Diet Deviations Or Learning To Slay Your Dragons

So often when we diet we exceed our calorie limit.   If that calorie limit is set per day, then how do we get back on track when we've already exceeded our limit for the day?

Shall we just go hungry the rest of the day?  At least, if we do that we won't feel like a failure.  That is if we can manage going hungry.  It's not likely we'll be able to tough it out and we'll end up feeling worse than ever.

Going hungry is never a good idea--not that being hungry is necessarily harmful in and of itself, but for someone dieting it can be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

The best way I've found to handle this situation is to not only have a daily calorie allotment, but a 'per meal' and 'per snack' allotment.

Say I've set myself an allowance of 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, with a total daily calorie count of 1350 calories, with a 200 calorie breakfast, a 300 calorie lunch, and a 400 calorie supper, and snacks of 150 calories each.

In the event I go 'crazy' and eat 1350 calories by the end of lunch, I don't have to feel troubled the rest of the day, wishing it over so I can start fresh the next day with new resolve.

Because come snack time I know I can safely eat 150 calories, and at supper 400 calories.  Being right back on track, I can immediately feel successful and not let a half a day of weakness dishearten me.

This strategy is a great benefit.  And you can employ it no matter how you measure your allowed food.  If, instead of calories, you count protein/fat/carbs, do the same--set up a daily allotment as well as meal/snack allotments.

In so doing you will always have a map to guide you should you veer off course.

As well, this strategy reduces emotional stressors  that accompany dieting.  Too often, in my opinion, diet plans don't address  the emotional elements of dieting.

We humans are emotional beings and nothing we do is cut and dried, devoid of emotion. If we don't figure out how to deal with the emotional aspects of the process we likely won't be successful.

You can tell yourself to 'just do it' all day long.  And every time you fail you will wonder 'why can't I 'just do it'?  And the logical answer, to your mind, will be 'I'm just weak'.

Well, humanly speaking we are all weak in our problem areas.  If we weren't they wouldn't be problem areas.

Understanding that this weakness is why you have the problem in the first place will help you understand that you need to take countermeasures.  That you need to learn how to slay your dragons. 

I've used this method for two years now and it has made all the difference in the world.  I feel like I've finally got a handle on how to keep track of my food intake and manage it.  And I don't feel weak any longer.  I have the sword to slay my dragon.

Cheery Cherry Pie on Presidents Day

This pie will cheer you.  Why?  Because it's easy to make and easy on the calories.

You will need:

***half a can of cherry pie filling

***6 egg roll wrappers which have been cut into quarters or 24 won top wrappers

***mini cupcake pan with 24 cups

***oil spray like Pam

This will make 24.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray the mini cupcake pan.  Into each cup place a square of wrapper, pressing it into the sides of  the cup.  Place one whole cherry in each cup and top with enough glaze to almost fill.  Press the overlapping wrapper over the top--no need to seal it.  Spray lightly with oil spray.  Bake 15 minutes or until browned.  Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I used Mussleman cherry pie filling and Nasoya brand wrappers.  Each cheery cherry pie is 30 calories.  

Grown Up Dessert

COFFEE JELLO

• Dissolve one packet of plain unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold liquid (water or coffee).  Let sit 5 minutes to soften.

• Add 1.5 cups of hot (boiling) coffee. 

• Stir in 1/4 cup sweetener of choice ( I used Splenda...you can use sugar if you wish) and a dash of salt.   Stir until dissolved.

•  Chill until set.

• Serve spooned into coffee cups, top with whipped cream.

A nice addition would be a drizzle of Chocolate Magic Shell for a mocha flavor.  You might add some chocolate syrup too as part of the liquid, reducing the added sweetener to taste.

In the future I'm going to try making this using green tea in place of the coffee.

Serves One or Three

Yummy Jello Sponge Fluff

Light, pastel color..... perfect for Spring.

 

Dissolve one small box sugar free gelatin--flavor your choice--in one cup of boiling water.

Chill until it begins to thicken-- the consistency will be like egg whites.

Stir in one half cup of fat free plain yogurt.

Fold in once scant cup (60 grams/100 calories worth) of fat free Cool Whip.

Chill until set.

Top with additional Cool Whip if desired.

Enjoy.

This whole recipe only has 175 calories.

It yields 3 nice servings--or you could eat the whole thing!

Perfect for those times you want something sweet, but not heavy.

Or you need to budget you calories and don't want to feel deprived of dessert.

More Goat Cheese Love

Goat Cheese.  I love you.  Will you marry me?

Now if I could just figure out how to live near a Costco, where goat cheese is sold in honkin' big hunks.  

Guess you get that I love goat cheese.

Here is a new way to enjoy it.

  Prep half a red pepper and pan roast it on both sides in a small skillet.

When it's roasted to your preference--I like mine with a little crunch-- remove to a plate. 

Top with a bed of baby spinach leaves.

Open a can of tuna, drain it, and dump it onto the spinach.

Top that with an ounce--or two-- of luscious creamy wonderful goat cheese.

Sprinkle with walnuts.

A vinaigrette is nice as a dressing.

Or a just a drizzle of fruity dark extra virgin olive oil will suffice.

Add a side of garlicky crackers or some toasted baguette for some crunch.

Eat. Enjoy. Heaven on your taste buds.

Note:  You can substitute any leafy green for the raw spinach.

TEXAS TWO STEP

For a quick and easy meal, no dancing experience necessary.

Layer 1:  rice or tortilla

Layer 2:    black beans

Layer 3:  grated cheese

Layer 4: raw spinach or lettuce

Layer 5:  one over easy egg

Layer 6:  sour cream

Layer 7:  salsa

Weight Loss Update

Finally.

Reached my second goal.

Thirty--30--pounds gone.

Now I'm thinking about setting a new goal.

But I think I'll enjoy this number for awhile first.

I could tell I'd lost without weighing myself--by the way my watchband fit.

I have a child's pink camouflage watch.

When I started wearing it I used the last hole.

It was tight.

Eventually I was able to use the second to the last hole, though tight.

Now is it loose on the second to last hole.

So I must be losing fat overall.

Let me encourage you to NOT go on a diet.

Instead figure out a way to eat for life that will 'carry' you to your ideal weight.

What worked for me is 6 mini-meals a day.

Six SMALL meals a day.

It is easier to eat less when you know you will be eating soon.

Eating before you get very hungry not only helps you prevent overeating, but helps you to eat less at that meal, and overall during the course of a day.


I always figured the more often I ate, the more I'd eat in the end.

But for me that was not true.

 I encourage you to 'discover' what works for you.

But the bottom line is :

We must all eat/take in less calories than we've been eating if we want to be smaller.

My mantra is :

Eat small to be small.  If you over indulge you will bulge.

Cheeseburger Salad

Dynamite dish.
 

Not original. 

Borrowed it from Deerunstoo

She's a vegetarian so she used a veggie burger.

I used a turkey burger.

Make a green salad.

Top a cooked burger with a slice of cheese and heat to melt.  Put it on top of your green salad.

Now top the cheeseburger with your typical burger toppings.

Mine today were a slice of onion, dill pickle slices, mustard, catsup, and a tiny bit of mayonnaise.

Now eat with a fork.

All I can say is wow.

Didn't miss the bread in the least.

This will definitely go on my supper menu rotation.

Check out Deerunstoo's  website  , her you-tube channel 

and her blog.

And if you'd like to see her 'not cheeseburger salad' video   click here.

Another Favorite Mini-meal

I love goat cheese with curry powder, walnuts and honey for breakfast, accompanied by some tea rusks or Melba Toast.  

It's my almost every day go to breakfast--along with a cup of coffee of two.  And it's reserved for breakfast.

What to have for lunch?

I have a new favorite mini-meal.

Lightly smoked sardines in oil--drain the oil-- and coat with a small dab of spicy brown mustard. 

Alongside that have a serving of cottage cheese--my fave is Breakstone fat free;

and 3 rosemary and olive crackers.

Fast, tasty, healthful.

And a good source of omega 3's,

SATISFY A SWEET TOOTH

 Split a banana  long ways.

Spread with smear of peanut butter.

(My favorite organic is Smuckers.  I've tired several and it is the best.)

Top with a dollop or two of fat free Cool Whip.

Sprinkle with some coconut.

Delightful.

But it may be addictive--it is that good.

You've been warned.

Note:  You could skip the peanut butter and sprinkle it with chopped peanuts instead.

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Chocolate covered ones that is.

I had my share of chocolate covered cherries over the holidays.

Now it's time to get back to healthy eating and reaching my second weight loss goal.

But--I need not give up the flavor combination.

I've found a low calorie low carb substitute that tastes surprisingly like:   *chocolate covered cherries *  :-)

One bowl

One single serve of sugar free CHERRY gelatin

4 tablespoons of fat free Cool Whip

Unsweetened cocoa powder

One spoon

Into the bowl goes the gelatin; break it up with the spoon.  Cover with a layer of FF CW.  Sprinkle with the cocoa powder.  Eat with your spoon.  Yum Yum.

Enjoy.

Edit:  Skip the cocoa powder and drizzle with chocolate Magic Shell ice cream topping.  Top with 3 maraschino cherries.  Stick in the freezer a minute or two to harden the shell.  Wow.  Good.  But more calories...and fat.   

Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

Trust me--you won't know these have cottage cheese in them.  The pumpkin is perfect for fall, and now that there is an abundance at the store--and in your pantry too? ( I stocked up)--it's time to use some of it.

This is one serving.

In a bowl :

• beat one whole egg with a fork (you could use two whites if you prefer)
• add one fourth cup fat free cottage cheese, beat together
• add one fourth cup self rising flour and 1 teaspoon of sugar (it helps the cakes to brown), mix well
• add 2 heaping tablespoons of canned pumpkin, mix together
• sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, to taste--OR add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc to taste if you don't have the pie spice mix--and stir
• add enough water for the consistency you desire--thick pancakes?..use less.  Thin pancakes?...use more

In a non stick skillet that has been liberally sprayed with cooking spray cook as you would any pancake.

When you are ready add your toppings.  I  spray them with a buttery spray,  then drizzle with  sugar free maple syrup and top with a few pieces of broken walnuts.  (You could add the nuts to the mix before cooking.)  I like to sprinkle mine with some additional cinnamon too.  (Dr. Oz says cinnamon boosts your metabolism and it helps lower blood sugar as well.)

For an extra protein boost I eat an egg on the side.

By themselves the pancakes yield 14 grams of protein from animal sources (eggs and cottage cheese).  The egg on the side adds another 7 grams.

This is a hearty breakfast that should keep you going full steam ahead until lunch time.  The calorie count comes in at 350 total if you use the sugar free syrup. 

This meal would constitute my breakfast and mid-morning snack.

Magic Cookie Cool Whip Dessert

Just when I thought there were no more options I surprise myself.

Marble Slab Creamery has their mix-ins, Kath of  "Kath Eats Real Food" has her oatmeal  mix-ins and I have my Cool Whip mix-ins.

If you like the taste of Magic Cookie Bars you'll probably like this.

Into 56 grams of fat free Cool Whip (that's a fourth of the tub) add:

• a pinch of coconut (about a tablespoon)
• a few broken walnuts
• a few mini chocolate chips or grated chocolate
• one whole graham cracker broken into pieces--not crumbs but smallish pieces

Fold this together.  It makes one serving.

The fat from the nuts and coconut are good fats.

The calorie count will depend on how much you add but the CW is 90 calories, a tablespoon of coconut is 35, a half tablespoon of mini chips is 35, the graham cracker is 65 and an eighth ounce of walnuts is 25.

To make a few walnuts 'feel' like more, don't fold them in, sprinkle them on top and leave the pieces large.  A little will go a long way.

This dessert may cost you 250 calories, but it beats having a whole pan of Magic Cookie Bars in the house.

The portion is generous so it doesn't feel like calorie pinching--which is the parallel of penny pinching.  As we must budget our money, so must we budget our calories. 

Enjoy.

Next post it's back to the classic TV videos.  There's something about nostalgia that puts me in a holiday mood, and after all, Thanksgiving is next Thursday.

Do you know where your turkey is?

Cool Whip Number 12

Just when I thought I was out of fat free Cool Whip options I discover a couple more.

Today's one serving treat is 'Whipped Coconut Pie' and as usual  no real recipe.

Just toss together one quarter tub (56 grams) of fat free CW with one whole broken graham cracker and a tablespoon of grated coconut.

Heavenly and 190 calories. The coconut adds 2 grams of fat.

Tomorrow Cool Whip 13.

And after that it's back to the nostalgia.  

The Junk Food Diet

Nutrition Professor:   Eats Junk Food, Loses Weight

And he ate only what he could purchase at a convenience store.

To read the full story click here or here.

Tomorrow it's back to nostalgic vintage video--because tis the season to be jolly-fa la la la la, la la la la.

Hot Sandwich for a Cold Day

It's only fall here but I'm freezing today.  That calls for a 'hot' lunch.

Enter my hot bacon and cheese sandwich.  Here's how I do it:

• Nuke 3 slices of thin Oscar Mayer Cooked Bacon per package instructions .
• Get out 2 slices of bread and when the bacon is done, sop up the fat that remains on the cooking dish with them--not kidding here...there's not much fat to start so don't waste the flavor.
• Now make a sandwich--cocoon that bacon between 2 slices of  fat free American cheese. 
• Put your sandwich into the microwave and nuke for 10 seconds.  Flip the sandwich and nuke 10 more seconds.
• Remove your soft and warm bacon cheese heaven--mash it together if you like-- and eat it.

Mine was accompanied by my V8 tonic and 4 ounces of grape juice.  I need to get busy and make some spiced apple juice/cider.

FYI--I've eaten this sandwich regularly and managed to lose weight while doing it.

Lets Make A Big Pot of Soup

First things first.  Run a sink full of hot sudsy water so we can wash up as we go--this makes clean up a snap.

And if you want, light a fall scented candle--I'm currently enjoying Caramel Apple. And if you are a music lover put on some good music.   Brew yourself a cup of tea too--Constant Comment is nice this time of year. (Find the fun in a chore.  Relax to the rhythm of your work.  It's all good.)  

Now lets get out our chopping board and chop some onion--about a cup.  And wash and peel 3 or so medium potatoes and a couple of carrots.  Prep some celery--don't forget to string it--a rib or two.  Dice the potatoes, cut the carrots, slice the celery.

Next, heat a large non-reactive* pot and add a little oil in the bottom. When your oil is hot add your onions and throw in some dried minced garlic.  When the onions begin to soften, add one pound of lean ground turkey or lean ground beef--preferably organic.

Break that up with your big wooden spoon and when it's well browned add your potatoes and carrots; one large can petite diced tomatoes including the liquid, 3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables and 3 cups of V8.

Now for the seasonings.  Break up a couple or three beef bouillon cubes--this replaces the salt.  Add some black pepper to taste.  And definitely add some Louisiana hot sauce to kick things up a notch.  Not too much though.  A little is good--too much not so good.  Those who like it hotter can add it to their bowl.

Time to add some water.  Add enough water to cover everything with about an inch above the top.  The vegetables will release their juices and some liquid will evaporate during the cooking process.

Bring the pot to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook covered, until the vegetables are tender to your liking.  Check now to see if it needs salt.  If it does, add it now.

All these ingredients are easy to keep on hand so that you can whip up a pot of delicious soup at a moments notice.

Serve simply with some crackers.  Or if you're inclined make a pan of corn bread.  To expand on a simple meal, some olives, cubes of cheddar cheese and a nice crusty loaf are good additions.  Place them on a rustic wooden bread board for a country look.

And for a quick pantry dessert, whip up my chocolate cobbler.  You can go here for the recipe.  

 That cobbler is pure comfort food.  It's cute served in small coffee cups and needs no other adornment, though whipped cream or ice cream don't hurt it any.  But they are not necessary.  Sometimes simple is best, ya know?

See--you don't need Martha or a degree is food science to make some lovely food.

Eat.  Enjoy.  Have fun.

*Non-reactive:  stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, non-stick, but not aluminum or cast iron--or any metal that might react with the acidity of the tomato products.

Chocolate Mess

I'm still holding at 24 pounds lost.  These last 2 pounds are going to leave slowly I imagine.  That's fine with me.

Now for the chocolate mess.  Same old fat free Cool Whip--54 grams or 1/4 of a tub thawed. Add one broken graham cracker; mix together.  Barely stir in 1 rounded tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon regular cocoa powder.  Leave it messy with heavy spots of chocolate.  Yum.

Eat this instead of the chocolate cobbler from the previous post--save the cobbler for company-- when you can share the calories.

Good Scale/Bad Scale

 Edit:  I took down the link to Margie's blog in my sidebar.  She and her husband were both  tragically killed while out walking when hit by a car.  The driver of the car says he was trying to kill himself--his girlfriend had broken up with him that morning. He lived and is fine.  His was a selfish act.  Margie will be missed by her blogging friends.

When it comes to the scale, the digital food scale is a good thing.  It will help you correctly portion your food so that you can keep your food intake in line with your goals.

But the other kind of scale, the one you step on to weigh yourself, I have mixed feelings about it.  Weighing most of your food, is probably a good thing--especially when it comes to calorie dense foods.

However, weighing yourself daily or several times a day can be problematic for many.  Due to the fluid fluctuations in your body it is hard to tell if you have a true fat gain or loss.

That information can be self defeating.

If the scale is up, I am discouraged.  If it is down I am ecstatic and I may let down my guard.

Or I may reward myself and eat something that I'd have never considered eating that day.

Or I may be obsessive--thinking 'wow I'm on a roll'-- and eat even less food, hoping I'll reach my weight loss goal faster--get out of the diet misery-- and end up with a double whammy.

By eating less to speed things up, I may-- before the day is done-- end up binging because I've gotten too hungry.  On the heels of that--at my next weigh in--if I find I haven't lost or even worse I've gained--horror of horrors-- I'm am all the more disappointed.  Bam Bam, double wham.

It could be the nail in the coffin, the final straw.

So, for me, it's best I use the digital food scale daily.  But the bathroom scale I limit to  every 7-10 days when I'm on a weight loss diet.

Some of you are able to handle the daily weigh in--because you are looking at the pattern of ups and downs and getting the overall larger picture. Margie who blogs at My Healthy Living Through Weight Control comes to mind (link in the sidebar).  She weighs daily and has been very successful maintaining her weight loss.

But for many of us who are still trying to lose weight, the number on the scale in the moment holds too much power.

Once I reach my goal--3 pounds from now--my strategy will change.

I will continue to check my portions with the food scale daily.

But I will weigh my body more often too.  Every 3-4 days I think.  If the scale is up after two consecutive 3-4 day period weigh ins, I will immediately attack the problem.  I'd prefer to keep any gain to <5.

The time to be 'scared straight' is early on, when it is easy to repair the damage.

A Simple Side Dish

 When you get tired of a green salad and want a fairly low carb option that provides a good dose of vegetables and a rainbow of colors make this Cucumber Salad.

You'll need

• 2 regular cucumbers (not pickling, not English)--if waxed remove most of the peel...leave a few very thin strips for eye appeal, then slice...sort of thick but not giant sized thick.
• 1 rib of celery de-stringed and thinly sliced
• one firm tomato, cut into small bite sized pieces--or--one red bell pepper cut the same way--or both if you like
• one very thinly sliced carrot--or you could grate it if you don't have the patience to slice it paper thin
• thin wedges of  red onion
• zesty Italian salad dressing
• grated Parmesan cheese--the kind that comes in a can/jar, not the good stuff

Prep all your veg per above instructions and place in a bowl.  Add 2-4 tablespoons of the cheese, and enough salad dressing to coat and marinate the whole shebang. Toss to mix.  Let sit a bit before serving.

Note: you probably won't need to add salt since the parm is salty as well as the bottled salad dressing.  Black pepper is nice though.

Enjoy.