Portion Control and Primal Peanut Butter Cookies

Today I made Vegan Peanut Butter cookies from Elana's pantry.  I modified the recipe slightly by replacing the agave nectar with maple syrup and coconut palm sugar.  Agave nectar is very sweet, so the exchange was not one for one.  For those of you who think agave nectar is good for you, check this out.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/agave-this-sweetener-is-f_b_537936.html

I also replaced the two tablespoons of palm shortening with one tablespoon of coconut oil.  The results?  Amazingly delicious. 

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup grade B maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
• 1 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a medium bowl mix together peanut butter, sweeeteners, oil and vanilla with a hand blender
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet with hand blender until well combined
4. Roll 1 tablespoon of dought into a ball and place onto a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough. 
5. Bake at 350° for 8-12 minutes until golden around the edges
6. Serve

Each peanut butter cookie is 154 calories.  High calorie but not high sugar, so they provide energy but no insulin spikes.

Recording my food in a daily diary has led me to focus closely on portion control.  I find that if I make something and store the leftovers in one container, I am more likely to have a few extra bites.  But if I portion it out into single servings, I don't overeat.  I eat the designated serving and then that't it.  On Saturday, I cooked ground beef for tacos.  It was 3/4 of a pound of beef.  After cooking it, I formed three piles in the skillet and served myself one.   The other two I stored in separate containers in the fridge. Then yesterday, I reheated one portion for a two taco meal.  When I made honey vanilla custard for company (with a little leftover), I poured the hot custard into individual ramkins.  Each ramkin is a serving.  No more no less. 
This is something I have not done before, and I think it's helpful.

Panda Express

I've been super hungry for lunch this week.  Today I added 200 calories to my breakfast in an attempt to stave off hunger a little longer.  It helped, but not so much that I would do it again.  I think I'd rather have a 100 calorie snack at 10:30 or 11:00 and then lunch.  I save 100 calories that way and still calm my hunger

Today I wanted something different for lunch.  Something that was not in my fridge or kitchen.  I had to run a couple of errands, so while I was out, I went to Panda Express.  But for the record, I researched before I left the house.  I looked up nutrition information for Subway, Taco Bell, and Panda Express.  PE was the only low-carb, low-calorie option. 

At Panda Express, I ordered steam veggies as my side, green bean chicken, and kabori beef.  Total calories?  455.  That's right folks.  455 cals and roughly 45 grams of carbohydrates.  This included half of a fortune cookie.  It was a nice break from my usual fare.  I was satisfied.  Not full, not tired from carb overload.

Some diet and nutrition books recommend eating less than 50 net carbs per day for weight loss.  I find that number difficult to consistently acheive.  Other books recommend staying below 100 carbs for weight loss, a number that although still quite low, is easier to acheive if abstaining from sugar, bread, pasta, etc. 

I've been tracking my calories, loosely, for the past couple of weeks.  But I have decided, after reading The Amen Solution, to track my food for 10 weeks.  I've never tracked food for longer than 5 weeks.  Sheesh.  Ten weeks is a long time.  

Here's my food diary for today.  I haven't had dinner or my afternoon snack, but I have already planned out what I will eat.  I do this regularly and rarely veer off plan.  I burned about 600 calories today in over an hour of walking and swimming...not at the same time.  My aim is to stay under 1700 calories per day.  I went a little over today (88 cals), but I don't think it will make much of an impact.  Yesterday I was under 1500.  With my exercise level, 1600-1800 is about right. 

And for the record, my carb count today was less than calculated by fitnesspals.com, as indicated in the below diary.  My NET carb total was about 115.  A little high, but I did have that oatmeal at breakfast.  Also, I did not eat all the (sweet) sauce on my Panda Express entrees.

Food Diary

P.S.  My body did NOT like Panda Express.  Won't do that again.

Crises Averted

Today I wanted pasta for lunch.  Or thai noodles.  Or mexican take out.  I stood in my kitchen with a package of high fiber spaghetti noodles in my hand and an open jar of marinara in my fridge, as well as some Italian chicken sausage, but after reading that an 8th of the package contained 35 carbs and only 3 grams of fiber, I put it back in the bottom of the drawer and ate leftover chicken stew with cauliflower mash.  I didn't particularly enjoy lunch, but I averted a carbohydrate crises and feel stronger for it.  To satisfy my "I didn't eat anything I really liked" pity party, I made some hot cocoa with unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla, and about a teaspoon of xylitol.  I'm sipping it now and am satisfied. 

It turns out that the happy feeling I get from eating bread, potatoes, pasta, pizza, and such is not all in my head.  It's physiological.  Eating simple carbs releases dopamine to the brain, as well as a host of other things, all of which create a pleasant feeling.  No wonder so many over-worked, stressed out, lonely, sad, broke Americans are overweight.  We eat to feel good.  And then we do it again.  And again.  And again. 

I am learning to accept that food should not make me happy.  That the once in a while treat while out with friends/family is all well and good, but day to day, my goal should be to eat for my health.  That doesn't mean food can't taste good.  It does mean that I should always ask myself what food choices are best for my body.


Bread Makes you Fat



Random Image - Thought it was Funny

Year Two And Spinal Stenosis

I don't think anyone reads this blog, but for the record, I found out what was causing my butt pain.  Not sacrilliac dysfunction.  After 6 months on and off of physical therapy, I finally convinced my doctor to order an MRI.  The results were not good. 

I have spinal lumbar stenosis and a calcified synovial cyst in my right facet joint.  The cyst is contributing to the stenosis and likely the primary source of pain.  I was referred to a ortho surgeon who turned out to be a jackass.  He would not talk to me at all about my back.  Instead he told me to have gastric bypass surgery.  When I tried to discuss back symptoms, the cyst, how I might manage pain during and after weight loss, he said, "I'm not here to debate with you."

I am not having gastric bypass.  I need to lose 75 lbs.  Last year, I lost 25.  (I lost 40 then gained 15 back after I was sidelined from exercise.)  I have been refocused on my weight loss since January 1.  Although I have not weighed, I'm guessing I've lost about 5 or 6 pounds.  My goal is 2 lbs a week.  

Learning out I have stenosis (severe in L3/L4) and that I will either have to have back surgery or learn to manage the pain, whatever that means, was difficult news to process.  It made me feel, for the first time in my life, fragile. 

But after a couple of weeks, I began to feel strong again.  I got back to the gym and am riding the stationary bike and swimming for cardio.  For strength training, I take a TRX class or make up my own WOD, which usually consists of push ups, rows, squats, presses, and some core work.  I take short 20 minute walks nearly every day, as long as I am not in too much pain.  This is a hard way to go, as I am accustomed to vigorous, heart pounding, sweat inducing exercise.  But this is my world for now.  I have to lose the weight. 

I have an appointment with another ortho surgeon next Friday.  Hopefully he will have a better bedside manner than the last and will discuss what to do with the cyst.  I'm hoping I won't get the gastric bypass lecture from him. 

Day 304 - Quiche

In an effort to break away from cooking/baking boredom, I made quiche on Saturday.  Sure, it's rich, but if I couple it with a salad, is it all that bad?  Well, apparantly it is all....that....bad. 

After eating a slice, I decided to calculate the calorie count of 1/4 of the quiche.  Now keep in mind that it's a 8.5 inch tart, not a pie, and there isn't a whole lot of filling, so 1/4 slice is a moderate size.  Certainly not large by any means. 

Unfortunately moderate in size doesn't mean moderate in calories.  I calculated that one slice of bacon arugula quiche has a whopping 750 calories.  Who knew?

What I don't understand is that I am hungry 3 or 4 hours after eating a slice.  I had a 1/6 slice for breakfast, which I calculate to be about 500 calories, as well as an orange, and I'm already hungry.  It's only been two hours!

What's up with that?  Is it possible that I overcalculated the calories?

Nevertheless, I will not be making quiche again.  I'll stick to milk-based crustless but still good fritatta. 

On a positive note, the only sugar I had yesterday was a couple of bites of chocolate.  I did well overall, taking in about 1800 calories.  Still need to drink more water. 

Day 303 - 9 Weeks Left

There are 9 weeks left in 2011.  With the exception of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas festivities, I plan to make the best out of the 9 weeks remaining.  I have been whining and complaining about my hip pain for 6 months now.  As a result of this whining, I have gained 10 pounds.  I should be ashamed. 

I AM ashamed. 

Bottom line is that I can still lose weight with an injury.  My exercise may be limited, but my dieting is not.  If I eat healthy, low carbohydrate meals, avoid sugar, and drink lots of water each and every day, I will lose weight.

I recorded my food intake yesterday.  Of course I had all the best intentions, but in the end, I gave in to temptation....again.   I'm estimating my total caloric intake was 1800-1900, but that included cheetos, mini chocolates, a few candy dots, and vanilla ice cream.  I took a 30 minute TRX class, walked for 20, and swam laps for 25 minutes, so I don't think I gained, but I certainly didn't lose. 

This morning I threw away the bag of cheetos.  Why was that so hard?  I like cheetos at first, like any other junk food.  They taste good.  But then, all I taste is salt.  Even as I am eating them, I am thinking about how they don't taste good anymore.  It's as if I keep eating them in an effort to get back that initial "yum."  But it never happens.  I finally stop, and then I feel guilty.  After that, the thirst kicks in from all that salt.  I don't want to even think about the fat.

If I lose 2 lbs a week for the next 9 weeks, minus 2 pounds for the holidays, then that's a total loss of 16 lbs by January 1, 2012.  Considering the 10 I've regained, that would put me at 46 lb lost for the year.

Not my best year ever, but 46, or even 36, is better than nothing.   

The Anti-Christ

Day 290 - Ugh

I have been avoiding my blog.  I did so well for the first 5 months of the year, but the last 3 or 4 have been bleak.  I've re-gained some of the 40 lbs I lost.  Not sure how many, but I'm guessing between 5-10.

That said, I want to be losing again.  I want to feel energetic and light.  I want to avoid simple, refined carbohydrates and all white foods.  I want to go to bed knowing I had a healthy day of eating and exercising and look forward to the same thing the next day.  But the reality is, I am in pain.  Not all the time.  Not when I'm sitting at my desk, but when I'm up and about, pain is constant.  Most of the time it's a general ache in my hip that reminds me to sit down every once in a while and recover.  But when I'm walking or exercising, the pain wears me out.  Reminds me that I have an injury that is holding me back. 

I am bored with  my exercise and the limitiations of my injury.  I feel  a little defeated.  I am disappointed in myself for falling of the wagon with my diet.  Just because I can't workout like I used to, doesn't mean I can't eat for weight loss. 

So here I am again on day 290.  I will not get fit this year, but I will be fitter at the start of 2012 than I was at the start of 2011.  And I will weigh less.  I guess that's what matters. 

I have approximately 10 weeks left in the year.  That's enough time to lose 10-20 lbs. 

I am tired already.