It's my first Lite'n'Easy day of 2011 and I decided to go with the 1,500 calorie option so I'd have a little room to maneuver. I also haven't quite managed to clear out my freezer, and the 1,800 calorie menu adds two more items per day needing freezing. Which, given the abundance of chocolate at work, was probably a good thing, though I only had three squares.
I had a chicken and tomato salad with pesto mayonnaise to start, peach Melba, and snacked on a slightly dry citrus sultana biscuits and wafer biscuits with cheese. Thanks to the miracle of CalorieKing I now know that, including the chocolate, this adds up to 563 calories (643 with the chocolate) and 21.4g of fat. When I got home I had one of my favourite Lite'n'Easy dinners, special lasagna with a slightly distressing 10.4g of fat, but only 384 calories.
After a lovely nap I stretched my quietly aching muscles with a gentle walk.
Breakfast was porridge again - I measured as I cooked, and used 2 dates (50g), 210ml of low-fat milk, 50gof rolled oats, topped with 50g of stewed rhubarb and 50g stewed raspberries, for a daily total of 1,495 calories and 38.5g of fat (15.5g of which were saturated). Not bad to start - Alex
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Week 14, day 97
I began the day with the Calorie Killer circuit, which conclusively demonstrated that I have ground to make up but also that I've made gains since October - I was scarlet, panting, had to take a couple of breathers, couldn't keep up with the pyramid section, and couldn't hold the static poses for more than 15 seconds. But I was able to rip off the push ups (albeit modified - I'm not quite up to push ups on my toes yet) and the crunches.
I had a breakfast of porridge with dates, topped by some more stewed rhubarb and raspberries, accompanied by 50ml of diluted Kirmizi juice. Still peckish, a couple of hours later I had about 50g of grilled haloumi with baby spinach and lemon juice.
Before leaving for work in the evening I had a bowl of homemade pumpkin soup, made from some leftover roasted pumpkin (with a piece each of roasted carrot and sweet potato) thinned with stock, accompanied by a mini ancient grains and seed roll.
I won't have the time every night to walk all the way to work, but part way will do for a start. I've also learned that the most essential part of maintaining the exercise component of my program while on nights is to get enough sleep - otherwise getting up is just too difficult. - Alex
I had a breakfast of porridge with dates, topped by some more stewed rhubarb and raspberries, accompanied by 50ml of diluted Kirmizi juice. Still peckish, a couple of hours later I had about 50g of grilled haloumi with baby spinach and lemon juice.
Before leaving for work in the evening I had a bowl of homemade pumpkin soup, made from some leftover roasted pumpkin (with a piece each of roasted carrot and sweet potato) thinned with stock, accompanied by a mini ancient grains and seed roll.
I won't have the time every night to walk all the way to work, but part way will do for a start. I've also learned that the most essential part of maintaining the exercise component of my program while on nights is to get enough sleep - otherwise getting up is just too difficult. - Alex
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Week 14, day 96
I've spent today with a pleasant muscle ache in my thighs and shoulders, after returning to working out yesterday - not enought to be uncomfortable, just enough to remind me that I did something physical. Not to much today, however - I walked a little, but only 4 x 10 minutes, and two legs of that were with company and far from as brisk as my usual stride.
Breakfast was porridge with a small handful of sultanas, topped by stewed raspberry and rhubarb, washed down with a mug of green tea. I ate out for lunch, chosing a vegetarian tart accompanied by three salads (cous-cous, Greek and green) and washed down with a pot of green tea - it was very nice but undoubtedly higher in fat and calories than optimal.
For dinner I planned to have a bowl of Asian-inspired chicked soup, which I made on the 2nd. Unfortunately, though the chicken had an expiration date of today, it smelled a little odd; I made up the soup, which was delicious, until my second or third piece of chicken - it tasted odd, so I sadly threw the remainder out.
Instead of my delicate soup I ended up having an omlette of two eggs, a little low-fat cheddar, a couple of diced cherry tomatoes, and some dried parsley and chives on a multigrain muffin. I washed it all down with a small glass of Kirmizi juice.
Later, feeling a little deprived, and trying to stay away for night duty on Thursday, I also had a mug of hot chocolate, made from low-fat milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and about 50g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) calletes. - Alex
Breakfast was porridge with a small handful of sultanas, topped by stewed raspberry and rhubarb, washed down with a mug of green tea. I ate out for lunch, chosing a vegetarian tart accompanied by three salads (cous-cous, Greek and green) and washed down with a pot of green tea - it was very nice but undoubtedly higher in fat and calories than optimal.
For dinner I planned to have a bowl of Asian-inspired chicked soup, which I made on the 2nd. Unfortunately, though the chicken had an expiration date of today, it smelled a little odd; I made up the soup, which was delicious, until my second or third piece of chicken - it tasted odd, so I sadly threw the remainder out.
Instead of my delicate soup I ended up having an omlette of two eggs, a little low-fat cheddar, a couple of diced cherry tomatoes, and some dried parsley and chives on a multigrain muffin. I washed it all down with a small glass of Kirmizi juice.
Later, feeling a little deprived, and trying to stay away for night duty on Thursday, I also had a mug of hot chocolate, made from low-fat milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and about 50g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) calletes. - Alex
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Week 14, day 95
Oh merciful Zeus I must remember this next time I think about procrastinating on the exercise front! For yes, today was my first proper return to form, and I found myself panting like a steam engine very quickly into my circuit training DVD.
On the downside: I didn't finish all the push ups, had to stop for a breather at one point (pausing the workout, not skipping anything), and I gave up half way through the plank. On the plus side: I finished, I got my breath back quickly, I felt fine, and I began sweating quite quickly. This last is significant - it indicates higher fitness levels than sweating once exercise has ceased, and is a measurably change since I began exercising. I still turn red quickly and stay red for ages, but I hope that will settle a little as my fitness level improves.
I can feel the strength I've lost in a month off - I can't manage as many reps at as high a weight as I could before. But I can also tell how much stronger I am than I was before I started, particularly in the push up and triceps dip area.
I began the day with green tea and sultanas (which apparently burns more fat if taken before exercise), followed by porridge with a raspberry coulis for breakfast. I also had a shot glass of Kirmizi juice, which I found at IGA this week - the taste is quite pleasant, and though I as a rule think juice is much less good than fruit, the combination was intriguing.
I lunched with friends - though I took my own meal (kangaroo and salad wrap with pumpkin and pickled beetroot) I did also have a few mini homemade sausage rolls with sauce, some fruit, and a 2cm slice of chocolate ripple cake.
I had left over salad and roo, supplemented by a little fried (without oil) haloumi on baby spinach with lemon juice, for dinner, and topped it off with a hot chocolate - a cup of reduced-fat milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and about 10g of 60% chocolate.
I also placed an order with Lite'n'Easy. - Alex
On the downside: I didn't finish all the push ups, had to stop for a breather at one point (pausing the workout, not skipping anything), and I gave up half way through the plank. On the plus side: I finished, I got my breath back quickly, I felt fine, and I began sweating quite quickly. This last is significant - it indicates higher fitness levels than sweating once exercise has ceased, and is a measurably change since I began exercising. I still turn red quickly and stay red for ages, but I hope that will settle a little as my fitness level improves.
I can feel the strength I've lost in a month off - I can't manage as many reps at as high a weight as I could before. But I can also tell how much stronger I am than I was before I started, particularly in the push up and triceps dip area.
I began the day with green tea and sultanas (which apparently burns more fat if taken before exercise), followed by porridge with a raspberry coulis for breakfast. I also had a shot glass of Kirmizi juice, which I found at IGA this week - the taste is quite pleasant, and though I as a rule think juice is much less good than fruit, the combination was intriguing.
I lunched with friends - though I took my own meal (kangaroo and salad wrap with pumpkin and pickled beetroot) I did also have a few mini homemade sausage rolls with sauce, some fruit, and a 2cm slice of chocolate ripple cake.
I had left over salad and roo, supplemented by a little fried (without oil) haloumi on baby spinach with lemon juice, for dinner, and topped it off with a hot chocolate - a cup of reduced-fat milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and about 10g of 60% chocolate.
I also placed an order with Lite'n'Easy. - Alex
Monday, January 3, 2011
Asian-influenced chicken soup
I had a friend over for lunch today and decided to make up a couple of bowls of soup, the only recipe I've really created myself - it's certainly not unique, but I didn't start out with another recipe and modify it.
I think I've mentioned my soup before, but not really discussed it. It's really quick, very easy, delicious and low in fat and calories.
Serves one
Ingredients:
350ml chicken broth or stock (see note)
10g sliced dried mushrooms, broken into smaller pieces
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
a cube of ginger (`1cm x 2cm), peeled
1 bulb of bok choy, stem chopped, leaves sliced
1/2 stalk of celery, diced
100g chicken breast (preferably free range), diced
a squeeze of lemon juice
2ml each sesame oil and soy sauce
cracked pepper
Method: in one saucepan heat 100ml of stock to a low boil and add the mushrooms. In a second pan simmer the garlic, shallots and ginger in about 50ml of stock for a couple of minutes, or until soft, then add 150ml of stock and the green vegetables. Reduce the heat in your first pan, and add the chicken pieces; cook for a two to three minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon, the oil and soy to the second pan, and stir in.
For an aesthetic presentation, drain the first pan and pour the mushrooms and chicken into a shallow bowl, then top with the contents of the vegetable pan, taking care to remove the ginger first - it's quite difficult to distinguish between cooked chicken and ginger otherwise, and a mouthful of lightly poached ginger isn't too delicious!
If you don't mind having cloudier broth, pour both saucepan contents into a bowl.
In either case, top with a turn of black pepper and enjoy.
Nutrition: the calorie count depends on the stock used (see note, below). The other ingredients account for 190 calories, 2.7g of fat (0.5g saturated), and 5.5g of fibre (courtesy of CalorieKing's online calculator).
Note: if available I prefer a can of broth from my local Asian grocery - it has almost half the number of calories as Campbell's stock, with more flavour. Campbell's salt-reduced chicken stock has 10 calories per 100ml, or 35 calories and 0.1 g of fat for the recipe above; Swanson's chicken broth comes in at 6 calories per 100ml, or 21 calories and 0.5g of fat for the above recipe. The canned broth has a little fat floating on the surface, so skimming that off drops the fat content a little.
I think I've mentioned my soup before, but not really discussed it. It's really quick, very easy, delicious and low in fat and calories.
Serves one
Ingredients:
350ml chicken broth or stock (see note)
10g sliced dried mushrooms, broken into smaller pieces
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
a cube of ginger (`1cm x 2cm), peeled
1 bulb of bok choy, stem chopped, leaves sliced
1/2 stalk of celery, diced
100g chicken breast (preferably free range), diced
a squeeze of lemon juice
2ml each sesame oil and soy sauce
cracked pepper
Method: in one saucepan heat 100ml of stock to a low boil and add the mushrooms. In a second pan simmer the garlic, shallots and ginger in about 50ml of stock for a couple of minutes, or until soft, then add 150ml of stock and the green vegetables. Reduce the heat in your first pan, and add the chicken pieces; cook for a two to three minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon, the oil and soy to the second pan, and stir in.
For an aesthetic presentation, drain the first pan and pour the mushrooms and chicken into a shallow bowl, then top with the contents of the vegetable pan, taking care to remove the ginger first - it's quite difficult to distinguish between cooked chicken and ginger otherwise, and a mouthful of lightly poached ginger isn't too delicious!
If you don't mind having cloudier broth, pour both saucepan contents into a bowl.
In either case, top with a turn of black pepper and enjoy.
Nutrition: the calorie count depends on the stock used (see note, below). The other ingredients account for 190 calories, 2.7g of fat (0.5g saturated), and 5.5g of fibre (courtesy of CalorieKing's online calculator).
Note: if available I prefer a can of broth from my local Asian grocery - it has almost half the number of calories as Campbell's stock, with more flavour. Campbell's salt-reduced chicken stock has 10 calories per 100ml, or 35 calories and 0.1 g of fat for the recipe above; Swanson's chicken broth comes in at 6 calories per 100ml, or 21 calories and 0.5g of fat for the above recipe. The canned broth has a little fat floating on the surface, so skimming that off drops the fat content a little.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Week 14, day 2 (day 92)
I took two weeks off Lite'n'Easy over the Christmas/new Year period because it would all pretty much go to waste otherwise. I also planned to set up for my transition to the Real Age weight loss program from January 1st, with the theory that long-term health strategies are more important than BMI. I still believe that, but think I'm not ready for that just yet for two reasons, and with one caveat.
The last first - the Real Age program and website are most definitely aimed at an American audience, which makes sense because that's where their market is and where they're based. It does, however, mean that some of their empirical research is less relevant for an Australian consumer. There is, for example (and wholly understandably) no information on kangaroo meat, which is high in protein, very low in fat (around 2%), high in conjugated linoleic acid, and an environmentally sound product.
Differences in farming practices here and in the US also mean that Real Age restrictions on dairy products, particularly milk, are not supported by research, because our cattle are predominantly and primarily fed on grass, while US cattle are far more likely to be grain-fed, which significantly alters the nutritional composition of both the meat and the milk - products of grain-fed cattle tend to be generally higher in fat, particularly saturated fat, higher in cholesterol, lower in antioxidants and omega-3, and lower in vitamins A and E.
The Real Age weight loss diet, featured in the book and on the website, provides 1032 to 1624 calories per day. However, according to their calculator, I need to consume 2,820 calories to maintain my current weight and 2,360 calories per day if I'm aiming to weigh 75k; if I'm looking at an end weight of 60k (which is more in line with my 'ideal' BMI) then it's 2,129 calories a day. If I up the exercise from Active (3-5 times per week) to 'Very Active (6-7 times/week) those counts become 3,349 calories, 2,802 calories and 2,528 calories respectively.
That all sounds like too many calories to me, but it also sounds like there's a bit gap between their diet and the energy requirements they calculate I need.
In addition, like the majority of diet programs, there's a variety of menu options, all of which are difficult for a single person to juggle - soup recipes serve four, some meals provide eight portions, and my freezer's only so big.
The biggest reason that I'm holding off before embracing the Real Age program in toto, though, is my reaction to going shopping on Christmas Eve. I decided to take some cheese and dip in to work to celebrate/commiserate our night. My supermarket visits over the past twelve months have all been focused - I've gone in to buy a specific item: milk, breakfast cereal etc. December 24th was the first time I'd gone to the supermarket to browse in three months, and I found the experience curiously overwhelming. There was just so much stuff, and so many options! I ended up spending about $100, on three kinds of (relatively low-fat) dips, brie, crackers, corn chips, cherry tomatoes, peas, dried apricots, baklava, and delicious peanut butter and puffed rice balls enrobed in Belgian chocolate.
As I wrote yesterday, one of the most valuable aspects for me of Lite'n'Easy is not needing to make any decisions about what I'll eat, except for five minutes a week, at a time when there's no imminent food as a result (as opposed, for example, to ordering from a menu at a restaurant).
I don't think I'm ready to meal plan, at least not full time. Instead I've decided to go with a transition stage - for the rest of this week I'll do a little targeted grocery shopping, combined with making room in the freezer. I can see my chicken soup featuring a few times, and a couple of kangaroo kebabs, as well as perhaps some fresh fish and maybe even a little haloumi on a bed of baby spinach. I've also got edamame in the freezer, alongside a bag of Quorn mince - I'm sure I can come up with something to cook there. though not, perhaps, using both ingredients.
Then I'll go back to Lite'n'Easy five days a week, so that I don't have to think about what I'm eating on work days; the other two days will feature Real Age suggestions blended with my own creations. The scale will determine where I go from there - if my weight loss at the end of January has been is stable or accelerates I'll continue, and if it drops off I'll return to all Lite'n'Easy all the time. I know weight loss begins to plateau in time, but I'm compensating for that by returning to exercise. I only hope I haven't lost a lot of ground in the past month. - Alex
The last first - the Real Age program and website are most definitely aimed at an American audience, which makes sense because that's where their market is and where they're based. It does, however, mean that some of their empirical research is less relevant for an Australian consumer. There is, for example (and wholly understandably) no information on kangaroo meat, which is high in protein, very low in fat (around 2%), high in conjugated linoleic acid, and an environmentally sound product.
Differences in farming practices here and in the US also mean that Real Age restrictions on dairy products, particularly milk, are not supported by research, because our cattle are predominantly and primarily fed on grass, while US cattle are far more likely to be grain-fed, which significantly alters the nutritional composition of both the meat and the milk - products of grain-fed cattle tend to be generally higher in fat, particularly saturated fat, higher in cholesterol, lower in antioxidants and omega-3, and lower in vitamins A and E.
The Real Age weight loss diet, featured in the book and on the website, provides 1032 to 1624 calories per day. However, according to their calculator, I need to consume 2,820 calories to maintain my current weight and 2,360 calories per day if I'm aiming to weigh 75k; if I'm looking at an end weight of 60k (which is more in line with my 'ideal' BMI) then it's 2,129 calories a day. If I up the exercise from Active (3-5 times per week) to 'Very Active (6-7 times/week) those counts become 3,349 calories, 2,802 calories and 2,528 calories respectively.
That all sounds like too many calories to me, but it also sounds like there's a bit gap between their diet and the energy requirements they calculate I need.
In addition, like the majority of diet programs, there's a variety of menu options, all of which are difficult for a single person to juggle - soup recipes serve four, some meals provide eight portions, and my freezer's only so big.
The biggest reason that I'm holding off before embracing the Real Age program in toto, though, is my reaction to going shopping on Christmas Eve. I decided to take some cheese and dip in to work to celebrate/commiserate our night. My supermarket visits over the past twelve months have all been focused - I've gone in to buy a specific item: milk, breakfast cereal etc. December 24th was the first time I'd gone to the supermarket to browse in three months, and I found the experience curiously overwhelming. There was just so much stuff, and so many options! I ended up spending about $100, on three kinds of (relatively low-fat) dips, brie, crackers, corn chips, cherry tomatoes, peas, dried apricots, baklava, and delicious peanut butter and puffed rice balls enrobed in Belgian chocolate.
As I wrote yesterday, one of the most valuable aspects for me of Lite'n'Easy is not needing to make any decisions about what I'll eat, except for five minutes a week, at a time when there's no imminent food as a result (as opposed, for example, to ordering from a menu at a restaurant).
I don't think I'm ready to meal plan, at least not full time. Instead I've decided to go with a transition stage - for the rest of this week I'll do a little targeted grocery shopping, combined with making room in the freezer. I can see my chicken soup featuring a few times, and a couple of kangaroo kebabs, as well as perhaps some fresh fish and maybe even a little haloumi on a bed of baby spinach. I've also got edamame in the freezer, alongside a bag of Quorn mince - I'm sure I can come up with something to cook there. though not, perhaps, using both ingredients.
Then I'll go back to Lite'n'Easy five days a week, so that I don't have to think about what I'm eating on work days; the other two days will feature Real Age suggestions blended with my own creations. The scale will determine where I go from there - if my weight loss at the end of January has been is stable or accelerates I'll continue, and if it drops off I'll return to all Lite'n'Easy all the time. I know weight loss begins to plateau in time, but I'm compensating for that by returning to exercise. I only hope I haven't lost a lot of ground in the past month. - Alex
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Week 14, day 1 (day 91)
Though there's be a long gap between entries, I haven't (entirely) fallen off the lifestyle-change wagon. I think I've pretty much got the eating part down pat, but the exercise aspect is proving considerably easier to stop and vastly harder to restart, with the unhappy result that I've barely done anything more energetic than an amble in the past month or so. It's odd to me that I have so much less trouble getting back on the diet wagon (by which I mean eating well, rather than subsiding on boiled cabbage and raw carrots) than I do incorporating exercise into my daily life. I do well for a while, but the first interruption sees it all fall in a heap.
I know that once I get on top of this block I'll be able to reignite every time, but until that time (or revelation or whatever) comes, it's going to be this plodding process of intensive bouts followed by potatodom. - Alex
I know that once I get on top of this block I'll be able to reignite every time, but until that time (or revelation or whatever) comes, it's going to be this plodding process of intensive bouts followed by potatodom. - Alex
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