Day 6 on the Fast Metabolism Diet 5 4 13

Well today was the big dance competition day.  We were away from home for over 15 hours, we relied on the foods I brought from home and maintained extra willpower to stay away from those giant cookies and maui wowi smoothies they were selling at the concession stand!  There were a couple of changes in the lunch and dinner plans today, but we made it work and stuck as close as we could to the plan.  Although it was a crazy busy day, we got through it and Im proud of me and my husband.  Its been a long time since we havent binged on a Saturday evening.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 156.0 lbs
Anthony: 252.2 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, scrambled egg with red, green and yellow peppers

Snack @ 9:15am:
Cauliflower with hummus

Lunch @ 12:00pm:
Chipotle Chicken Salad (romaine lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and medium salsa)

Snack @ 3:30pm:
Cauliflower with hummus

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Sirloin steak, 3 broiled shrimp, garden salad with Italian vinaigrette and vegetable medley

Workout:
Several walks and up/down stairs throughout the day

Notes on Food:
Eggs and peppers = yum!  I used the Target Archer Farms brand frozen red, green and yellow peppers, sauteed them in olive oil for a few minutes then added in the scrambled egg and sprinkled with sea salt - delicious!  Im not looking forward to going back to only egg whites on Wednesday - loving the whole egg right now!

Yes, we went to Chipotle!  I had a salad with no cheese - it was flavorful, because its Chipotle, but I did miss the cheese a little bit.  We can have healthy fats today, so I debated on getting guac, but figured the chicken was probably prepared with some sort of fat, so I was getting enough of it in the chicken and opted for just that instead.

Dinner - we went to Jensens Cafe (near the event center) to eat and kill time before awards.  They had a an egg white omelet that sounded good, but I went for the steak and shrimp (my husband ate part of my steak).  I had salad with Italian vinaigrette, however it seemed like it was cream-based, instead of oil based, so I only ate a tad - maybe just a teaspoon.  The meal also came with a veggie medley and a dinner roll - the roll went to my carb loving daughter!  I will say, that I need to do a better job of asking the waitress questions about the food and how they prepare it - I should have asked about the dressing prior to selecting it, instead of assuming.

Also, I should have ate a snack since I was up until 11, but did not - oops!

Preparation:
I prepped the veggies and nuts a couple of days ago, so those were easy to grab and through into the cooler.  I put together some containers of hummus and blueberries in the morning along with several bottles and a pitcher full of water.  Between my husband and I, we need to drink at least 200 oz of water and figured why have to go up to the concession stand to buy water?  Avoid temptation and bring as much as I could with.

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Day 1 on the Fast Metabolism Diet 4 29 13

Yesterday was our first day on The Fast Metabolism Diet.  Although I wasnt feeling the best all day (my stomach hurt from the moment I woke up and I got a headache around 4pm), I still ate all of the food on the meal plan and did my cardio for the day. 

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Strawberry French Toast

Snack @ 9:30am:
Pineapples and Strawberries

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich
Strawberries

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl

Workout:
Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning DVD

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 163.2 lbs
Tone: 261 lbs

Overall, I felt like I ate a LOT on Monday.  Eating every 3-4 hours is an adjustment for me - Im used to eating 2-3 times a day and I definitely do not eat this much fruit in a day.  So far, yesterday was a good start to the diet.  I cant wait to see how the rest of the week turns out.

Quick note on the foods:
Strawberry French Toast was made with Sprouted Grain bread - a very nutty/wholesome taste.  It was different and not my favorite dish, but I ate it!
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich - again, sprouted grain bread, so not my favorite and I was glad there was only one slice of the bread!
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - this turned out pretty good and the kids had some too.  They kept asking "what smells so good?!" while it was cooking.  I made a double batch for lunch leftovers and since Tuesday night is dance night and Im busy with running my daughter back and forth from the studio, we decided well have it for dinner Tuesday night as well.

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Day 2 on the Fast Metabolism Diet 4 30 13

I was very interested in seeing the number on the scale this morning - I know, I know, its only been 1 day!  But, with all the food I ate yesterday and how full I felt, I thought FOR SURE I would be at the same weight or have gained a pound.  But magically, Im down 2 lbs and my husband is down 4 lbs!  Again, I know its just been a day, but checking the scale every morning is helping to motivate me to keep going and a daily reminder that I can do this!

Some key items that I also want to mention are the water intake and energy levels.  I am particularly interested in having increased energy on this diet plan.  I feel that for many years, I am always tired and often take naps on the weekend or in the evening.  Im hoping that with the clean eating, I will see some improvements.

Water: You must drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Not as big of a deal for me since its only 80 oz, but the hubby is adjusting to drinking 130 oz of water a day.

Energy: Im not seeing a drastic improvement in my energy yet.  I can say that I didnt yawn a million times on the way into work today but I dont feel like I can jump up and go run a 1/2 marathon.  I plan to monitor this throughout the 28 days and will keep you posted.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 161.0 lbs
Tone: 257.0 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack @ 10:30am:
Apple

Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Pineapple

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers

Notes on Food:
Oatmeal with blueberries - It was actually pretty good and I sprinkled some Stevia on it as well. I normally eat oatmeal with a TON of brown sugar and raisins, so this is a big change, but one that I can easily adapt to.
All other foods were either leftovers or fruit, so nothing else to add. I still felt full throughout the day, which makes it difficult to eat the snacks.

Preparation:
Im definitely a newbie on buying vegetables and planning accordingly for the menu items.  I realized at 7:30pm that I needed to make soup for tomorrows lunch and that I didnt have enough veggies for it.  So, I ran to the store and started the soup around 9:30pm (after dance).  Not the best planning in the world since the soup needed to simmer for an hour than cool down to de-bone the chicken.  After I turned off the stove, I went to bed and woke up a couple of hours later (1:30am) to de-bone the chicken and got everything ready for lunches.  If this soup is any good, Ill be sure to plan my Tuesday nights a little better! 

Workout:
None (only because of the crazy Tuesday dance schedule)

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Day 4 on the Fast Metabolism Diet 5 2 13

Im getting the hang of this diet as the days go on.  I do feel better today about having leftover steak and beef jerky for snacks.  Im also making mental notes on what meals were a success and which meals Ill need to swap out next week.  Which reminds me, I need to update my spreadsheet!

The scale was down, but not as much as each of the first two days - I blame this on the heavy protein intake and the weight lifting.  Either way, Ive lost more in the last 3 days than I have any other week on previous "diets".  Lets hope this continues through the weekend!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 158.4
Anthony: 254.2

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Egg whites with garlic, onions and spinach, scrambled.

Snack @ 9:30am:
Leftover steak and celery

Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Chicken and vegetable soup

Snack @ 3:30pm:
Beef jerky

Dinner @ 6:30pm:
Steak and green beans

Workout:
P90X Legs and Back DVD - switched up the back exercises (since I did those yesterday) and did biceps and triceps during that time instead.

Preparation: 
I enlisted my husband to help me with cutting up all of the carrots, celery and cauliflower that we had and put them into containers so that they are ready to go for the next few days. I also put raw almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds (healthy fats for phase 3!) in baggies so that those are ready to go as well.

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Week 4 Recap of the Fast Metabolism Diet 5 27 13 FINALE!

Well, here we are...WE DID IT!  Im so proud of both my husband and I.  We stayed with the plan all month and we made it.  Together, we have lost 37 pounds in 28 days!!!  We didnt count a single calorie, we worked out less than we used to, we didnt cheat and we held each other accountable.  It really shows that hard work, determination and will-power really pays off.  If you put your mind to it and set a goal, you WILL get there.  It took a LOT of focus (and some complaining) to get to this day and we did it.  Im truly happy that I had my partner by my side the whole time - Im not sure I could have done it without him! 

Week 4 Weight Loss:
Kiana: 3.0 lbs
Anthony: 3.6 lbs

FINAL WEIGH IN:

Kiana:  148.6 lbs,  14.6 lbs lost or 8.9% in just 28 days!

Anthony: 238.6 lbs; 22.4 lbs lost or 8.6% in just 28 days!

 
There were so many more topics I could have discussed in this blog but didnt always have the time to write about.  If you want to know more or have specific questions, I am more than willing to chat about it with you.  This was a great experience for us and it can be a life-changing experience for you as well.  I highly recommend the book The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy - there are so many more details about why you eat the types of foods that you do on this diet and how the order in which you eat it affects your body.

Ive learned so much these last 4 weeks, such as, my amazing will-power and my ability to cook healthy meals even with a busy schedule. I feel that I now have a different perspective on what healthy eating really is. I look forward to our continuous progress on making healthier decisions for ourselves and for our family.

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Week 4

Roarke

Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz

Length: 21 1/2 inches

Nicknames: Mellow Fellow, Roarke-a-nator, Hungry Hippo, Squirm Worm

Monthly Check Up: Doctor said he is a perfectly happy and healthy little boy. Commented on how easy going and mellow he is. Next month we get the dreaded shots. Not looking forward to that :(

Roarke loves his paci or as my Dad calls it, his "fooler". Both Remi and him are obsessed with one another... Remi cannot get close enough to him. He is eating like a champ! I dont know why I ever worried about breastfeeding... glad he came out a pro. He is sleeping through the night, except for when I have to wake him up for feedings. Roarke loves to study faces and new surroundings. I love watching him scrunch his face up in concentration. He is holding his head up more and more, especially during burp time. Speaking of burping... Roarke is not a big fan of this and we definitely struggle to get good ones out every time. He also isnt a fan of tummy time, but does tolerate it. People comment on how big his feet are, what long toes he has, and how cute his pout is! 

#52weeksofRoarke

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Week 4 Weigh In Results

Week four has come and gone and this morning I got to find out my weekly weight loss results.  Today is day 30 and I can proudly say that I have lost a total of 21.5 lbs in my first month on Medi-Weightloss!  Week 4 put me down another 4 lbs to meet and surpass my goal of losing 20 lbs in my first month on the plan.  And 5.8 lbs of that weight loss was pure FAT.  Very exciting! 

I have to say though, I cannot attribute all of my success to the Medi-Weightloss Clinic.  A huge part of my motivation to stick with it and give it my all is right here... this blog and everyone who reads it.  The family and friends and even strangers who contact me with tweets, Facebook messages and blog comments really fuel my ambition to stick with it and give it my all.  So I want to thank everyone for cheering me on and giving me the encouragement I need.  I love that I never feel alone in this journey to a healthier future. 

Another incredible motivational tool for me?  I know at least three couples that are pregnant right now (all due in April) and my best friend just had a baby in January.  Today I need to go buy a baby shower gift for one of my friends.  So, all of this baby stuff going on around me has really helped to remind me what the real goal is in losing weight:  Starting a family. 

Of course its nice to imagine buying smaller jeans, having a jaw line again, and making mens heads swivel as a slimmer version of me walks by (like they used to) but there is absolutely nothing I want more than to flatten out my stomach just to make it huge again with a baby bump.  My Dad is convinced that my husband and I will produce the most beautiful children the world has ever known and Im hell bent on proving him right!

So, what are the short-term goals for week 5 and month 2?  Well, in week 5 Id like to continue losing (obviously) and try for 3.5 lbs to make an even 25 lbs in 5 weeks.  It doesnt seem unrealistic considering my progress thus far but it will be a challenge.  Without challenges, boredom sets in and no one likes to be bored!  For month 2, Id like to be down a total of 30 lbs or more.  It doesnt seem like much of a goal considering Ive already lost 21.5 lbs but I feel like its a realistic and achievable goal.  I like to keep things in perspective and try to remember always that nothing is guaranteed, not even weight loss with hard work.  Plateaus are a reality when dieting so Ill just hope that I lose a reasonable amount of weight each week and be super happy if I can surpass my goals once again.

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Light Indian Food Tips

This article is by Sanjeev Kapoor(Very Famous Indian Chef). Im his fan and liked his tips on eating healthy.

There are many ways to enjoy some light Indian food. If you have roti and sabzi make sure that the roti is not laden with ghee and the sabzi is smartly made in a non stick pan with use of minimal oil. In fact, go ahead and have a bowl of skim milk yogurt, some dal and a bowl of brown rice. What about the salad – have it with a dash of lemon! So you can judge for yourself that is easy to have a balanced meal of light Indian food.

In case you are looking at skimming off calories through the day here are some tips:

Replace one cup of full cream milk with either half a cup or better still replace with same quantity or lesser of low-fat (skimmed) milk.

• Snack on an orange and a banana instead of something fried
• Have steamed vegetables once in a while instead of sautéed ones.
• If you are about to reach for a handful of caramel chocolates, look at dried fruit instead. When making a sandwich, use two slices of whole wheat bread instead of two slices of white bread.
• The nightcap of whole milk hot chocolate can be replaced with skimmed milk flavoured with a dash of elaichi.
• Cut back on sampling during cooking. All "tastes" have calories!
• Snack on a papaya instead of a packet of biscuits.
• On a hot day, quench your thirst with a glass of ice water with lemon or mint instead of a can of cola.
• Use one cup of fat-free cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese.
• Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of a double scoop.
• A good sandwich spread is made with mustard paste or green coriander chutney. So why use mayonnaise or butter?
• Once in a while one can have fried foods but there are possibilities of creating tastier versions using the grill, microwave or methods of steaming or baking.
• In case of cutlets and croquettes, which are deep-fried, ensure to drain them well and then keep on absorbent kitchen paper. This helps in removing the top oil.
• The list of wafers, chocolates, cakes, pastries and biscuits as snacks can be replaced. I suggest that once in a while you also try out fresh fruit, dry fruits, breadsticks or vegetable sticks whenever hunger pangs strike you in between meals.

By: www.sanjeevkapoor.com

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Quick Healthy Recipes Part 4

Chana(Garbanzo) Salad

2 Cup Boiled Chana(Garbanzo)
1 small onion
2 Green Chilies(jalapenos)
2 Tomato
Cilantro/Hara Dhania
1 Lemon
Salt

Cut Onion, green chilies, tomato in very small pieces. Mix with boiled & water drained Chana(Garbanzo).
Add Salt, little lemon juice and finely chopped cilantro on the top. Mix it well and it’s ready to eat.

Note: I use canned Chana(Garbanzo) sometimes when I shortage of time but ake sure rinse it well under running water to make sure all preservatives are gone.

Raita/Yogurt Salad

1 Cup Yogurt/Dhai/Curd
1 Cucumber
1 small onion
2 Green Chilies(jalapenos)
1 Tomato
Cilantro/Hara Dhania
Salt

Cut Cucumber, Onion, green chilies, tomato in very small pieces. Mix with Yogurt.
Add Salt and finely chopped cilantro on the top. Mix it well and it’s ready to eat.

Note: Raita goes well with Biryani or vegetable Pullao

Spinach Paratha

Ingredients:

·         3 cups whole-wheat flour

·         1 large bunch spinach Only leaf part not the stem (approximately 1 lb or 500 gms)

·         1 tsp cumin powder

·         1/2 tsp red chilli powder

·         1/4 tsp asafetida powder

·         1/2 tsp turmeric powder

·         1/2 tsp Oregano(Ajwine)

·         Salt to taste

·         Oil to pan-fry the parathas

Preparation:

·         Wash spinach leafs then steam it in cooker(just 1 whistle) or put in bowl put the lid and microwave for 4min without any additional water.

·         Add the coriander, cumin, red chilli, asafetida, Ajwaine and turmeric powders, salt to taste to the whole-wheat flour. Add the spinach also and mix all together, kneading to form a medium-soft, smooth dough. Add some more whole wheat flour if the dough is too soft or you can add little water if dough is too hard.

·         Keep the dough aside in a close container for 1/2 hours.

·         Divide the dough into equal-sized portions and roll into balls between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.

·         Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a circle Or you can fold it with little oil between the layers and make triangle paratha.

·         Heat a griddle/nonstick pan/ tava and cook the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, apply little oil on both sides of paratha . Flip again cook from both side. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

·         Serve hot with yogurt and chutney. I will not recommend pickle as it’s high in saturated fat. As we are practicing healthy food let’s avoid pickle and try it with fresh CilantroChutny or mint Chutny.

Note: Spinach Parata well with curd or pickle or Tomato or mint chutney

By: Reena Sharma

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