Whine whine whine...

Ok...so I have to start by saying..."I am soooo sick"!

I feel miserable! I don't know if it's a cold or allergies or I'm dying...I am so exhausted that I can't even see straight!

So, I had a pretty OK Day 3…I ate great…but I didn’t get my 20 crunches or 30 minutes of walking in…I just felt too tired…ugh…

So I had a conversation with Missy yesterday about the “Magical Breakfast Blaster” shake. Her mom…who is an endless source of knowledge on health issues…said that Soy Protein is in fact very bad for you…hmmmmm…so, I did a little research and it turns out that soy really isn’t as great as everyone says…now…I am fully convinced that everything in this country is a carcinogen and has the potential to kill you…and I mean everything…from burnt toast to cheerleader moms…but I found a website that lists the potential dangers of soy. I figure since I posted a “killer” shake…I’d better do my “due diligence” and post the website too!

http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm

On another note…another meal my You On A Diet book suggests is a Boca Burger on a Whole Grain English Muffin. Now, I’ve never had a Boca Burger or any other kind of meatless burger…truthfully I think it’s due to the fact that I picture only tree-hugging PETA freaks eating that crap…but since I am now trying to be a faithful subject to Dr. Oz (check out the Oprah website link)…I gave it a shot…here’s the thing…it tastes freakishly like a McDonalds hamburger…now…the question is…is this a salute to the people over at the Boca Burger plant or a red flag for the folks at McDonalds…I’m not saying, I’m just saying…

On another note, I have to post a recipe that Nikki (another co-worker…who ironically enough is married to Adam…the other co-worker I blogged about yesterday) brought in. I told her she was the Devil Incarnate because these bars were so damn good and probably so damn bad for you. She fed me a line of crap about how she made them with Wheat Flour and Oats, which are both really really good for you…I didn’t buy it…but I still broke down and had a small bite…


Oatmeal Caramelitas
Base
2 C. Flour (apparently if you use whole wheat it makes these healthy!)
2 C. Quick Cooking Oats
1 ½ C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt

Filling
1 jar Smucker’s Caramel Ice Cream Topping
3 Tbsp. Flour
1 C. Semisweet Chocolate Chips
½ C. Chopped Nuts

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease 13 x 9 pan. In large bowl, beat base ingredients until crumbly. Reserve half of mixture for topping. Press remaining into bottom of pan.

Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl stir caramel topping and flour. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over partially baked base. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan for about 1 hour. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars and store in airtight container.

Make these and you too will be cursing Nikki!

Date Night Disaster!

Well, I'm officially starting Day 3!

The good news...
Day 2 was pretty good...I wasn't as hungry as I was on Day 1....which is great! I even walked to the 4th floor twice, did my 20 crunches, and walked 30 minutes.

The bad news...
Every Tuesday is "Date Night" for Shawn and I. Now...if you've ever had the opportunity to live in Eau Claire, WI you will quickly find out that there is nothing to do in this town short of filling your face and binge drinking...

Yeah, about that....

So we started off by going to a little Greek dive with great food. I got the Gyro dinner...it came with a salad...great! So far so good! I ate the Gyro meat and only had about 1/4 of the pita...which looked suspiciously healthy anyways...it all went down hill when I ordered the Baklava...I stared at it through dinner...and then hopefully asked Shawn "It probably is not that bad right? I mean...it has walnuts in it...". Shawn, being the realist that he is promptly told me it was probably really bad...and me....well, being me, promptly ate it. I justified it by the fact that I had not had a snack that afternoon and did not order pop, but water...this is a ridiculous justification...I know...

After feeling horribly guilty, I suggested that we go to the gym (at work) and I walk 30 minutes. So away we went. I walked, watched a little Idol, made chit-chat with Adam (a co-worker who was also working out) and before I knew it, I was feeling great!

Not ready to go home, I decide to go to the local Mexican dive - aren't I cultured!? to get a $0.99 Margarita. Well, somewhere along the way the $0.99 Margarita turned into two mucho sized Margaritas, a Caramel Flan, and Chips and Salsa...I'm so ashamed!!!

So, I sit here today in guilt, pity, and a small hang-over and pledge to you...I will walk to the 4th floor 3 times, do 30 crunches, and walk for 40 minutes (hey, I'm only human!)

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I've changed the settings on my site so that anyone should be able to comments...so take advantage of this!!!! I'd like your thoughts!!

Magical Breakfast Blaster

I got a request from one of my avid readers (Hi Joe!) for the protein shake I blogged about yesterday...here it is!

The Quick Magical Breakfast Blaster
2 servings, 136 calories per serving

1 scoop (1/3 cup) Soy protein
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 large ripe banana (or other fruits of your choice)
1/2 tablespoon apple juice concentrate or honey
1 tsp Psyillium seed husks (I couldn't find this)

Peel banana; break into chunks. Put all ingredients in a blender. Add 12 ounces of water and ice, as well as powdered vitamins. Cover, blend until fairly smooth.

MJ and the Birdseed

Good morning!!!!

My friend Melissa emailed me...apparently you can't post to this blog unless you have a Gmail Account....sorry guys! If you're interested in one, just shoot me an email and I can invite you...apparently Gmail is invitation only.

I thought Melissa had some great advice...so all you closet dieters can learn from her! Here's what she wrote:

Heather,
I don't have a gmail account so I can't post this. Be here is what I would have posted.

Way to go Heather! I'm so proud of you! For those of you who might not know me (Heather's goofy friend from Glenwood City) I started my weight management journey at the tender age of 14. Not what I recommend, but like I said, I'm a goofball.
I lost 25 pounds one summer before starting the 8th grade and I made a commitment to never be overweight again. Yes, I am a bit "goal-oriented" as some would say. But hey, at 32 I now have about 18 years of experience under my belt. Here are my secrets:

Learn to pack healthy lunches and plan healthy meals. Always. Don't get sucked into the junk food and convenience food mode.

Find a type of fitness you really enjoy and can see doing the rest of your life (seriously) I enjoy walking and aerobics. I do this 3-4 times a week for over 30 minutes a day. Luckily, I have a fitness center at work.

Learn portion control and practice it everyday. You will be surprised at what true portion sizes really are.

Don't drink pop.

Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime.

Basically, make wise food choices every time you put something in your mouth. Think...do you really need that "treat" or if there is a healthier alternative. Breakfast and Lunch can be nearly fool-proof with this method. Yes, this is unrealistic that every choice will be a good one. But if you do this 85% of the time and have your exercise routine down, that 15% of bad stuff will not cause much (if any) weight gain. So, don't be too hard on yourself.

Write down what you eat. Like Heather is doing.

Now, the depressing part. This is how it is going to be. It is a life change in how you think and act regarding food.

Best of luck Heather! I know you will do great!

Melissa

Thanks Melissa!!!!! I've always remembered how you told me that after you lost your weight you ran around the track with the bags of birdseed to remember how it felt to be that much heavier...even though that is slightly messed up (J/K)...I remember thinking how I could never run around the track with the damn birdseed...so I could imagine how good and how much easier it would feel to be less that much weight...so my new motivation is to think about birdseed!!!!

I measured my waist and I lost 1/2 inch! Not too shabby!
The Asian Salmon was great and I stuck to my fitness goals yesterday! I'd like to think that Day 1 was a raging success...now I tackle Day 2.

Here is the Asian Salmon recipe I promised...I'll just post the marinade...I don't think it matters how you cook it...as long as it's not deep-fried!

Asian Marinade

1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup (I would think honey would be good too)

1 Tablesppon of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

(I found a jar of fresh ginger in the health food isle at Festival Foods! I was so excited because I HATE grating ginger! Plus, the whole jar was less than $2.00 and it will keep in the fridge)

1 Tablesppon of minced garlic

1 Tablesppon of sliced scallions (just the green part)

Don't eat the Peanut Butter!

It's Monday...day 1 of my diet! We'll see how it goes! I got up this morning at 6:30...which according to my daughter was really 5:30...she has been "re-calculating the time every 5 minutes...I never realized that Daylight Savings would be so fascinating for a 9 year old!

I have my lunch and snack all packed! For breakfast I had a banana and a peice of Brownberry toast w/Peanut Butter....

Ok...we need to talk about this Peanut Butter...

So it's from Smart Balance and contains 1000 mg Omega-3’s per serving. It has no hydrogenated oil; no trans fatty acid and no refined sugar. All natural but doesn’t need refrigeration.

It also touts a great peanutty flavor...now....I'm not about to negate the peanutty flavor...it does have a nice peanut nuance to it...what I have a problem with is the FISH after-taste! This crap is DISGUSTING!!

I really hope the Peanut Butter is not setting the stage for this whole diet!

I also made my "Magic Blaster" protein shake for lunch. I made one on Saturday and liked it ok...not my first choice in a meal...but if it get's me a step closer to "Super-Model" status, I'll survive...

My goal today is to walk up to the 4th floor here at work at least twice, do 20 sit-ups, and walk 30 minutes.

Tonight we're having Asian Salmon and Brown Rice Pilaf for supper...if it turns out to be edible, I'll post the recipe!

If you're interested in the plan that I'm going to follow you can check out Oprah's website...here is the link!

http://www.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/20061102/yourbody_20061102_350_201.jhtml