Ah, we finally remembered to bring a vegetable serving to eat with our dinner, and life is SO much more grand... :)
Today's offering was one of my faves... Brussels sprouts!
We worked through our last servings of chicken noodle soup for lunch, which means I'll have to prepare another lunch offering. I believe a pot of chicken posole is in the works!
I've also been enjoying some South Beach Diet "smore's" fiber bars that I found on a closeout at the grocery store. They're quite good, and packed with 9 grams of fiber a pop. Holy poop, Batman!
Official calorie count for the day was 1411 for Jay, 1341 for Dee.
And no, I won't be coming on EVERY day to do calorie counts. I'm just excited to be back in control of things for now, and felt like sharing. :)
--Jay :)
Showing posts with label plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plan. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
It's a Numbers Game
I say... count your chickens!
Metaphorically, that is... Actually, we do eat a lot of chicken, so that could be literal... But, I digress...
We found out a while ago that weight loss, for the most part, is a science. It's all based on numbers, and if you work your math properly, there seems to be little room for failure. In that vein, we have officially started counting our caloric intake again, effective today.
Using the nifty little tools in our sidebar below, Dee & I figured out that she needs about 1200 calories per day to lose 1-2 pounds each week, and I need about 1600 calories each day to lose 2-3 pounds each week. Being a bigger dude has very few advantages. This be one of the few. :)
We have been working our way through our meal plan, as outlined in our "sticky" post "The Plan". We did realize this evening that we neglected to include our vegetable serving with dinner yesterday and today, which has left us a little hungrier than we should be.
I officially consumed 1296 calories today (a bit low), and Dee had 1226.
Take THAT, food!
--Jay :)
Metaphorically, that is... Actually, we do eat a lot of chicken, so that could be literal... But, I digress...
We found out a while ago that weight loss, for the most part, is a science. It's all based on numbers, and if you work your math properly, there seems to be little room for failure. In that vein, we have officially started counting our caloric intake again, effective today.
Using the nifty little tools in our sidebar below, Dee & I figured out that she needs about 1200 calories per day to lose 1-2 pounds each week, and I need about 1600 calories each day to lose 2-3 pounds each week. Being a bigger dude has very few advantages. This be one of the few. :)
We have been working our way through our meal plan, as outlined in our "sticky" post "The Plan". We did realize this evening that we neglected to include our vegetable serving with dinner yesterday and today, which has left us a little hungrier than we should be.
I officially consumed 1296 calories today (a bit low), and Dee had 1226.
Take THAT, food!
--Jay :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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.
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 :)
Let the battle begin...
--Jay :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
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
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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 :)
Last Updated: 1/8/2011
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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 :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Day In The Life...
Well, here's the new plan for those asking "how do you do it?"... We've found the ONLY way for us to make sure we stay on plan is about the oldest trick in "dieting"... be mindful of the calories you take in. Wow, really? Yeah, that's our big secret. :) Here's how we usually break down our caloric intake over the course of an ideal day:
8am Breakfast - 450 calories (Jay); 350 calories (Dee)
11am Snack - 150 calories (both)
2pm Lunch - 300 calories (Jay); 250 calories (Dee)
4pm Snack - 60-90 calories (both)
7pm Dinner & Dessert - 500 calories (Jay); 450 calories (Dee)
TOTAL CALORIES: around 1500 (Jay); around 1300 (Dee)
The big secrets? If you notice, the largest meal is breakfast (not counting the dessert combined in with dinner). We try not to eat past about 6-7pm, as we want to be nice and digested by bedtime around 11pm or midnight. Also, we're eating FIVE times a day! Every 2-3 hours! Who has time to be hungry?!? :)
We also try to throw in a 1 or 1.5 mile walk around 9am and 5pm!
Here's how a typical food day looks for us:
Breakfast - 2 packets of oatmeal (OR a bagel); 1 serving Egg Mates (OR half a serving of Egg Mates and half a serving of deli meat); 6 oz. nonfat yogurt; 1 serving fruit; nice big cup of coffee with Splenda and fat-free creamer
Morning Snack - "Trail Mix" made of: 1/2 serving raisins; 6 almonds; and 1/2 serving pretzels (OR a graham cracker substituted for the pretzels)
Lunch - 1 serving of my Chicken Noodle Soup (recipe in this blog) OR a chicken/spinach wrap; salad with lettuce, spinach, carrots, snow peas, cauliflower, etc. and fat-free Italian dressing
Afternoon Snack - 1 serving fruit, such as an apple or orange
Dinner & Dessert - 1 serving of my Chicken Chili (recipe in this blog) OR 1 serving lean protein with a large vegetable portion (edamame, spinach, California blend, etc.); 1 cup sugar-free chocolate/vanilla swirl pudding; 1 oats & chocolate fiber bar
That's a snapshot of Jay's daily meal plan... Dee's is pretty much the same, but lose the Egg Mates. We find ourselves taking in about 15-25 grams of total fat per day (trying to keep it low!), while maintaining at least 38 grams of fiber and 56 grams of protein for Jay (25 fiber and 46 protein for Dee). We found some clever calculators online for those numbers, and I'll have to find the link and get it on here sometime.
We're also discovering the joys of water. And that whole "eight 8-ounce glasses" doesn't work for everyone. We've read in several places that you should take your body weight, divide it in half, and drink that many ounces of water each day! Dee and I typically go well beyond those numbers, and we feel like it's definitely helping to keep us hydrated and healthy, as well as flushing out all the bad stuff. :)
There's plenty of wiggle room in there, and we used to rely a lot more on the frozen convenience meals, but since we're starting to think Dee's headaches are coming from nitrite and/or MSG, we're trying to cook a lot of things ourselves so we can control the ingredients. We've found we can pretty much substitute whatever we like in there, as long as we stay in our calorie range and keep the fat low and the fiber high.
Anyway, that's where we are for now! We're both doing exceptionally well, and know this is something that we can keep up easily. Once you start a new way of life, you do pretty much have to do it forever. Once we get closer to our "goal weights", we should be able to increase the calories a bit, and figure out that magic number that will allow us to maintain.
Rock it!
--Jay :)
8am Breakfast - 450 calories (Jay); 350 calories (Dee)
11am Snack - 150 calories (both)
2pm Lunch - 300 calories (Jay); 250 calories (Dee)
4pm Snack - 60-90 calories (both)
7pm Dinner & Dessert - 500 calories (Jay); 450 calories (Dee)
TOTAL CALORIES: around 1500 (Jay); around 1300 (Dee)
The big secrets? If you notice, the largest meal is breakfast (not counting the dessert combined in with dinner). We try not to eat past about 6-7pm, as we want to be nice and digested by bedtime around 11pm or midnight. Also, we're eating FIVE times a day! Every 2-3 hours! Who has time to be hungry?!? :)
We also try to throw in a 1 or 1.5 mile walk around 9am and 5pm!
Here's how a typical food day looks for us:
Breakfast - 2 packets of oatmeal (OR a bagel); 1 serving Egg Mates (OR half a serving of Egg Mates and half a serving of deli meat); 6 oz. nonfat yogurt; 1 serving fruit; nice big cup of coffee with Splenda and fat-free creamer
Morning Snack - "Trail Mix" made of: 1/2 serving raisins; 6 almonds; and 1/2 serving pretzels (OR a graham cracker substituted for the pretzels)
Lunch - 1 serving of my Chicken Noodle Soup (recipe in this blog) OR a chicken/spinach wrap; salad with lettuce, spinach, carrots, snow peas, cauliflower, etc. and fat-free Italian dressing
Afternoon Snack - 1 serving fruit, such as an apple or orange
Dinner & Dessert - 1 serving of my Chicken Chili (recipe in this blog) OR 1 serving lean protein with a large vegetable portion (edamame, spinach, California blend, etc.); 1 cup sugar-free chocolate/vanilla swirl pudding; 1 oats & chocolate fiber bar
That's a snapshot of Jay's daily meal plan... Dee's is pretty much the same, but lose the Egg Mates. We find ourselves taking in about 15-25 grams of total fat per day (trying to keep it low!), while maintaining at least 38 grams of fiber and 56 grams of protein for Jay (25 fiber and 46 protein for Dee). We found some clever calculators online for those numbers, and I'll have to find the link and get it on here sometime.
We're also discovering the joys of water. And that whole "eight 8-ounce glasses" doesn't work for everyone. We've read in several places that you should take your body weight, divide it in half, and drink that many ounces of water each day! Dee and I typically go well beyond those numbers, and we feel like it's definitely helping to keep us hydrated and healthy, as well as flushing out all the bad stuff. :)
There's plenty of wiggle room in there, and we used to rely a lot more on the frozen convenience meals, but since we're starting to think Dee's headaches are coming from nitrite and/or MSG, we're trying to cook a lot of things ourselves so we can control the ingredients. We've found we can pretty much substitute whatever we like in there, as long as we stay in our calorie range and keep the fat low and the fiber high.
Anyway, that's where we are for now! We're both doing exceptionally well, and know this is something that we can keep up easily. Once you start a new way of life, you do pretty much have to do it forever. Once we get closer to our "goal weights", we should be able to increase the calories a bit, and figure out that magic number that will allow us to maintain.
Rock it!
--Jay :)
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