Spiced Banana Orange Smoothie

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
  
  


• 1 large seedless orange, peeled and sliced
  
  


• 2 cups plain or vanilla-flavored soy milk
  
  


• 1 tsp powdered ginger
  
  


• 3-4 ice cubes
  
  

Preparation:

• Place all ingredients except ice cubes in blender. Cover and blend on high speed for 15 seconds or until smooth.
  
  


• Add ice cubes, cover and blend for 15 seconds more or until well blended.
  
  


• Serve immediately.
  
  

Make 2 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving (½ of recipe (261 g)): 118 Calories, 5 g Protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium

Cheeky fill

Well today I done got me a cheeky fill!

I now have 6.5mls in my band. I had a little freak out earlier as I glugged some orange juice and it just sat there. ARGHHHHHHHH and for an hour it was sat sitting there and in the end had to barf. Since then all has been well. I vaguely remember that orange juice can have that effect. I think I had had a milky coffee earlier so it could have curdles with it... who knows. But at present its all ok.

Here follows a grotesque (i.e. my guttage) section of photos of me having a fill. it was a bad angle ok????!!! LOL

All sorted. I hate having to roll down my trousers to my caesarian scar hang over point. Its so humiliating!! Oh well, never mind. Soon I will be a scrawny bint! YAY thanks Jane!

Fresh Hawaiian Smoothie

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup mango, fresh or frozen
  
  


• ½ cup cantaloupe, fresh or frozen
  
  


• 1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
  
  


• 1 cup pineapple juice (or more to thin)
  
  

Preparation:

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 10 seconds or until smooth.
  
  

Make 2 Servings:

Weight loss recopes Amount Per Serving (½ of recipe (283 g)): 143 Calories, 1 g Protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 mg sodium

28/365 - Focus is Key

I am so grateful that my goal is on my daily workout and nothing else. If my focus was on the scale, I would be discouraged. If my success was based on how my pants feel, I would have already fallen off the wagon. But since I'm not focusing on anything but the workout, I feel GREAT!!

Yesterday I put on some pants that were a little looser when I first put them on last summer. Yes, it was before they were first washed, but that's beside the point. It doesn't matter, if you put on snug clothes that were once loose, it always messes with your head.

If you've been following since the beginning of the year, you know that I haven't been focusing too closely on my eating.  I haven't been porking, but I haven't been careful either. Considering my day yesterday, I would have thrown all weight loss efforts out and binged.  But I didn't. Why? Because I reminded myself of the goal: daily workouts for 365 days in a row.  Have I been doing it? OH YEAH, every night!! Suddenly all the guilt and frustration and crud that fills your head when you feel UGG instantly left.  Hope returned and the scale and lovely pant issues faded into the back of my mind. I love my goal! 

The wine was my downfall

After three days of being really good, eating on plan, feeling a few hunger pains during the day (a good thing),and having a late night healthy snack at 9pm each day that seemed to put a stop to my binges, I totally blew it.

It started out well yesterday, healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, and super busy at work. So busy that it took me four hours to eat my salad of spinach, shrimp, and clementines with balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of oil. It's my latest most favorite lunch (at home I add a little red onion, but not at work). I worked through lunch, with  barely time to eat a few bites, then meetings all afternoon. I'd grab a few bites between meetings. A crazy day.

I had a fantastic workout yesterday, as I have every day this week, plus I've been doing our three flights of stairs at work twelve times during lunch each day, 720 steps (except yesterday). Every morning 110 to 120 flights on the StairMaster, plus 40 minutes of strength.

Then my eating plan went all to heck. Last night I had a date with my best girlfriend. Her birthday was a couple weeks ago (the breakfast at IHOP), but we always celebrate later in the month with dinner and a movie. Her pick for both since she's the birthday girl.

I was so busy all day that I didn't even have time to ask her where we were going. When I picked her up at 5:30 p.m. she said the dreaded two words: Claim Jumpers. This is a very bad restaurant. My girlfriend usually chooses this restaurant since it's one of favorites. When I know we're going there I go to their nutritional information on their website, decide what I'm going to eat and stick to it. This always works for me because I sort of get my mind around it, and I feel good about it. This restaurant is like hell for a dieter. Giant servings of fat-laden, delicious food. There are healthy choices, but you have to be really careful.

Last night, after a horrendously stressful work day, I couldn't even think straight (this is my excuse for what happened). The Claim Jumper website is very unfriendly and difficult to use. It takes time to look things up and it's hard to find things (because everything has a million calories and they don't want people to know). In other words, trying to do it on my Blackberry was just about impossible.

I asked the waitress to see their nutritional information. I got this story from our very sweet waitress. "Yes, we know it's the law in Washington state for restaurants to provide that information, but the restaurant chain has been purchased by a business in Texas, where nutritional information is not required. They just redesigned the menu and didn't realize they needed provide the nutritional information. They're working on it."

Oh well, I'm a big girl, and I know what's healthy and what's not. I ordered the half rotisserie chicken (and it was a tiny, baby chicken) and a dry baked sweet potato (which was huge and delicious), no bread (they have the most amazing corn bread you've ever tasted). Good so far, right?

Then I messed up. I know my girlfriend loves a glass of wine with dinner. I also know if I don't order it she won't either. I entirely gave up wine several months ago. I decided it was just a waste of calories and usually gave me a headache.

Last night I was tired, stressed with a neck thing going on, and a glass of wine sounded good. So I ordered a glass of Cabernet. It was huge (as everything is in this place except for that chicken). Probably at least two servings.

I ate every bite of my dinner (which would probably have been enough food for three people). Then I ordered dessert. My girlfriend's favorite dessert, Lemon Bar Brulee. And  no, we didn't share a piece and yes, it was wonderful. It's a lemon bar cheesecake thing with raspberry sauce and whip cream. I looked up the dessert this morning, 747 calories, 16 gr of fat, 105 gr carbs, 1 gr fiber.

Anyway, the end of the story is that I gained two pounds overnight. 180.2 this morning. I know some of it's probably the sodium. I know it was just one night. I know it's not that big of a deal. It's just that I have Weight Watchers tomorrow, which means I have to weigh in. Sort of depressing.

The movie was great though. No Strings Attached. Very funny, cute chick flick with Natalie Portman and Aston Kutcher (love him). I had a great visit with my girlfriend. It was very fun and yes, I would do it again, but skip the wine and dessert. Maybe. :)

Life happens, but I really need to get serious about losing weight and stop just talking about it. The Big Climb is less than two months away. Remember, 1,311 steps. Scary at 180 pounds!

Gym

Me and TB went to the gym today. I have been a member since the summer and apart from 1 time (shortly after the induction) I haven't been since.

I don't know why I haven't been cos I always kind of wanted to. Maybe because I had to go with DH & DS and I don't really want to go with them and have it like some family sweat time. DH is kind of competitive and even though he isn't competing with me, just trying to encourage me, it just gets on my tits when someone is like "how many reps did you do? WOW that's AMAZING!!! Well done". Saying that to me is like wrong. I know I shouldn't, but I feel patronised and belittled as if I just accomplished the impossible.

He would hate that I felt that way, but I just do. I don't really wanna be there with him all sweaty and getting down to it and me just loping along on the treadmill without my breathing even changing. I feel like its a competition, even though it's not, and it's a competition I can't win and the whole thing just gets messed up in my head.

Going with DS is OK, but again he gets on my nerves cos he is always either complaining or "look I can go10km per hour on one leg" or something, and it's not like I am competing with my own son, but it makes me feel small inside and stupid and fat and ugly.

So I have been trying to cajole TB into going, and she finally caved on Wednesday. I booked her induction for this morning and did my workout whilst she was shown the ropes with the instructor. I did 30 mins on the treadmill which was about 1 and a half km and 150 cals apparently. I then had a game of Fish on the rowing machine where you have to pull harder and to get your fish out of the way of the big sharks, but also vary the speed and pace to eat the 'good' fish to gain points. It takes 5 minutes and goes really fast because you are playing a game. Then I played darts, where the rowing machine is timed over 5 of your strokes to aim darts at a dart board. It helps you keep your posture and even rowing pace but gets a bit boring. Took 5 minutes to throw 100 darts and I still had 300 darts left so I though fuck it and stopped.

Then I had a go on that wobbly tooth tickling machine called PowerPlate and gave myself some massages on full power for a minute a pop. Then I sat on one of the leg press things and had a nice rest whilst TB finished off.

We then went to get a coffee in the club house and went back to hers for some lunch. She LOVED it. I loved going with her cos we are both wanting to lose weight and we work well as a team. It will inspire us both and I think I have kind of missed the regular get togethers we used to have for slimmingworld and the like.

So all in all a good day so far.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

(makes ¾ cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium red sweet peppers
  
  


• 2 tbsp tomato paste
  
  


• 1 tsp fresh basil or ¼ tsp crushed and dried basil
  
  


• 1 tsp sugar
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, chopped
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• Dash of red pepper flakes
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  

Preparation:

1. Roast the peppers:
   
   
   • Cut peppers into quarters and remove stem, membranes, and seeds
     
     
   
   
   • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place peppers down on foil, skin side up and press each segment to lie flat on sheet.
     
     
   
   
   • Bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until skin is blackened and blistered.
     
     
   
   
   • Remove peppers from oven and place in a paper bag. Let cool for 10 minutes.
     
     
   
   
   • Peel and discard skins.
     
     
   
   


2. Place peppers in a food processor, cover and blend until elaborate.
   
   


3. Add tomato paste, sugar, basil, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth.
   
   


4. Tip: For a different colored dip, try yellow or orange sweet peppers.
   
   

Make 12 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp (122 g)): 36 Calories, 1 g Protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 73 mg sodium