Grilled Chicken - Four Ways

The other day, I posted a photo of a quick lunch I'd drummed up to Facebook and it sparked a bunch of comments and requests for recipes.  I feel a little silly posting this because I don't think it's that creative or unique, but if it helps spark some inspiration for others, feel free to follow suit!  All of these "receipes" use inexpensive, pre-packed items that should be available just about anywhere.  I am using 'recipes' in quotes because they're not actual recipes...they're just ideas of food combinations, if you ask me.

I started by grilling four pieces of chicken (about a pound/16 oz.)  We finally replaced the Ikea grill pan I'd had for years with a better quality square pan that leaves great marks and is high enough that fat can actually drip out like it's supposed to.  I did not season the chicken - just cooked it through. 

Day 1 - Lemon Garlic Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Mixed Veggies
4 oz. plain grilled chicken
A few shakes of Mrs. Dash Lemon Garlic seasoning for chicken
1 box Green Giant Rice Pilaf with Peas, Carrots and Mushrooms

Total Cost:  $5.16
Nutrition:  397 calories, 1254mg sodium, 3g Fiber
Alternative:  Eat only half the rice for less sodium, look for other lower sodium mixed veggies

Day 2 - Herbed Chicken with Polenta Provencal
4 oz. plain grilled chicken
Mixed herbs/spices to taste for chicken
2/3 cup of Trader Joe's frozen polenta provencal (half package)

Total Cost: $6.15
Nutrition:  447 calories, 560mg sodium, 6g Fiber

Day 3 - Citrus Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
4 oz. plain grilled chicken
2-3 TBsp Goya mojo sauce
1 packet Sazon flavoring without salt
Cilantro, to taste
1/4 c white rice
1/2 cup Goya black beans

Reheat the chicken with 2 TBsp mojo sauce for added flavor.  Cook the rice according to package instructions - this will bulk up to a 1/2 cup serving when cooked.  Heat a half cup (1 serving) of Goya black beans mixed with 1 TBsp mojo sauce, 1 packet of Sazon flavoring, topped with fresh cilantro.

Cost:  <$5.00
Nutrition:  410 calories, 335mg sodium, 11.3g Fiber

Day 4 - Thai Grilled Chicken with Noodles and Mixed Veggies
4 oz. plain grilled chicken
3 TBsp Trader Joe's Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1.5 oz. whole wheat pasta (will cook up to a 3 oz. serving)
2 cups  Birds Eye SteamFresh Asian Medley mixed vegetables

Cook the pasta according to directions.  Steam veggies for 5 minutes in the microwave.  Combine chicken, pasta, sauce and vegetables.  Toss until well mixed.

Cost:  <$5.00
Nutrition:  467 calories, 397mg sodium, 4g Fiber

Week 6 Results

The first thing I need to get out of the way is that this week I have managed to lose 1.4 pounds!  Some of you may be like "Whoop-dee-doo...I've lost that in a day", but the truth is that I haven't spent the whole week counting calories and I have not exercised.  Nope, not even once.  But before I can get into what I did do this week that brought about any sort of measurable success, I need to say this:  I have officially lost 10.4 pounds, which means I can make my first donation!  And because I just seem to have this sort of "luck", I get paid tomorrow, so of course it all worked out.

I digress.

I felt a bit lost last week after I'd decided that I couldn't continue on the HMR program.  I talked to quite a few people about different diets and programs they've had success on including Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, South Beach, the metabolic type diet but what I really need isn't another diet, it's a healthier relationship with food.  

I decided to take a step back and give myself this week to just be.  I found that overall, I made much healthier choices eating real food - not pre-packaged stuff full of preservatives.  Most mornings I had oatmeal, fruit, or an egg with an English muffin.  For lunch, I typically had salads, though the other day our cafeteria had a cajun grilled flank steak with cottage fries.  I ordered it, but only asked for one fry and a healthy dose of the garden salad.  A guy behind me on line made fun of me for only taking one fry, but I knew if I took more, I'd eat them.  Better to get the taste and avoid the temptation by having more than one on my plate.  Dinners have been quite a bit of grilled chicken with various sides - polenta, veggies, quinoa.  I did have some steak this week, but I limited my portions by weighing out what I was taking and bulking up my meal with vegetables so I wouldn't feel deprived.

All in, I can't say that I felt deprived of anything this week.  If I wanted something, I had it.  But I limited myself to how much of it I ate.  For instance, yesterday I knew my salad wouldn't totally fill me up, so I bought a small bag of sweet potato chips.  The whole bag was 200 calories or so but had 5 grams of fiber, which I knew would help. It did.  It kept me from seeking out chocolate and candy that I'd be able to get from the vending machines and that wouldn't satisfy my hunger in the long run.

With all of that said, I have found an incredible amount of encouragement from Tyler's blog.   This guy has lost over 100 pounds by simply counting calories, eating in moderation and exercising - all of the things that none of us want to do because it's actually hard freakin' work.  But I've found it encouraging.  It's not that you have to count calories for your whole life, just until you adjust your portion sizes and habits.  He has a common sense approach to weight loss that says:  Eat what you want, but do it in moderation.  That's freeing.  I didn't feel guilty when I had the cottage fry this week...if I'd eaten the whole order of them, I would have, though.  I probably would have felt sluggish too, since my body doesn't react well to carbs.

I don't need or want to lose mega tons of weight each week.  I know that my body doesn't work that way anyway.  But if I can continue losing 7-10 pounds a month, I will reach my goal well before the end of this year.  I have to remember that it sounds slow, but weeks like this add up.  It's like compounding interest, for your waistline!

Life Gets in the Way

It's funny to me how I can start the day with a clear plan and them POW! life just gets in the way! I've got nothing if I don't at least keep my sense of humor, it seems.

So, about the whole "I'm going to have a quinoa and roasted veggie lunch and make a roasted chicken for dinner" yesterday?  Yeah, none of that happened.  However, I did manage to come in 500 calories shy of my maintenance number, so that's a great big leap in the right direction.  Here's how I did it:

• Breakfast was an HMR cereal packet with a banana.  That ended up being 315 calories.
• For lunch, I had the rest of the chicken kielbasa (to get it out of the way) and the rest of the roasted root vegetables I'd made earlier in the week.  Lunch ended up being 348 calories.
• In the mid-afternoon I snacked on some wasabi peas.  Mmmm...so good!  That was another 120 calories.  They're also pretty decent in terms of fiber (3g per serving) so they held me over until dinner.
• For dinner, I made a pot of fresh marinara sauce.  I actually measured the oil (which I never do) and only used a teaspoon so it wouldn't add a lot of calories.  I paired this with pasta and meatballs and a sausage ring.  All in my dinner was 700 calories.
• For dessert, I made a banana bread pudding with a banana, HMR cereal packet and an HMR vanilla shake packet.  That was 425 calories, but it also had 6.5g fiber so I wasn't tempted to eat the rest of the evening.

My totals for the day were significantly better than the day before:  

• 1707 calories
• 1462 mg NA
• 24g Fiber

I've got one more pound to go before I can make my first donation.  I can't wait to get there!

A Change of Plans

I placed my order for the week's food.  It came to another $92.50 and it started me thinking How much am I really spending?  I am fully aware of the ever-so-true "You can't put a price on good health" but the truth is that I have to.  I started working the numbers and after a 9.0 pound loss in five weeks, I also realized that just calculating the food costs and program fees, I'd paid $819.  Cash.  Out of my own pocket since none of this is reimbursable via insurance.  That is simply not sustainable.  That would mean I'd pay roughly $9,000 to lose all the weight I'd like to lose in the coming year.  Do you know what else that $9,000 could help me do?  Travel.  Buy our first home.  Help towards a new car.  Bulk up our savings.  Pay down my debt. Pay for a few more post-graduate credits.  I pride myself on making smart financial choices, but this was absolutely not one of them.

So while I'm 9 pounds thinner and a size smaller (went from an 18 to a 16), I'm also significantly lighter in the wallet.  I am back to square one now, researching options.  I had a chat with my friend that's on Jenny Craig.  I asked another friend for some info on the metabolic type diet she's following.  I went back and re-read some of the South Beach stuff from the first time I went on it.  I don't have a solid plan yet and I don't want to jump into something else that's going to be just as expensive.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give 'real eating' a shot and see how I do.  Yesterday started out incredibly well and as the day went on, it just went awry.  For breakfast, I went to our office cafeteria and had some fresh oatmeal with a pinch of brown sugar and a tablespoon of granola.  I had a banana and picked up some seltzer.  223 calories.  This is only slightly above the calories I'd have on a typical HMR breakfast day.

For lunch, I went back to the cafeteria with a friend and because I hadn't had any mid-day snacks and we went a lot later than I normally eat (1:30 vs. 12:00), I was famished.  I ordered a roasted turkey sandwich on artisan bread with a hummus spread.  I also had a small salad with 2 tablespoons of lemon vinaigrette dressing.  Oh, and a Sprite Zero.  420 calories.  This is higher than an HMR lunch because their entrees are only like 200 calories and the salad didn't add much in terms of calories.  I blame this on the bread.  But, it was delicious.

Dinner is where things went incredibly wonky.  I stayed late at the office and my husband and I needed to go the grocery store to pick up a few things.  I hadn't taken anything out to cook because I'd gotten so used to just popping an entree in the microwave that I hadn't thought about it.  So, I grabbed a chicken kielbasa for myself.  Uhm.  I shouldn't have done that.  First of all, who only eats one serving?  2 oz. of protein doesn't fill anyone up!  My thought process was that while I know regular kielbasa is terrible for you, this was CHICKEN!  This can't be bad, right?  Totally wrong!

After I ate a whopping 9 oz. of it and stole a cup of my husband's mac and cheese, I calculated it all and was dismayed to discover that my dinner was actually more calories than I should be eating in an entire day.  1247 calories.  No joke!  What could possibly be worse than that?  The realization that I also had over 5,000mg of sodium in that one meal.  OMG this is why my fingers swelled up like fat little sausages!

I ended the day at 2130 calories when it was all said and done.  I did a little snacking after dinner, which didn't help matters.  At first I was dismayed.  That's about 900 calories more than I'd been eating on the HMR plan.  But I've already identified where I went wrong:

1. I should have planned mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks.  Those snacks should have been something like fruit, veggies or maybe a protein bar.  But something that would hold me over so I wouldn't go ballistic when I finally did eat.
2. I should absolutely not have gone to the grocery store while being famished.  The kielbasa was chosen because it doesn't take long to heat up.  I could have just as easily grabbed a Lean Cuisine or WW meal for lower calories, lower sodium and probably lower cost.
3. I should not have started on the mac and cheese.  It's clearly a trigger food for me.  
4. I should have paired the meat with vegetables.  They would have been lower calories, more fiber and actually fill me up.  That would have prevented me from further snacking.

The good news, if there could be any, is that I still came under the amount of calories I'd need to eat to maintain my weight.  I have up to 2200 to maintain.  So, while it wasn't a good day, I learned a lot and it's not like I ate enough to gain weight. 

Now I'm off to drink as much water as possible today to try to flush all of this sodium out.  I am going to start my day with an HMR cereal packet and some fruit.  I may as well use up the rest of what I've already purchased.  For lunch, I'm going to have some of a frozen quinoa and roasted veggie meal I purchased from Trader Joe's.  I will pair it with some additional fresh vegetables.  We're having a friend over for dinner tonight and I have yet to plan the menu, but I suspect it will be something like roasted chicken, with some veggies and perhaps roasted or boiled potatoes.


Today is already shaping up to be a better day! 

Month 1 Weigh In

There is a slight discrepancy between my records and those of my HMR coach.  That's because they round up/down and I...well, I don't.  So technically, last week, I didn't lose anything if you looked at their records.  But I did lose 0.8 pounds and that kept me motivated.  This week, when I stepped on the scale, it showed a 2.2 pound loss.  But, on their records, it shows 3.0 pounds because they didn't account for the loss last week due to rounding.

This brings my total weight loss in the first month to 7.5 pounds!  I was feeling a little discouraged about this yesterday.  I mean, I am paying $135 a month in program fees and another $80-120/week in food costs.  I've significantly cut back on my caloric intake.  Even on days when I'm eating out of the box, I am not going totally crazy and consuming nearly as many calories as I did on a prior "normal" day.  I am exercising - something I NEVER did before starting this plan.

I have other friends that are dieting and are losing more weight than I am.  They're also spending a lot less money on their programs too.  One friend, who is on Jenny Craig, lost 21 pounds in two months.  Another lost like 7 pounds on Slim Fast in a week.

But I have to stop.  Be patient.  And most important, remember that none of those things have worked for me in the past.  I gained weight on Jenny Craig.  I also gained weight on Weight Watchers, if you can believe it.  I watched my weight, alright...I watched it go right through the roof.  I lost weight on Slim Fast and as soon as I stopped having their shakes as my meal replacements, I gained it all back (and then some).  So, I have to remember my primary reason for doing this:  Long-term success in managing my weight.

This isn't a static thing.  It's not like you just lose weight and suddenly you are full of knowledge about how to live a healthy lifestyle and keep it off.  That's always been my biggest challenge.

A friend reminded me that it takes time to make these kinds of changes.  That 2 pounds a week is a healthy rate of loss.  That even though it can be frustrating, the longer it takes, the more likely it is to stay off.  I did find that to be true back in 2008 when I lost 40 pounds.  I still haven't gained it all back. 

My mother reminded me that I don't lose weight like everyone else either.  I am not the kind of person who has big losses initially and then continued small losses like everyone else.  It's hard to stop the comparisons.  So, I went back and dug up my old spreadsheet when I lost that 40 pounds and I looked at my weekly weigh-ins.  She's right.  I'd have a 2-3 pound loss, followed by either no loss, or only a half pound, followed by a 1 pound loss, then a 2-3 pound loss.  Sometimes that pattern varied.  Sometimes rather than 2-3 pound losses, it was more like 4, but that was rare.

Another friend reminded me that if I hadn't started when I did, I might be 15 pounds heavier.  In my case, that's not unrealistic given the way I love the foods we have around the holidays and how much weight I typically gain between November and January (5-10 pounds).

I decided to stop feeling miserable about it and change my outlook.  Maybe I'm not losing it as fast I want, but I am losing.  The scale is moving in the right direction.  My clothes are fitting better.  In fact, I am wearing a size smaller now than I did when I got married in July.  I am exercising, which is improving my overall health.  

This morning, despite wanting to stay in bed, under the flannel sheets where it was warm, I got up and went to the gym.  I only had a half hour before I had to hit the shower to get to work on time, but I worked hard for that thirty minutes, burning 325 calories.  I also committed to completing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD tonight, to blast off another 260 calories, for a total burn of 585 calories today. 

I am GOING to meet my 2,000 calorie Physical Activity Goal this week!  Come hell or high water, I am going to meet or exceed it!

I may look like this...

© Mike's Gym

But I'm going to do it!

Time to Train

Most of the people that I know are reading this blog also know me in real life and know that my mother has been battling breast cancer for almost the last decade.  I heard an ad on the radio a few days ago about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk (60 miles!) for breast cancer research; my husband looked at me and said, "You know you're going to do that."  He wasn't saying it like an order:  I demand you walk sixty miles in three days.  He just knows.  He knows me.

I'm not a walker by any means.  I prefer the elliptical or circuit training.  But this is near and dear to my heart.  Also, it's a definite BHAG (or Big Hairy Audacious Goal, for those of you outside Corporate America).  Another upside:  it will force me to train which means it will force me to exercise which will also help my goal to lose weight.  It's a win-win situation!

So, I paid my registration fee (reduced by $25 if you register before the end of January!) and swallowed that lump in my throat and I told all the negative voices in my head telling me I can't do this and I can't raise that much money ($2,500) to just STFU.  I developed my 'Personal Page' on their website and started begging the people I knew for donations.  I was at 4% of my goal in one day!  I'm not afraid; I've got strategies to keep the momentum going.

Because I can do this.  I can do anything I tell myself I can do.  I just need to keep telling myself this story until I believe it.  Until it becomes a reality and not just a pipe dream.

The training materials that they provide are very helpful.  I am still a fairly sedentary person.  I have a desk job.  I really only work out 3 days a week when I know I should be doing more.  I don't take the stairs (thanks osteoarthritis in my  knee!) or park further away at the mall.  The plan tells you that your basic starting point should be the ability to walk 3 miles an hour for a full hour.  From that point is where you start following the plan they've laid out (and it's a great plan to build endurance, stretch those miles and add time)!

This morning I decided it was time to see where I stand with the plan and whether or not it's something I can start as soon as Monday, or if I'm going to have to do some work to even start training.  A little pre-training training, if you will.

It turns out that while I'm not there yet, I am a lot closer than I thought.  I managed to go 2.5 miles in an hour.  I had a little snafu in which my engagement ring pulled the emergency plug and I couldn't get the treadmill to continue my workout even when I got the plug back in place.  I digress.  Anyway, the gist is that I need to shave off a half mile from my time.  I tried to increase/decrease my pace but it still worked out to an average of 2.5 miles an hour.  

Next time, I think I will kick off with my upbeat trance playlist instead of taking it slow with one of my mellow ones.  I didn't switch over until the last ten minutes or so of the workout.  I will try increasing my speed until I get to the point where I can comfortably walk 3mph.  Once I get to that point, I can start the official training plan:

• "Easy walks" (these are slower paced and shorter distances - 3-4mph for an hour)
• The next day will be a cross-training day, so I would need to do 45-60 minutes of something like cycling, elliptical, circuits, etc.
• This would be followed by a "Moderate walk" which would be 3-4mph pace for a 5-6 mile distance
• Weekends provide the opportunity to build up to 17-20 mile back-to-back walks so that you get a sense of what the event will feel like for your body

I am hoping that by the time the official training walks begin in mid-to-late spring that I can already do a 10 mile walk comfortably.  That would help me tremendously as the leaders plan courses around the city that are more like 15-20 mile walks.

I'm pumped!  The event will take place July 22-24, the weekend before my first anniversary.  After a friend heard I was doing this, she signed up to be a crew member so she can cheer me on throughout the weekend.  I am truly blessed.

In other, semi-related news...I figured out how to make a faux butterscotch "bread" pudding from the HMR cereal and a packet of HMR 70+ vanilla with a touch of sugar free butterscotch pudding mix.  OMG, delicious!  

It clearly didn't look as delicious as that photo above, but it tasted amazing! 

Slow and Steady...

At my third weigh-in tonight, I lost .8 pounds.  Yes, there's a decimal there.  Less than a pound.  But, like a friend reminded me this evening, it's a loss and it's consistent and that's what really counts.  I'm on a journey and I'm going to get to where I want to be.  And I'm learning how to eat better in the process.

Even on days when I am not fully on the plan (this week, for instance, that would be four of the last seven days), I am not making the same choices I used to.  It's water over soda.  It's avocado salad and edamame over chicken tempura.  It's a hefty salad instead of a braised short rib.  These are literally choices I had to make this week alone.  These are choices I did make.

Now, the holidays are officially behind me.  I've got no travel planned for quite a while, so there's no reason I can't logically get back in the box and stick to this plan fully.  I made a commitment not only to myself, but to many people - even strangers.  I am going to accomplish this.

I have a new coach and next week, I'll be switching to a new class and reinforcing some of the earliest behaviors we were asked to change.  This will be a fresh start for me.

The Holi-Daze

I know the holidays are supposed to be about good cheer, family and loved ones, and for those of certain faiths - God.  However, for me, the holidays have always been about food.  Yes, sure, I look forward to seeing my family!  But at the end of the day, a large part of the anticipation is around the traditions we've established, and those include mass quantities of food.

With that said, I was dreading getting on the scale on Wednesday for my Official Weigh In.  I was only in week two, but I knew, just knew I was going to have gained back the 3.5 pounds I'd fought so hard to lose.  How could I have not gained it back when I only ate 'in the box' for two of the prior seven days?  How could I have not gained it back when I ate (insert loud audible gasp) COOKIES three days in a row?  How could I have not gained it back when I splurged on Thai food (noodles with chicken and Chinese broccoli, if you must know) and crusty French bread at Pigalle with, not for, dinner?  On the same day, even!  A travesty, I know!

But, I did not gain.  In fact, I lost.  I lost another pound.  That brings my weight loss in two weeks to a total 4.5 pounds gone.  Wow woman!  You're a real champ! my brain informed me, You lost 2.25 pounds a week two weeks in a row...Whoopdeefreakin' do!  Bring on the wonder!  But really, it's a feat.  It is a feat when you're surrounded by food you love, but aren't supposed to eat and do anyway (in moderation, I swear!) and to force yourself to get up and move even when you'd rather not don unflattering sweatpants and dig your family out of two feet of snow.  No really, I helped!

I was shocked when I stepped on the scale.  But then, during my class I started feeling guilty because another woman stuck strictly to the plan and she didn't lose anything.  Not an ounce.  But how can that be?  I am usually that woman!  I don't know.  And I decided it was better not to invite such negativity into my world.  Best to just let it go, get back on track and move on.

But then, my husband surprised me by wanting to plan an impromptu overnight trip to the White Mountains on New Years Eve.  I managed to finagle a room, despite everything in the region being sold out.  But I knew it would be pointless for me to bring my food since our room didn't have a kitchenette.  That meant at least three meals 'out of the box'.  So, how did I fare?

For lunch on the first day, I chose a 7oz. steak from Applebee's from their <550 calorie menu.  I asked them to hold the asiago, provide a plain baked potato and plain steamed veggie with no butter.  But then, I went a bit wayward and had a brownie bite.  Literally, it was about three (bites, that is).  That evening, I ordered a chicken pesto salad without the cheese and asked for the balsamic dressing on the side.  It turns out, I didn't need any of it anyway.  But then, I ordered an apple crisp.  Whoops.  On our last meal of the trip, I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich.  I substituted the beer battered fries for a house salad with balsamic on the side.  I really wanted the fries.

As soon as we got home, I met up with friends to work out.  I hadn't worked out in a few days and had been hoping to get something exercise-related done while we were away, but we just didn't have time.  Nordic skiing?  Snow Shoeing?  Nope.  I digress.  I put on my brand spankin' new Reebok Easy Tone sneakers and headed to the treadmill.  They put quite a bit of stress on my legs, ankles and feet (which is mostly what they're supposed to do), so I couldn't quite do as much as I could in a normal pair of sneakers.  But, I did manage to get a mile in while burning about 200 calories.  I followed that up with about 25 crunches...all I could muster on the under-inflated stability ball in my apartment building's gym.

 

Since I've been home, I've picked myself up, dusted myself off and gotten back 'in the box'.  Dinner was a mix of two entrees - chicken pasta and turkey chili - for a semblance of a turkey mac.  I followed that up with what has quickly become one of my favorite snacks:  an HMR 70+ vanilla shake mixed with 2 tsp PB2 (or, in non-HMR speak, powdered peanut butter, which I assure you tastes much better than it sounds) with a sliced apple.  Mmmmm!  I've only had half the water I was supposed to have today, but I'll make an extra effort tomorrow.  Also, back to the gym tomorrow morning with these same gals and I can't wait!  The plan for tomorrow is to get in 30 minutes on the elliptical as well as 20 minutes of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.  I need the strength/cardio combo...it's been too many days without it!