Saturday, July 9, 2011

Friday 7/9/11

Friday has rolled around already! Here is a recipe for the 100 calorie snacks for you, Anita. I was having technical difficulties yesterday, sorry about that. Let's all try to check in and see how we did...

I don't know about you but I LOVE popcorn, here's a smarter way to eat it:
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. paprika
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 TBSP. canola (or light oil, I use rice bran oil)
1/4 Cup popcorn kernels

1.Mix the parm, paprika, 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Pop the popcorn kernels
3. Transfer popcorn to large bowl, sprinkle with spice mixture and Enjoy!!

Chocolate covered pretzels!-I don't know why I couldn't think of this on my own, who doesn't have dark chocolate lying around the house!
1 1/3 oz. dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), finely chopped
24 mini pretzels (24! I think I could even be satisfied with less)

1. Line baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Put chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave 30 seconds. Stir, then micro for 30 sec. more. Stir til smooth.
2. Dip each pretzel halfway into the chocolate, place on wax paper. Refrigerate for about 15 min. until set.
Yummy!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Thursday 7/7/11

I am starting to scour my Food Network mags for meal ideas. I'm sorry but it is not going to work for me longterm to eat grilled chicken and salad for the rest of my life to lose weight! They have good ideas for "meal" salads. The July/August issue has grilled Bok Choy and smoky Okra that looked really good and good for you. They also had ideas for making your own 100 calorie snacks! If anyone is interested let me know and I will email you the recipe. Hope y'all had a great week and lookin' forward to the weekend!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wednesday-7/6/11

Sorry everyone, I'm fallin' down on the job! Ok, so its obvious this gets challenging to maintain. "They" say if you can stick to something for at least 90 days it will become routine, so lets try to go til August. Then maybe it will be a bit easier to continue! I'm trying to create easy, one dish dinners that eliminates a simple carb or starch and replacing it with another veggie. I'm doing pretty good still with portion control but I find that I have to stay on my supplements or its a lot harder to resist the cravings for snacks!! Hope everyone is doing well, I'll try not to miss another day!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Friday-7/1/11

Whew-Where did June go? Hang in there for the weekend, relax and enjoy being outside!
Diet rule #5-Cut out certain food groups
Why its ok to break this rule: Thise "rule" is always changing and lets face it, none of us do very well when we feel deprived of something, especially if its a favorite. This is where moderation and portion control come in. (A major challenge of mine)

Helpful tip: It may sound silly but I do best when I "trick" myself sometimes. I use a smaller plate than everyone else a lot of the time, then my plate looks overflowing with food to me and I end up eating less. I also try to portion my food on the plate like so: 1/2 is veggies (fresh, steamed or a combo) 1/4 to 1/3 is protien and 1/4 is some carbs -I try to be good and do sweet potato or brown rice but even if its white rice and red potatoes its the smallest portion on your plate!

Thursday-6/30/11

The week's almost over! I know many of you have meeting tonight so I know its a crazy night. Remember to make time to take care of yourself too.

Here is diet rule #4:Eat breakfast within 30 min. of waking.
Why its ok to break this rule: Consuming breakfast later in the morning, perhaps after a workout to rev up your appetite, is equally effective. One study found that eating a big breakfast that’s high in protein and low in carbs helped overweight women lose an average of nearly 23 pounds!!

Remeber to have some breakfast-a great one is the wonderful seasonal berries we have now and some greek yogurt with some good crunchy almonds, or have some hard-boiled or scrambled eggs with some lean chicken sausage thrown in, add some veggies and leftover from dinner a little cheese and you're packin' in the protein!

Wednesday-6/29/11

Wednesday does seem to be the hardest day! We're all tired and running out of ideas, right? Take a moment and reevaluate for the week...
Rule #3-Stick to fat-free or low-fat foods.
Why its ok to break this rule: We all know most of these so called healthy alternatives disguise a lot more calories/sugar, etc. And we all need some good fats in our diet, we just need to choose the unsaturated fats to replace those bad ones!

Helpful tip: Keep up the fiber intake! A diet high in fiber will help you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels. As a bonus, because fiber helps you feel full longer, it's a great tool in weight management. Whole grains, beans, fruit, and vegetables are all good sources. Try throwing some beans in your salad, recommends Kulze. Fresh, frozen, or dried are the best.

Tuesday-6/28/11

Let's continue with the rule breaking!
#2-Eat five to six small meals during the day
Why its ok to break this rule:Although the theory behind this rule is that frequent eating keeps your metabolism stoked, the reality is that having more opportunities to eat often results in overeating, resulting in weight gain instead of weight loss. What’s more, new research from Purdue University founds that eating three regular-sized meals that include lean protein, such as chicken or tofu, made people feel more full than eating smaller, more frequent meals. The researchers also reported that eating three high protein meals also decreases late night eating and food cravings.

I thought this was really interesting! Go get that lean protein!

Monday 6/27/11

Hey there ladies! Lets all hang in there and keep posting how you're doing. I thought we could start this week out by busting a "diet" rule a day, then give a little tip for beating those cravings/staying motivated, etc.!
#1-Don't eat after 7p.m.
Why its ok to break this rule: I actually subscribed to this advice. Studies show its more important to look at what you are eating rather than a cutoff time for eating. Keeping a food diary of what you eat can be helpful since it curbs the urge to overindulge (my problem)

Helpful tip-vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage can help fight belly fat! And now that its summer you can grill everything and it'll taste amazing, yep, even those brussel sprouts!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day 14 Tuesday June 21

Tuesday!

I just want to say Congrats to both Michelle and Anita for losing some pounds already. Isn't that amazing. Pounds. Pounds!!! What weighs 2 or 4 lbs? That is like a tiny dumbbell. Seriously! Wow, a little dumb bell just fell off of you guys.
Yaayyy!!

So now that word is out about my news..I don't think my current eating habits will help anyone. However, as soon as I feel better I hope to clean up my eating and contribute with healthier food related comments.

Mostly, now I will continue roll as "farm cheer-leader".


Have a good family night...

Day 13 Monday June 20

Monday's post

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Day 12 Sunday June 19

Sunday Morning...

is that a song??

Well, no meeting for us..What will the day bring with a little extra time?? Will we get in a walk or a workout? More thoughtful choices? Have a great Sunday.

Day 11 Saturday June 18

Another weekend! Where is our sunshine???

June gloom is here. I may need a trip over the hill to get some vitamin D.
Exercise gives a nice boost too. Perhaps a West Cliff walk in the morning?
hmm Anyone??

Day 10 Friday June 17

Sorry so late, I haven't been feeling the best..hope it passes soon.
If you remember a day ago feel free to post.. otherwise, skip ahead.
:)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Day 9 Thursday June 16

The weekend is almost here! Stay as strong as possible!

Sounds like everyone is doing a good job on portion control. Great work ladies!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Day 8: Wednesday June 15

Wednesday already??

The week is half way over! So how are we doin?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day 7 Tuesday June 14

June 14

A special day...Olivia was born exactly 1 year ago! Sorry, had to throw that in. ;)

So we are almost 1 whole week in! It is an adjustment and many of us have had many unexpected things some our way, which makes sticking to a diet even more of a challenge. But we are here to stay motivated and encouraged by others who are also trying to stick to the plan come what may.

Let's here how today went.

This week we will see some photos go up.. stay tuned!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Day 6 Monday June 13

Monday...
A new start to the week. Let's get back in the groove!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Day 5: Sunday June 12

Sunday Post

Ahhhh Sundays
A little more mellow, perhaps a trip to the store to get set for the week? Hmm better make my list.

How'd ya do?

Day 4: Saturday June 11

Sunny Saturday!

Sorry a little late to put this up.. had a busy day and night.

Hope everyone had a nice Saturday and stuck to the plan as good as possible. I know I wasn't perfect. So let's here how we did.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Day 3: Friday June 9

Happy Friday!!

Isn't this weather great? Finally our summer is here with it's gray mornings and bright blue afternoons. Bring on the BBQ!

So as we head for the weekend, let's keep it as clean as possible and reasonable. I know some of us have family and company and other, just don't feel like cooking, eat-outings. Perhaps instead of splurging on a lot of calorie packed food, we can make choices for bigger portions of the good stuff and a nibble of the calorie packed stuff. Advanced planning and strategy helps us prepare for battle....you know the battle....

Let's hear how you did today.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

DAY 2: Thursday June 9

Ok Day 2

Post how you did today with food and any exercise. If you have questions on how to post, let me know and I'll see if I can help. Can't wait to see everyone pop in.

I am liking that this is a "short" week, it feels less long. Also, we mentioned that we'd have a goal of 2 hours of exercise this week but that would be if this was a WHOLE week, so I think 1 hour total is reasonable. We gotta make this doable.

Keep it clean, we have a weekend coming up soon and don't want to fall behind too much!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Day 1: Wednesday June 8

Here we go ladies!

Are your fridges stocked with portable protein and veggies? Cabinets cleared of left over convention candy?

Today stick to your eating plan of choice and check in before bed with how you did and if you got any exercise in.

Feel free to post any additional comments each day on how hard or easy it was for you and what you thought contributed to that. All the feedback to relate to will help us all.

Congratulations for showing up. It's all down-scale from here!


...stay tuned for before pic's next week (email: rowmandy@sbcglobal.net) by Friday), recipes, exercise ideas, snack tip's, and more.

Monday, May 30, 2011

WELCOME

CONGRATULATIONS. ( see doesn't this feel good already?)

You took the hardest step so far. Thank you for Michelle (Seashelle) for inspiring this idea. Out of a yo yo affair with Weight Watchers and a fleeting thought to run away to a "fat farm" Seashelle's Cyber Fat Farm was born. Throwing the idea of the lock down in a health resort, out to myself ( Rowena) , I wondered what that would do for the long term, let alone what to do with the 2 kids and husband. Hey, "mere oppression makes the wise man act crazy" and when you have a sack of potatoes that suddenly attached itself to you.. "Shelle" is feeling oppression. Well, after the impracticality and temporary nature of the idea was set aside, a day later, the idea of an at home "fat farm" was raised. "Michelle is serious", I thought. Let' the games begin!!! I love to rally people up and get things together. But, why am I doing this, you ask. Because I believe it or not weighed 200lbs in my Sophmore year in high school. ( Just had to throw out the disclaimer.) And hey, I had a baby a year ago. Enough said.

Let's get on it.


Start Date: Wednesday June 8

What to do:

Under each dates post you will find a "comment" link. Click it and post the following daily: ( If you skin a day you can go back and add)

1)How you did on your eating plan. You can also list what you ate all day. Food diary's have proven success in helping people lose weight.

2) How much and what you did for exercise that day. Don't be afraid to put nothing. Exercise may not be everyday, but posting something, will keep us checking in to what we want to do the next day.

So.. pick your diet of choice and add it to this first post in the comment area.

Exercise goal for first 2 weeks: 4 blocks (30 min of exercise of choice = 1 block) That is a grand total of 2 hours of movement a week..... for now.

And finally.... grab your camera, stand in front of the mirror and snap a quick pic. Nothing fancy. Email it to: rowmandy@sbcglobal.net Send them over by the weekend to start off our next week with a bang!

Let's join Michelle in getting some weight off! Here we go....