Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Striving To Maintain

Hi everyone! Sorry, I missed posting yesterday. I'm finding my summer days are filled to the brim with entertaining the daughters and by night time, I am just too tired to post. It's been fun though! I'm trying to keep to a schedule as best I can so as to keep the sibling blow-ups to a minimum. So far, so good! What is not so good is my eating plan. While I can't say it's gone to hell in a handbasket, it's just not been up to par. I'm not physically tracking my food, however as a habit, I do mentally count what I am eating. And I'm noticing a lot of picking here and there: crusts off daughters' sandwiches, an extra chip or two, bites of leftovers... you know, that kind of thing. I know from experience that it all adds up in the end. But, my mindset seems to be to just get through the summer without packing on any more pounds. I think I'll have good weeks where I feel completely on track and in a losing mode and then, I'll have others when I'm just trying to get by without a massive gain. I looked at the calendar and see nothing but holidays, parties and vacations in the upcoming weeks. UGH. So, instead of stressing about losing and making it to my goal weight, my NEW GOAL is to get through the rest of the summer without gaining. If I lose, great. If not, that's okay, too. And come September, when everyone is back to where they should be, I feel like I can focus on myself again. Does this sound like a cop-out? Maybe. But, I know the more stressed I feel, the more I want to eat. A lot. Lots of eating = gaining. I don't want to go there. So, maintain is the state I'm striving for!

Now, onto the food...

After Jillian kicked my non-Shredded butt, I made a yummy wafflewich using 2 Eggo Nutrigrain Waffles, 1 tbsp. PB2 and a sliced Fuji apple for 4 POINTS...



Lunch was completely boring. Please excuse my lack of creativity in the lunch department. I've been trying to be good about using leftovers and I also find the usual sandwich, chip, fruit combo to work best during these busy days. So here's today's: leftover grilled chicken in a small La Tortilla Factory tortilla, Kettle Baked Chips (oh, I've missed having these -yum!) and watermelon for 7 POINTS...


Non pictured snacking went on in the afternoon. Not too crazy, though. Just some reduced fat Cheez-its and some No Pudge Brownie batter licks!

For dinner, I tried a recipe from Devin Alexanders' book, The Most Decadent Diet Ever, for Salisbury Steaks in Rich Brown Gravy. It was very good; definitely a family favorite...

Salisbury Steaks With Rich Brown Gravy

1/3 c. egg substitute
1/4 c. old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. onion soup mix
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. 96% lean ground beef
3 tbsp. flour; divided
1 c. fat-free, lower sodium beef broth
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
olive oil spray
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 3 1/2 c.)

Combine egg substitute and the oats in a medium mixing bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes to soften the oats. Add onion soup mix, minced onion, garlic powder, pepper and beef. Mix until well combined and then shape into 4 oval patties about 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long.
Put 2 tbsp. flour in a medium shallow bowl. Dip the patties in the flour to coat them on all sides. Put the remaining flour in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in enough broth to form a paste. Then slowly whisk in the remaining broth, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Set aside.
Preheat large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, lightly mist it with spray. Put in the patties and brown on both sides. Pour the broth mixture into the skittlet. Add the onion rings to the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer aobut 15 minutes, flipping patties once, halfway through. Transfer to a platter; spoon onions and gravy over the patties and serve.
Makes 4 patties; 4 servings
1 patty with 1/4 of the gravy and onions has 205 calories, 26 gr. protein, 13 gr. carbohydrates, 5 gr. fat, 60 mg. cholesterol, 1 gr. fiber, 573 mg. sodium


To go with it, I had 1/2 c. high fiber noodles and a scant 1/2 c. peas. A hearty 8 POINT meal...




Of course, I had to have one of the No Pudge Brownies that I made this afternoon. So dessert was a Brownie Strawberry Shortcake for 3 POINTS...


I'm off to enjoy the beautiful evening! Have a great night everyone!!!

16 comments:

Hottest & cutest said...

Not a cop out at all... sometimes you have to do what you can, and not gaining is a great goal. I know it is harder with the kids around and going and doing so much of the time. It's all in the planning and summers (at least for me) are hard to plan!
Brownie Shortcake has me drooling on the keyboard-- YUMMM!

Trina said...

Man O man! That dessert looks so scrumptious. Where can I find these not pudge brownies? Your dinner looked great too!

Anonymous said...

Ohhh... dessert looks great. I have a box of No Pudge brownies. You just reminded me to bake some.

Wendy said...

I was actually thinking that same thing....try to maintain during the summer....i really wanted to lose 2o pounds this summer.....but considering that is it july tomorrow...it aint gonna happen!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I think making your goal maintaining over the summer is a great plan. Plus, you are keeping track of what you are eating (including the extra "stuff") and you are exercising, so "relaxing" a bit may actually just be what you need to lose a little! :)

I hope the rest of your summer is happy & healthy! :)

Di said...

Maintaining is a VERY important skill that should not be ignored. You will be in weight loss mode for a while, but maintain mode for life. I wish you success !

Miz said...

some day I am going to totally cave, find me that dvd and SHRED!!

Until then its all on your strong shoulders...

Marisa @Loser for Life said...

Thanks for your support with my ever changing goals, guys!

MochaTrina- I have been able to find the No Pudge Brownies in all my local supermarkets and Trader Joe's. If you click on the link in my post, you can see what the box looks like. They are REALLY good!

Reen said...

Marisa, I think you've got a GREAT plan. You know what's good for you and you know you can do it. I'm with you on the picking here and there. Mom has been visiting since our return from vacation and although I thought I was doing well, the scale said otherwise this morning... up 3 pounds! Ughh!

Must get it under control TODAY!

You continue to be an inspiration to me and I totally enjoy checking the blogs every day to see what you're up to, how you're doing, and what you're eating.

Unknown said...

I don't see anything wrong with your plan at all! Rather than battling a crazy schedule and hectic life, you're planning in advance to keep things together until you get your schedule back. Sounds like a terrific plan!

Kathi said...

I hate to be the devil advocate but I don't think maintaining is truly what you want. I believe it is an excuse not to do the hard work that needs to be done to finish the weight loss journey and move on to living in maintance. Why wait until September, why not be even closer to your weight loss goal by September?
Just my two cents if it means anything? Believe me I have played many games in my weight loss journey but in the end it came down to dedication and a desire to succeed.

Marisa @Loser for Life said...

Reen - Thank you for your nice words! And you are an inspiration to me! I am so happy for you making it to goal!

Jenn- yeah, things are really stressful around here and I am a stress eater for sure. I didn't want to add to it by putting the additional pressure to lose this summer. I hope it works!

Kathi - I do agree with some of what you are saying. You're right about doing the hard work, dedication and desire. I'm not in the right mindset to put that much energy into it right now. Losing weight really is a battle for me. Morning, noon and night. I am a food addict, stress eater, emotional eater..all of it. Frankly, it's exhausting to try to control it every day. But, I know I have to. There is no other choice because I won't let myself go back to where I was. It was a bad, bad place and I don't want to ever be there again. Just to clarify, I am not totally giving up my desire for weight loss this summer, I am just trying to take the focus off of reaching goal and the pressure of it all. I will still continue to try everyday to make the choices that will allow me to lose, however, I'm trying not to beat myself up if I don't make it or if I get off program a day here and there. I am hoping that taking the pressure off myself will allow me to just relax about it and who knows, maybe I'll take off in the losing department and make it to goal sooner than I thought! So, don't think I'm giving up! I'm still in the game, just maybe sitting on the bench a little more this season ;P

Kari@Onederland said...

I don't think it sounds like a cop out at all. You have a plan for the summer and it's gonna take just as much work to stick to it. Doesn't matter if the plan is the lose, gain, or stay the same.
Oh and thanks to that last picture I'm now craving chocolate brownie cookies. mmmm.

Danica's Daily said...

Hi Marisa,

I totally do not think that is a cop out at all. you are being realistic for what your situation allows. Maintaining while having fun this summer is an awesome goal - you are living life but also being mindful of your choices.

Yeah for the wafflewich - love'em!

I LOVE Devin's book too! Her pizza is amazing in the book.

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

I had to laugh at the "sibling blow-ups!" I'm having the same problem with my three. I am limiting TV and video games and as soon as its time to turn those off, their like, "I'm bored!" and then they kind of pick on each other! UGH!

On the other hand, I wanted to say that I totally don't think its a cop out to maintain over the summer. Schedules are off, life is a bit crazier, etc...

AND, I love the dinner you made from Devin Alexander! So good!

Trina said...

Thanks for the info.