories, 0.5 grams fat]
~ large serving non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cauliflower)
[average 90 calories, no fat]

• 6:30pm - Dessert
~ 1 oats & chocolate fiber bar
[140 calories, 4 grams fat]
~ 1 small cup sugar-free pudding
[80 calories, 1.5 grams fat]

• 11:00pm - Bedtime!

DAILY TOTALS:
1356 calories
14 grams fat

As you may notice, we typically never have time to feel hungry, since we're eating every 2 1/2 - 3 hours! :) We do try to stop eating by at least 7pm, as don't want to go to bed with a whole lot processing around in our bellies.

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Other tips and tricks that we live by:
• Drink lots of water! A good rule that we found is: take your body weight, divide in half, and try to drink that many ounces of water each day. I also count things like coffee, tea, and Crystal Light-type drink mixes into my water count. We try to avoid any drinks with calories, such as soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercise! When we can, we do try to fit in at least a little exercise each day, usually 30 minutes or so. We have a low-impact Gazelle machine, and Dee also likes the Core Rhythms dance fitness DVD system.

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That's all I've got on the brain for now, but I'll be adding to and editing this post periodically to keep it up to date with the latest stuff we've found to help shed some extra pounds!

--Jay :)

The Amazing Shrinking Feet

Ah, back to the online world after a laptop format & reinstall... ugh...

Anyway, Dee made a fascinating discovery today when she went to squeeze on some shoes that were always on the tight side, and now they're falling off her feet! It's funny to think of all the places that the weight comes off of you. :)

--Jay :)

Back to the jungle...

Well, Dee & I had another "jungle" moment this weekend (see previous post "It's a jungle out there..." if you haven't already). In packing for our weekend away from home, I mistakenly grabbed a container of minestrone instead of chili, leading to some holes in the meal plan. Fortunately, we were again saved by the chili at Wendy's, which we've found to be a fairly healthy alternative in the fast-food realm. It's nice to know that a few small goof-ups won't derail your whole plan.

--Jay :)

Exercise Update: Week 19

Not a whole lot to report this week... We opened our theatre production this past Friday, which always puts a bit of a damper on plans to do much of anything else. :)

Sunday 5/9 (day off - Mothers Day)
8:45 am - Dee did 1 mile on the Gazelle at Level 1 (13 minutes)
9:05 am - Jay did 0.5 mile on the Gazelle at Level 1 (10m 15s)
9:05 am - Dee did Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" (22 minutes)

Monday 5/10 (work day)
Dee walked/jogged about 1 mile with one of her "nanny" children

Tuesday 5/11 (work day)
8:15 am - Dee did 1 mile on the Gazelle at Level 1 (13 minutes)
8:35 am - Jay did 0.5 mile on the Gazelle at Level 1 (9 minutes)
8:35 am - Dee did Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" (22 minutes)

Wednesday 5/12 (work day)
7:50 am - Dee did Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" (22 minutes)

Thursday 5/13 (work day)
morning - Dee did Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" (22 minutes)

Friday 5/14 (day off)
no exercise due to theatre performance

Saturday 5/15 (day off)
no exercise due to theatre performance

I did splurge a bit on the Mothers Day dinner gathering, but made up for it by cutting small things like pudding for dessert throughout the week. :) We also did very well at remembering to pack our food while away from home for the weekend for the theatre stuff.

We won't be able to weigh in until tomorrow (Monday) morning for this week, so we shall see what we have in the morning!

Woo hoo!
--Jay :)

It's a jungle out there...

Dee & I had a slight brain malfunction yesterday... We were right on schedule, with all food packed and ready to go for work... only to find that upon getting to work, our "dinner" bag was still sitting on the counter at home! No Chicken Chili?! No pudding and fiber bars for dessert?! What were we to do?!?!

Fortunately, our friend the internet, along with the good folks at Calorie King, led us to an alternative, and we were able to find a healthy fast-food option. So, we ended up with a plain baked potato from Wendy's, and we split a small chili.

Upon returning home to the calorie counting spreadsheet, we actually came up short for the day! Further proof that healthy options can be found while eating out, but we wouldn't want to rely solely on fast-food, as the potato & chili didn't exactly keep us as full as our normal fare.

Oh well, it's good to know we didn't mess up our whole plan! :)

--Jay :)

Exercise Update: Week 18

The end of another productive week of exercise, most of which was indoors due to the existence of those evil yellow flies (see previous post). Here's how we rolled:

Sunday 5/2 [took the day off from work]
9:00 am - J & D walked about 1/10 mile before "yellow fly" attack!
9:30 am - Dee did 12 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 2 (0.4 miles)
4:00 pm - Core Rhythms "Full Workout" - J did 15 min., D did the whole 38 min.

Monday 5/3 [work day]
8:20 am - Dee did 15 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 2 (0.5 miles)
8:45 am - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - J did 5 min., D did the whole 22 min.

Tuesday 5/4 [work day]
8:00 am - Dee did 15 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 2 (0.5 miles)
8:25 am - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - J did 8 min., D did the whole 22 min.

Wednesday 5/5 [work day]
morning - Dee did 15 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 2 (0.5 miles)
morning - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - Dee did the whole 22 minute workout

Thursday 5/6 [work day]
morning - Dee did 15 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 2 (0.5 miles)
morning - Jay did 12 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 1 (0.7 miles)
morning - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - Dee did the whole 22 minute workout

Friday 5/7 [day off]
10:30 am - Dee did 20m30s on the Gazelle at Level 1 (1.5 miles)
11:00 am - Jay did 10m20s on the Gazelle at Level 1 (0.7 miles)
11:00 am - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - Dee did the whole 22 minute workout

Saturday 5/8 [day off]
9:15 am - Dee did 20 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 1 (1.5 miles)
9:50 am - Jay did 16 minutes on the Gazelle at Level 1 (1.0 miles)
9:50 am - Core Rhythms "Quick Workout" - Dee did the whole 22 minute workout

We're headed to host the entertainment at a sort of cast-type party this evening, and won't get in much more exercise than hauling some audio equipment, but Dee hit up every day this week, and I got in on at least a little bit for 6 out of 7 days. Not too shabby!

--Jay :)

Recipe: Chicken Posole

Inspired by a dish that a co-worker brought to an office party, and our love for hominy... it's the perfect solution! :) Check keyword "recipes" for all our recipes...

Chicken Posole
~Makes 8 servings, 1.5 cups each



Ingredients:
1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 large can (49.5 oz) Swanson's 100% Natural Chicken Broth
3 cans (14.5 oz each) hominy
4 medium carrots, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. oregano (or blended Italian seasoning)
dried minced onion
garlic powder
black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. salt

1) Place broth, hominy, carrots, bell pepper, and spices in a large pot and get boiling!
2) Grill chicken until cooked through, and dice.
3) Add chicken to soup pot and simmer together 10-15 minutes.

Quick and easy!

Nutition Information (per 1.5 cup serving)
Calories: 182
Fat: 2
Fiber: 6.5
Protein: 16

Yum-o!
--Jay :)

Exercise Update: Week 17

Just wrapped a weekend of helping build and paint the set for the latest theatre production... A little light on exercise this week, but we worked our tails off at the build. :)

Sunday 4/25 [took the day off]
8:55 am - 1 mile walk (both of us & Jay's mom, about 21 minutes)
2:30 pm - Dee did 20 minutes at Level 2 on the Gazelle
4:55 pm - 1 mile walk (both of us, 16m 45s)

Monday 4/26 [work day]
Dee walked 1 mile with the kids she nannies for :)

Tuesday 4/27 [work day]
9:00 am-ish - 1 mile walk (both of us, 18m 15s)

Wednesday 4/28 [work day]
8:30 am - 1 mile walk (both of us & Jay's mom, 20m 23s)
Dee took a looooong bike ride with the kids she nannies for :)

Thursday 4/29 [work day]
Dee did 20 minutes at Level 2 on the Gazelle

Friday 4/30 [day off]
Walked up & down flight of stairs a few times for set build!

Saturday 5/1 [day off]
Spent the day lifting flats, bending and painting, etc.

Lookin' good... lookin' good...
--Jay :)

Exercise Update: Week 16

Well, we're in for the evening after completing our afternoon walk, and enjoying Chicken Chili with a side of grilled yellow squash for dinner, and sugar-free pudding for dessert. Dee had two graham crackers with her pudding, and I opted for a fiber bar, as I was a little deficient in fiber for the day. :)

Here's a recap of how we did on the exercise front for Week 16:

Sunday 4/18 [took the day off, as Dee got a migraine!]
9:00 am - 1.5 mile walk (both of us, took about 30 minutes)

Monday 4/19 [work day]
Dee took a 1.75 mile walk by herself while I was stuck at work :)

Tuesday 4/20 [work day]
8:30 am - 1.5 mile walk (both of us, about 23 minutes)

Wednesday 4/21 [work day]
8:20 am - 1 mile walk (both of us, about 19 minutes)

Thursday 4/22 [work day]
8:30 am - 1 mile walk (both of us, about 19 minutes)

Friday 4/23 [day off]
8:30 am - 1 mile walk (both of us AND Jay's mom!, about 21 minutes)
5:00 pm - 1 mile walk (both of us, 17min 15sec)

Saturday 4/24 [day off]
8:53 am - 0.7 mile walk, rained out! (both of us, 11min 15sec)
10:17 am - Dee did 20 minutes at Level 2 on the Gazelle
5:00 pm - 1 mile walk, (both of us, 17min exactly)

Dee hit EVERY day this week, and I got in 6 out of 7 days! We're feeling good, seeing results, and loving every minute of it. We haven't gotten tired of my "healthy" recipes yet, as we both think they're delicious, and we'll hit the store tomorrow to get ingredients for the two new creations for the upcoming work week... a white bean chicken chili, and some sort of chicken veggie barley soup. I'll toss the recipes up here if they're worth a second look.

Weigh-in tomorrow morning! When we checked in this morning, the numbers were pretty amazing, compared to how we'd been doing all along... we're both stoked!!!

Woo!
--Jay :)

Singin' (and Walkin') in the Rain

Mother Nature had other plans for our morning walk... We knew we were due for rain from about 9-10am and from about 4pm-on today, but we tried starting our walk around 8:50am, only to have it start a light rain about 1/4 the way through. So, we cut it to about 7/10 of a mile (according to Google maps) in 11m 15s.

We'll see how the afternoon goes, but I don't think a walk is in the forecast, no pun intended. Time for some Gazelle, or Core Rhythms, or just jumping around like a loony!

--Jay :)

A Walk To Remember...

Well, I just walked a mile in 17:15. A pathetic personal best, ha ha... but not too bad for a fat dude. :-D

We've been remarkably consistent with the exercise regime, trying to get in at least a mile walk each day, some days as much as 2.5 miles over the course of our two daily walks. Woo!

I look forward to the days when I can look back and say, "It used to take me HOW long to do this?!" :)

--Jay

Recipe: Chicken Chili

Here's a mild chili that I created using diced chicken breast instead of ground meat. Remember, you can click keyword "recipes" to see all the recipes together...

Chicken Chili
~Makes 10 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 packet chili seasoning (whatever heat you prefer, may want to use 2 packets!)
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cans (15.5 oz. each) dark red kidney beans
2 cans (15.5 oz. each) pinto beans

1) Put tomato sauce, all beans, and seasoning in pot and get cookin'!
2) Grill chicken until cooked.
3) Dice chicken and add to chili pot.
4) Simmer together 10-15 minutes.

Break out the bowls! :)

Nutrition Facts (per 1 cup serving):
Calories: 243
Fat: 0.5
Fiber: 8.5
Protein: 23

Cost per serving: $0.61 (we found chicken on sale for about $1.50 per pound!)

--Jay :)

Nitrites? Autolyzed? Monosodium-who?

Well, we've come to a crossroads in our dietary journey... Dee developed a bad migraine (the fourth in four days) after breakfast this morning, and we were suddenly struck by a conversation we'd had with a co-worker about her migraines and not being able to eat hot dogs because of nitrates.

At our office party on Thursday, Dee ate a hot dog. She got a headache. Friday morning, Dee had deli ham with breakfast. She got a headache. Saturday morning, more deli ham. More headache. Sunday morning, ditto. Ditto. Light bulb. We started thinking back, and were able to connect past headaches with other events involving processed meats, and especially trips to buffets, Chinese food, etc.

We had connected the buffet-headache trend before, especially after Chinese buffets, and thought the problem might be MSG, so I started reading up on it, and had never realized all the other names that MSG can go by! Autolyzed yeast, sodium caseinate, carrageenan, and a whole host of other things that may indicate the presence or creation of MSG in food!

So, we're pulling Dee (and myself) off anything that we think may have nitrates/nitrites (such as hot dogs, lunch meat, ham, pepperoni, sausage) or MSG. We're going to try to cook fresh, and be super-conscious of ingredients on nutrition labels. We would like to find some deli meat, be it ham or turkey, that doesn't contain any warning words, as we do like that with our breakfast.

We're choosing the road less traveled... which may be a slightly more expensive road than grabbing the latest frozen healthy meals on sale each week... but we know the benefit will be greater in the long run. I've heard over and over again to know exactly what you're putting into your body, and now it's all making sense. I'm tired of eating chemicals... :)

--Jay :)

Let's Play Ketchup...

All right, let's catch up on what's been going on the last few weeks during our absence... :)

It seems we left off just before V-Day, so let's recap the weigh-ins:

Sun. 2/14 - Jay 359.5 (-0.5 pounds) - Dee 227.0 (no change)

Sun. 2/21 - Jay 359.0 (-0.5 pounds) - Dee 225.5 (-1.5 pounds)

Sun. 2/28 - Jay 361.0 (+2.0 pounds) - Dee 225.5 (no change)
[this was the opening weekend for a theatre production, and Dee & I stayed at the beach and I enjoyed the free hot breakfast a little TOO much...]

Sun. 3/7 - Jay 363.0 (+2.0 pounds) - Dee 223.0 (-1.5 pounds)
[and then, this was the closing weekend of the play, hotel breakfast killed me again - Dee caught the "cast bug" that was going around and felt miserable!!!]

Sun. 3/14 - Jay 360.5 (-2.5 pounds) - Dee 224.0 (+1 pound)
[how did I have such amazing progress, besides the play being over and tearing myself away from the hotel breakfast... my turn for the "cast bug" and no appetite!]

Sun. 3/21 - skipped weigh-in

Sun. 3/28 - Jay 364 (+3.5 pounds) - Dee 226.0 (+2 pounds)

Sun. 4/4 - skipped weigh-in

Sun. 4/11 - skipped weigh-in

And here we be! Through the stresses of helping put on a theatre production and a good little spell of illness and recovery, and then falling back into some of the old habits, we've gone a lot of nowhere fast! :-D Just this past Thursday, after having eaten not-so-well at our monthly office employee birthday party, we both vowed to start anew!

The good news is that we've got an exercise recap going on now...
Fri. 4/16 - 1 mile walk in the morning, 1 mile walk in the afternoon
Sat. 4/17 - 1.5 mile walk in the morning, 1 mile walk in the afternoon (plus Dee put in 30 minutes on the Gazelle in between!)

We don't expect too much in the way of results this week, as we've only been back on the plan for about two days, but we look forward to things to come!

--Jay :)

Life is Sweet... Potatoes... :)

Just wrapped our one-mile afternoon walk... that's a total of 2.5 miles walked today, up from the 2 miles of combined walking yesterday!

Dee's hit the shower, and I've got our world famous baked savory sweet potato "fries" in the oven. Adding some steamed edamame and one of those healthy pre-packaged TV-diet meals (gotta get rid of them somehow... might as well eat them!) and we're in business! We are loving us some edamame lately!!!



We shall see what tomorrow brings...
--Jay :)

"She told me to walk this way..." --Aerosmith (1975)

Well, Dee & I are some walkin' machines! I wimped out a bit on the late-afternoon walk yesterday and scaled it down to just one mile... Not bad... I don't remember the last time I walked two miles in a single day, for no good reason, ha! :)

We're still tracking all our dietary numbers, as that seems to be a good guilt trip I can give myself... if I can't COUNT it... I can't EAT it... so that helps me personally get rid of any stray snacks at work, homemade goodies brought in, etc. etc. etc. Plus, we're set it all up in a spreadsheet with "goal" numbers for each day, so we can see how close we are to going over and we know when we're had enough for the day.

We started today off with a mile AND A HALF walk post-breakfast. I had only eaten about half my intended breakfast and chugged the last half of my cup of coffee, so I was feeling pretty weird around the half-mile mark, but I soon settled in and pushed for a little extra.

Tomorrow morning is the big grand re-weigh-in, and I'm sure we're both up from where we left off on the blog, but we'll soon get that turned around again!

Rock it!
--Jay :)

Wagging Their Tails Behind Them...

Well, we fell off the wagon for a while. Actually, our wagon went over a ravine and broke apart on some rocky outcroppings... okay, so it wasn't THAT bad. It just wasn't that GOOD.

We've come back with a vengeance, partly due to the fact that we're both in a play and would like to look a little more aesthetically pleasing, and party due to the fact that we're both tired of being lazy. We're cleaning the house, getting rid of junk, donating stuff to charity, and working on the bodies as well!

Dee and I walked a mile this morning after breakfast, ate super healthy all day, keeping track of the calories, fat, fiber, protein, and sugar, and are planning a before-dinner late-afternoon walk of about 1.5 miles. Bring it!

We haven't weighed in lately, but will do a complete update this Sunday.

The challenge is back on! Eat our dust!!! :P

--Jay

Recipe: Crab & Corn Chowder

Our first experiment with soup, using imitation crab meat, which Dee grew up on. Remember, you can click this keyword "recipes" to see all our recipe posts at once.

Crab & Corn Chowder
~ Makes 6 nice, large servings



Ingredients:
6 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern beans, or other white bean
24 oz. imitation crab meat
16 oz. frozen corn
2 green onions
1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning (we used Old Bay Blackened seasoning)

1) Chop crab meat and green onions.
2) Combine all ingredients in large pot.
3) Simmer on medium-high for about 30 minutes, to a consistency you like. I also tried smashing some of the beans to thicken the broth. (Ah, if only I had a stick blender...)



Chow time! This recipe would lend well to shrimp, and other vegetation of course, so we'll be having some fun with this bad boy. :) If the portions are too large, divide into 8 servings (or cut the entire recipe in half, and divide into 4 servings, same difference).

Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 370
Fat: 2 grams
Fiber: 8 grams
Protein: 21 grams
Sodium: 1570 mg (this is a little high for my tastes... the chicken broth was already lower sodium, but I'm sure using fresh beans or frozen beans could make a difference, and using a fresh seafood like real crab meat would help as well)

Rock!
--Jay