Helpful Hint! - State Your Intention

I've decided to start a new category of things to write about called Helpful Hints. These are in no particular order. I will write about them as I come across them and add a nifty little tag so you can find them all later. *wink

As I wrapped up my weight training tonight (see pic below of me leg pressing 240lbs!), I proclaimed to the hubs that I was going to go to yoga in the morning and then hit the gym on the way home for some cardio. 

See what I did there? I said, out loud even, what my intention was for the next day. You know how when you write yourself a reminder note but you don't even have to read it to remember what you wrote? Yeah, me too. I'm sure there is a fancy word for that, but I digress. 

It's along the same lines. You said your intention out loud which makes the percentage of you achieving that goal much higher. Perhaps self accountability? 

Just don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen. Things happen. Life happens. But ask yourself this...was it a good excuse? Can you go later? Should you go earlier? More than likely you don't have anyone to answer to except yourself. Maybe the doctor. Will you be happy with yourself when the day is done? 




Today was a good day!

Fish, Fish, Baby!

What is high in protein and low in fat? FISH! Tilapia to be more precise. This was really filling for a 200 cal meal. Have more calories to spend? Double it! Triple it! Easily feed the family with it! 

It does not cost more to eat healthy at home. It also keeps you in control. You control the butter. You control the oil. You control the portions. 

Tilapia and Green Bean Medley

4oz Tilapia fillets

1 can cut green beans with sea salt drained

130 gr fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 garlic clove chopped

Start with either a little Pam spray or a tsp of EVOO. Saute chopped garlic. Add drained green beans and diced tomatoes. 

If the tilapia fillets are frozen, you can add them to your pan of veggies and cover until thawed or cooked. If you like your fish with a little crispiness, take the thawed fillets and pan fry with a little spray or a tsp of EVOO. 

Season fish with salt and pepper, Old Bay, or Sazon Seasoning to your liking. Seasoning will add minimal calories. 

Serves 1

Cal 195

Protein 29

Carb 21

Fiber 5

Fat 2

Chol 56

Hidy Ho There!

Hello Faithful Blog Followers!

It's been so long since I've posted! Fear not, I'm still here. And still on my journey. 

Since last I've posted, so many things have changed but some have stayed the same. 

I got married! Yay! 

I got a Fitbit! Yay! (more on my Fitbit obsession later)

I still need to lose weight! Boo!

I found a great article on protein and protein sources on My Fitness Pal. Today's lunch is inspired by that article. 

Black Bean and Pork Scramble

1 extra large egg
2 egg whites
2oz shredded pork sirloin roast
130gr black beans
Sazon seasoning to taste (from scratch found on Skinnytaste.com here)

I like favorful foods and this delivered! Great way to start the day...or end it!

Serves 1

Cal 310 

Protein 37

Carb 22 

Fiber 9

Fat 6

Chol 243

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wrap and This Week's Resolution...

It's been a slow week at Fat Blog Land. I ate out. A lot. Back to the grind this week. I pinky promise. I will eat dinner at home every night and go to the gym at least 3 times this week. 

Here is my recipe for tonight's dinner:

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wrap

Butterball 93% Lean ground turkey from Costco (about 1/2 of 1 package or approx 380 gr)

1/4 of a sweet large onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp Penzeys Chicken Taco Seasoning

1 Avocado

1 lime

1 tsp Kosher salt

Head of green lettuce with big leaves

Spray pan with Pam or oil or butter (adjust calories accordingly) and saute turkey, red peppers, and onion. Sprinkle with seasoning to taste.

While that is cooking, halve the avocado and mash with a squeeze of lime and Kosher Salt split into 2 side dishes. 

Leave the green lettuce in big leaf form and prep for the turkey mixture. Split the serving among the number of green leaves per person that you want. Serve with personal avocado dish. 

Serves 2

Cal 414

Carb 16

Protein 40

Fiber 8

Fat 24

Sugar 6

I'm not an expert by any means...

...but I just don't eat the right things. 

If I do want to eat out at night, I have to plan for it. 

Many restaurants seem to have a smart menu now and you can plan ahead of time. 

I hate exercising. The gym isn't bad but I certainly don't want to get up at the crack of dawn. I can't wait for no snow on the ground so I can walk outside. 

Are you tracking what you eat in any program? I found that that helps. I use My Fitness Pal for everything. I also have a food scale. I measure EVERYTHING. Puts the food quantity in perspective. I make BF's lunch and he takes that to work. You could do that too. 

Check this site (the guy is 55 and looks 25) for your cals needed and then you can put those stats into MFP.

 http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

It calculates that I should have about 1400/day. I have 1200 in MFP which gives me a 200 cal cushion. (Helpful for samples at Costco!)

My scale at home (which the BF says is about 10 lbs more than the gym) gives me calories needed to maintain. My calories needed to maintain this great body that I have now...lol...is 1697. If I only eat 1200/day for 7 days, that gives me a deficit of 3479 which is 21 cal short of 1 lb loss. Yeah, a pound of fat is 3500 cals. So you can see how hard it is to lose a pound without exercising. And if you are not eating right, it will take even more. Plus exercising means you need more cals. Calories = fuel. Unfortunately. Figure out what you need with percentages like carbs, protein, and fat. It will be helpful. Oh, and I still have diet pop and bread, just not a lot. 

So it's only been a week and not much has moved on the scale but I can tell. Let's see what week 2 brings!

Lunch is Served, Ma'dam...

(In an old English butler tone) Lunch is served, ma'dam...

If only I had someone to make my meals. Sure it's easy for the celebrities to eat healthy, they have the funds to pay someone else to do it. Hell, they usually pay someone else to watch their children! I don't have the funds and it does take time. But the real myth buster? It's cheaper to eat at home. I have to go grocery shopping more often but I'm spending less. Why? Because I'm buying foods that are less processed too. Think about it...the more people (distribution), and the more processing (equipment), that touches your food, not only makes it more expensive, it takes the good bits out that your body needs. That's not to say that I don't eat anything processed. Otherwise, I couldn't have cottage cheese :). Here is today's lunch:

Strawberry and Cottage Cheese Salad

Approx 1 C Organic Baby Spring Mix (45g) cal 10

1/2 C Land O Lakes cottage cheese 113g cal 90

5-6 Strawberries 140g cal 45

2 Tbs Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette (31g) cal 30

Spring mix in bottom of a nice size pasta bowl. Scoop cottage cheese in middle. Chop strawberries. Drizzle with dressing. 

Serves 1

Cal 175

protein 14

carbs 22

fiber 4

fat 4

sugar 15

Here is Börk Pork!

Don't ask me why but whenever I make pork, I hear the voice of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. This is clearly not a Swedish dish, but tastes great all the same. 

I get a lot of inspiration from Skinnytaste.com. Gina does a great job making over, adapting, and creating recipes. Sometimes I make them just like the recipe. Sometimes I don't have all the ingredients on hand so I modify them. 

Today's dinner was Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast. I love the crockpot. Set it and forget it! (Thanks Ron Popeil!) Since I didn't have the same cut of meat, I used what I had. I ♥ Costco! Here is my version:

Heather's version ~ Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

1.84 lb pork sirloin tip roast (Costco) cal 750

1 tsp kosher salt 

1/2 tsp garlic powder cal 5

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes cal 12

1/3 C water

1/3 C balsamic vinegar cal 27

1 Tbs worcestershire sauce cal 0

1 Tbs honey cal 60

Mix all the ingredients with a whisk and pour over pork roast. Set timer for 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

I like to make things easy so I just mixed it all together and then poured it over. 

Since I was home while it was cooking, I shredded after about 4-5 hours and let it simmer in the juices until we were ready to eat. 

The best part was the cut of meat that I had from Costco. The pork sirloin tip roast was 838 gr and the nutrition info says 112 gr is 100 cal. What?!? That's crazy-sauce!

Serves 2:

cal 427

protein 83

carb 22

fiber 0

fat 6

sugar 14