Food Journal Mon 3/23

9:45 (220 calories)
1.5 scoop protein w/ water
1/4 cup oatmeal w/ sf strawberry preserves

2:00 (340 calories)
Boca burger on w.w., cheese, mustard
broccoli

4:00 (80 calories)
1 Blue Bunny light yogurt

7:00 (350 calories)
salad w/ chicken, 2% cheese, light diluted dressing, croutons

9:45 (125 calories)
1/2 cup Kashi cereal w/ light soy milk

Approx totals
Calories: 1115
Protein: 80g
Carbs: 80g

No workout today.

Rundown: Today was really good. Calories were low but not too low, carbs and protein amounts are right where they should be.

Food Journal Sun 3/22

10:00 (~300 calories)
1 whole egg, 1 egg white
2 slices low sodium bacon
1/4 cup grits

2:00 (400 calories)
1/2 turkey sandwich on w.w.
salad w/ egg, turkey, 2% cheese, light diluted ranch dressing

6:00 (210 calories)
1 Apex bar

9:45 (300 calories)
salad w/ egg, turkey, 2% cheese, light diluted ranch dressing

Approximate totals
Calories: 1210 calories
Protein: 75g
Carbs: ~50g (not counting lettuce)

Workout:
morning: 40 min cardio on eliptical
afternoon: 90 min yoga class
evening: 30 min stairmaster, total body weights

Rundown: Today was a good eating day. My workout was really heavy, for a couple of reasons. One, I ate too much yesterday and I'm days from my trip. So, I was really motivated to put it a lot of work today. I'll take it, because not every day I feel like doing all of that.

Weight: Saturday weigh in: 135.5 lbs and 19.8% bodyfat. It looks like I hit a wall. I had some slip ups these last couple of weeks which explains why my weight and bodyfat has remained the same and not gone down (like I would have liked). Ah well. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the total progress I've made. I started at 144 lbs and at 23% bodyfat. So, I've dropped 9 lbs and reduced my bodyfat by about 4% in 3 months. Not too shabby, if I may say so myself. Plus, what I'm really happy about is that my diet was not super strict. I allowed myself to have goodies here and there. The key was to stick with my workouts and have more good days than bad. And it worked. Now that I only have 4 days before I leave for my trip, I am still going to stick to a healthy diet and fit in cardio and probably one more day for weight training.

Recipe: Fish Tacos

The other day I had a craving for some tacos. Normally, if I want some delicious tacos, I'll stop by El Rancho, one of my favorite local places to go for Mexican food. But, because I'm still trying to get ready for my cruise, I knew it was not an option. Instead, I made my own tacos with a twist. Fish Tacos.

The recipe below is more health conscious because I trade corn or white flour tortillas for whole wheat low carb tortillas. The tortillas I use have 7g of carbs and only 60 calories per tortilla, which is excellent! You can find these at any grocery store, you just need to read the nutrition facts until you find a brand that works. I like Mama Lupe's brand. I trade regular sour cream for light. I use a small amount of cheese and lots of salsa and lettuce which have almost no calories.

Ingredients:

1 tilapia fillet

Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cup monterrey jack cheese

2 tbs salsa

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

2 whole wheat tortillas

1 tbs light sour cream

Pam cooking spray

Season thawed tilapia fillet. Cook in a non-stick pan coated with Pam cooking spray on medium heat. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on both sides. Set aside. Microwave tortillas for 10 seconds to warm slightly. Prepare tacos by chopping fish into small pieces and lining center of tortillas. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa and lettuce.

Approximate nutrition facts:

Serving size: 2 tacos

Calories: 340; Carbs: 17 g; Fat: 9g; Protein: 36g

*Photo from foodnetwork.com

Portion Control

Have you ever sat down to a bowl of ice cream or looked at the little bowl of salad dressing that accompanies your salad at a restaurant and wondered, "how much is too much?"

We've all been there. It takes a little time and effort to educate yourself on what is in the food you eat. The good news is, once you make a habit of knowing your calories, fats, carbs etc., it becomes easy to chose the right portions.

I saw this article on MSN today talking about portions of some of our favorite goodies like ice cream, pizza and soft drinks. Check it out.

Food Journal Sat 3/7

9:00 (200 calories)
1/3 cup oatmeal w/ sf strawberry preserves
1 scoop protein w/ water

1:00 (340 calories)
Boca burger on w.w., 1 slice Kraft American cheese
spinach

5:00 (150 calories)
Protein shake: 1 cup light soy, 1 scoop protein, 6 slices frozen strawberries

8:00 (~225 calories) At Bo Lings
1/2 meal of Steamed chicken and veggies (from the light side menu)
~1/4 cup brown rice

10:30 (235 calories)
1/2 PB&J
1/2 Power Crunch bar

1:00 (135 calories) *Too late, I should not have eaten this*
1/2 PB&J

Approx totals
Calories: 1285
Protein: 91g
Carbs: 75g

Workout: 40 min cardio on stairmaster
Weights: legs

Rundown: Today was OK. I should not have eaten the late night PB&J. The late night snacking feeling got the best of me. Other than that, today was really good. I was even good when I went to eat at Bo Lings. I usually like to get General Tso's chicken and some Crab Rangoon for an appetizer, but I resisted and got the Steamed Chicken and Veggies dish which is cooked with no oil or sauce. Add a little low sodium soy sauce and it's not bad.

Legs! Legs! Legs!

Guess what my favorite muscle group to train is. Well, if you guessed legs ... you're right! I love leg days because I always feel so strong after my workouts. When I was working really hard to build muscle, I loved pushing myself to see how much I could lift. Now that I'm in a maintenance routine I don't lift so heavy, but I still love it.

Check out my current leg routine.

Smith machine squats: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 135 lbs
Straight bar deadlifts: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 80 lbs
Leg extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 125 lbs
Ball squats: 3 sets of 10 reps w/ 15 lbs dumbbells
Glute kickbacks: 3 sets of 10 reps @ 25 lbs
Standing calf raises (machine): 3 sets of 10 reps @ 90 lbs

Food Journal Fri 3/6

7:00 (225 calories)
1/3 cup oatmeal w/ sf preserves
1 scoop protein w/ water
coffee w/ 1 tsp Splenda, 1/2 tsp sugar, whip

10:00 (100 calories)
1/2 PB&J

1:00 (340 calories)
Boca burger on w.w., 1 slice Kraft American cheese
1 cup broccoli

5:00 (150 calories)
Protein shake: 1 scoop protein, 1 cup light soy, 6 frozen strawberry slices

8:00 (320 calories)
4 oz grilled chicken w/ 1 tbs light ranch (as a dip)
spinach
coffee w/ 1/2 tsp sugar, whip

10:00 (~35 calories)
1 tsp peanut butter

11:00 (~80 calories)
1 glass red wine

Approx totals
Calories: 1250
Protein: 100g
Carbs: 70g

No workout today.

Rundown: Today was a good day. I was able to go out and meet some friends and not be tempted to order sushi. Ah! That was a victory. I just ordered one glass of wine. Calories, protein and carb totals were in good range.

Food Journal Thur 3/5

7:00 (280 calories)
1 cup Special K Protein cereal
1/2 cup light soy milk
1 scoop protein w/ water
coffee w/ 1.5 tsp sugar & whip

10:00 (100 calories)
small svg beef w/ broccoli -no rice (homemade)

1:00 (340 calories)
Boca burger on w.w., 1 slice Kraft American cheese
1 cup broccoli

4:15 (150 calories)
Protein shake: 1 cup light soy, 1 scoop protein, 6 slices frozen strawberries

8:15 (100 calories)
1/2 PB&J

11:00 (180 calories)
1 svg Tilapia fillet
1 cup broccoli
2 tsp peanut butter

Approx totals
Calories: 1050
Protein: 105g
Carbs: 60g

Workout: 40 min cardio. 30 min stairmaster, 10 min eliptical. (I usually do 20 minutes on the stairmaster, but I was really into watching ER, so I stayed on a little extra.)

Weights: triceps

Rundown: Today was a good day. I would have liked to hit the 1100 calorie mark on my calories though. I need to make sure my calories aren't too low, since that creates an environment where my body will hold onto fat instead of burn it. Which is NOT what I'm going for. But other than that, I'd say it was right on!

My 5 Favorite Kitchen Tools

1. Blender. This comes in handy for all those protein shakes I make that include frozen fruit.

2. Measuring Cup. I like to know exactly how much of something I'm eating. This helps me keep track of my calories.

3. Food Scale. I know not everyone has one of these, but it really helps. I like using it to measure my chicken or other proteins to make sure I'm getting a proper serving. You can get these really cheap too, like around $5.

4. Foreman Grill. I couldn't live without this! Who knew one little appliance could make your life so much easier? When I'm crunched for time, it's easy to just throw on a chicken breast and have it done in minutes.

5. Plastic Storage Conatiners. Well, I don't think this is really classified as a tool, but is another thing I couldn't live without. Small containers help tons when taking my meals with me for the day. I definitely recommend buying a brand new set just to use for your to-go meals.

Food Journal Wed 3/4

7:30 (280 calories)
1 cup Kellogg's Specail K Protein Plus cereal
1/2 cup light soy
1 scoop protein w/ water
coffee w/ Cool Whip

10:30 (100 calories)
small svg Thai chicken veggie stir-fry

1:30 (345 calories)
Boca burger on whole wheat, 1 slice cheese
1 cup broccoli

6:45 (325 calories)
1 protein shake
-1 cup light soy
-6 slices frozen strawberries
-1 scoop protein
1 cup Special K cereal w/ 1/2 cup light soy
coffee w/ Cool Whip

9:30 (50 calories)
1 boiled egg, removed most yolk

Approx totals
Calories 1100
Protein: 110g
Carbs: 70g

No workout today.

Rundown: Today was pretty good! It's crunch time so, I will make sure my carbs don't get too high and protein is slightly higher than usual. I am upping the protein and reducing the carbs because I tend to be carb sensitive and the increase in protein ensures I don't have too few calories for the day.

Food Journal Sun 3/1-Cheat Day!

9:30 (~400 calories)
2 glazed donuts

11:45 (260 calories)
1 whole egg, 1 egg white scrambled
2 pcs bacon
1/4 c Cream of Wheat w/ light butter & 1 tsp sugar

3:00 (125 calories)
small turkey wrap

6:00 (125 calories)
small turkey wrap

8:00 (~880 calories) At The Peachtree. Shared the meal w/ hubby.
4 small pcs fried catfish fingers
1 fried chicken breast
1 spoonful of macaroni, yams & greens
shared 1 svg peach cobbler
1 glass white wine

Approx calories: 1790
(I'm not sure about the rest of the stats and the calories are really an estimate.)

Workout: 40 min cardio, legs & abs

Rundown: OK, so maybe I didn't need the donuts AND the restaurant food. That was a bit much. But, this was a great cheat day. I had enough of the good, tasty stuff to keep me on track for the last 3 week stretch to my goal. I may cut out cheat days for the remainder of the time I have left. We'll see though.

Food Journal Sat 2/28

9:00 (80 calories)
1 scoop protein w/ water

1:00 (285 calories)
1 svg Cream of Wheat w/ 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tbs light butter
1 scoop protein w/ 1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk

4:30 (260 calories)
Lean Cuisine Shrimp Alfredo

6:30 (250 calories)
salad w/ turkey
-1 svg light ranch dilluted w/ water, 1/4 cup 2% cheese, few croutons, 2 oz turkey deli meat

9:30 (40 calories) At a party.
1/2 glass white wine

11:30 (340 calories)
turkey sandwich on w.w., provolone cheese, mustard

1:00 (125 calories) Late night snack. I should have avoided this.
1/2 cup Kashi cereal w/ light soy milk

Approx totals
Calories: 1380
Protein: 95g
Carbs: ~135g

No workout today.

Rundown: Calories were too high. I guess I started my cheat day a little early. I definitely could have resisted to late night cereal. I also could have resisted the wine. I tried to be good and only get 1/2 a glass of wine and not have any more after that. I normally don't do Lean Cuisines, but found myself at a friend's house and it was time to eat. Carbs were too high. They need to be under 100g. Protein, however, was good. Today was far from the best. On top of all the diet errors, I skipped my workout. Bad! Next week has to be better; I will be three weeks from my goal of 18% bodyfat.

*****Weigh in***** 135.8 lbs, 19.7% bodyfat. This is good, I'm down! Down almost 1 lb and almost 1% in bodyfat.