Here comes the sun :)

Thank God! The sun has finally peeked out for the last couple of days. I got out to the park with my kids last night after work and it was just darn good to get out for a walk and game of HORSE with my daughter. Not triathlon training, but a little stretching of the legs. I was getting pretty tired of the crappy weather--I actually had to bring a space heater into my office the other day--ridiculous!

I don't think it's been any secret that I've been frustrated with my rate of weight loss lately. It's funny, though, how the universe sends you little encouraging signs. Yesterday, someone who sees me pretty often asked me if I'd been losing weight...huh? Strange, because I have lost, but not a lot lately. Hey, I'll take it, especially on a day I was feeling especially bloated. Wow, you really have to plan ahead if you eat one of those Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars, yikes!

So at least the week is coming to an end and I need to start planning over the weekend for next week. I started packing my two youngests' lunches, and that in and of itself is an undertaking. I really have to sit down and plan not only for that but for dinners and breakfasts for the coming week. The up side is that I think they're definitely eating healthier. Yay mom! Luckily they like a lot of fruits and veggies, so if I do some advance prep over the weekend we'll be in good stead for the week.

Happy weekend all--enjoy the sun if it makes an appearance in your neck of the woods!

Restless

Wow, I'm really ready for some decent weather. I live in Seoul, South Korea, and the weather this spring has been hideous...cold, wet, dismal. On the days it hasn't been cold or wet, we're getting yellow dust from China that makes your eyes and nose run. Lovely! I definitely think it's affecting my mood. I have been so restless lately. Do you ever feel like you just want something to change? I haven't been making much progress on the scale (262.6 this weekend), and we have two more years here in this post. I even entertained the thought of switching jobs and relocating back to Oregon. This would be very disruptive for the family, and I'm not really sure I'd even want that job (in fact, I'm pretty happy with the one I have.) My DH is also restless--seems like everyone else around us is planning their onward move to their next posting, and we're stuck here for another two years. I know, I know, I'll whine when I have to get everything ready to move, too. Just restless. I'm hoping for some sunny days soon, so at least I can change up and start walking outside.

Busy times

Wow, I can't believe the week has gone by so fast. My boss is out of town this week and next, and the work level has been incredible! Foodwise, things have been OK, although I haven't been journaling much this week. On the up side, I've been so busy that I haven't eaten much either. Last night, DH was out so I took advantage and made some cauliflower pizza, which I've been meaning to try for a while. It was actually very good! I boiled up some frozen cauliflower, drained and cooled it, then grated it into a bowl. I think I'm going to buy a ricer to save my knuckles! Once I had about a cup, I mixed in some grated sharp cheddar, an egg, and oregano. You put this mix on a well sprayed cookie sheet, and spread it out into a circle. Cook it in a 450 degree oven until it's dark around the edges, about 15 minutes. Then top it with pizza sauce and mozzarella or parmesan and whatever toppings you like (I used turkey pepperoni.) Put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes, then take it out and slice it up. My DH had a slice later and didn't even recognize that it was made with cauliflower. Thanks to Lyn from the Escape from Obesity blog for this and many other good recipes!

I haven't been doing a lot of strenous exercise, but have gone on walks in my neighborhood the last two nights. Last night I took my youngest for a walk down to the playground, which she enjoyed a lot. We took the time together to talk about some of her acting up at school, so hopefully this discussion will help.

Building up strength

It's funny, when the journey's as long as mine has been, and probably will be, you make lots of non-weight discoveries along the way. One thing I've discovered is that I want physical fitness in order to enjoy my life more. Weird, huh, that I haven't really figured that out until now. It's literally easier to make myself exercise when I'm training FOR something fun--like vacation. Right now, I know we'll be in San Francisco in July. Lots of hills, and we would probably want to visit Alcatraz, which has a fair amount of hiking. Recently, it was wanting to enjoy walking on the beach and in the rainforest. I just don't want to be on the sidelines telling my family "you go on ahead, I'll wait here." I want to enjoy it with them. I'd even like to get to the point where I don't dodge vacation photos--that might be a ways off, though! To this end, I started doing my walk/jog interval dvd again last night. My goal is to get back into doing it (or the treadmill) regularly to get my strength and endurance back up for the summer.

New Food Discoveries

I think part of the challenge of this journey is figuring out new things to eat that aren't unnatural colors and terrible for the calorie count. I had some great luck over the weekend, and discovered this delicious recipe:

Couscous salad

1/2 tsp table salt, divided

1/2 cup(s) uncooked whole wheat couscous, quick cooking-variety

15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium scallion(s), trimmed and chopped

1 cup(s) cooked broccoli, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup(s) canned tomato juice
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Combine 3/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set couscous aside, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover pan, fluff couscous with a fork and spoon into a serving bowl; let cool to room temperature.
When cool, add beans, scallion and broccoli to couscous; toss gently but well.
In a small bowl, combine red pepper flakes, cumin, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and tomato juice; stir well. Stir in vinegar and oil, and pour over couscous salad; toss gently but well. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Lasagna and coping with stress...

Ate the last of my crockpot lasagna yesterday. Here's the recipe:

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.
Notes
To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the beef mixture.

It was very yummy. I'm not good (yet) with posting pix, or waiting long enough to take a picture before woofing food down. Maybe next time.

I definitely was on a eating tear yesterday. I think it was the nasty PMS monster, but I definitely was targeting salt and sugar. I did limit my consumption of chocolate chip cookies to only two and left the other two in the package at home. I have no doubt that my little darlings will make quick work of them. I was also stressed out by parent-teacher conferences. I really do not enjoy them--I had to navigate some really stressful rush hour traffic, only to wait around past my appointment time to see a teacher who decided that she was referring my kindergartener to the school psychiatrist because she seems to have her good and bad days...HELLO, she's five--doesn't everyone have good and bad days? Anyway, I guess I didn't do too badly considering.

I'm trying to stop the damage there. So far today I've stuck to my tried and true meals (oatmeal with a dab of peanut butter, bulgogi soup, a 100 calorie pack of chex). I have a happy hour tonight where I hope to rant and rave a little with fellow moms from school. Since I'll be driving I know I won't be drinking more than two drinks, so it should be within the calorie allotment for today. Have a good weekend everyone!

Probably TMI

Well, fellow bloggers, it is almost TOM. Is it strange to be making about a thousand bathroom visits today? I must have been retaining Hoover Dam, incredible. I'm hoping this will mean good news for the weigh-in by the end of the week. I have to say that I have been pretty pleased with my food choices over the last couple of days. Last night, I had some lovely WW crockpot lasagna. Sounds like it wouldn't work, but it was delish, and very healthy. I limited my intake of garlic bread to one piece and even got in some green beans. I really need to figure out how to get in more vegetables. I do like them, it's just that I'm not planning so they're always an afterthought (let's see what I have in the freezer...)

Today, I had a lunch function for work at a restaurant where there are A LOT of pitfalls. They're known for their half pound burgers! Anyhow, I opted for some vietnamese pho soup, which also has beef, but probably not more than 4 oz. worth. It took a lot of time to eat, also, which is always a good thing for me. I couldn't finish it, and didn't even try.

Over the weekend, I made up some split pea soup, whole wheat bread, and some "healthy" scalloped potatoes, which I have been eating for breakfasts this week. Wow, it really does help if you plan your menus and do some cooking over the weekend for the week.

Well, better get back to that bathroom! Have a good week!

Turtling along

I weighed in this morning and the number is slowly slipping down. I'm now at 261.8, down from my highest of 278. I would so dearly love to get out of these wretched 260's. I know I felt the same way about the 270's, so maybe I'll be looking back at the 260's in the same way soon. It's hard to do comparisons with other bloggers, because my weight loss has been painfully slow. I have been at this since August 2009. I'm trying not to do the math to figure out how much weight I've lost per week or month--it's definitely not an impressive rate of loss. I lost 60 pounds before on WW, after the birth of my first child (I was about 10 years younger then.) At that point, the loss took less than one year. I'm thinking about the differences between then and now.

Of course, there's the age difference, but the main difference, in my view, is the incidence of thyroid cancer and subsequent loss of my thyroid. I have read a couple of books on this, and all indications are that weight loss is more difficult with thyroid disease. The calorie count needs to be very consistent, and exercise is not an option. When I last lost a lot of weight, I did so largely without formal exercise. This time, I normally need to be exercising 4-5 times a week to even see a one pound loss for the week.

So I'm trying to see the silver lining here. I am definitely learning how to maintain the loss as I proceed along in this journey. I am learning how to eat for nourishment and health, not for entertainment value. I am learning how to incorporate fitness into my life, which has benefits way beyond weight loss. I really do not usually feel like I'm being deprived. What I am doing is not terribly drastic, and I feel like I can continue eating like this for life. So there is an up side to the turtle program, even if it can be frustrating at times. I guess it develops patience, right?

I also need to think about how I'm going to approach our time in the U.S. for home leave this summer. Living in hotels and eating out for a month could really undo my good work if I'm not careful. My amazing ability to re-gain weight on vacation is what prompted my Doctor to suggest the lap band to begin with. Here are some ideas so far: I am choosing hotel rooms with kitchens. I think if I can cook a few meals, this would help with controlling eating. Also, I am going to think about some rules for approaching eating out. As I recall last year, there was a creep that happened after a few days on the road--french fries, why not? Everyone else is ordering milkshakes, seems reasonable. I need to think through this before I'm in the middle of it.

Slowly recovering...

The antibiotics seem to be making a difference. I'm feeling better every day now, coughing less, and secreting less...well TMI, methinks. I managed to stay up until 11 PM last night, so I think the body is responding to the meds. I had some lovely salmon last night with whole wheat couscous and some raw cucumbers. A couple of my kids even joined me in this repast, so I'm hopeful they'll be eating more of what I eat as time goes by. I had to blend up some soup and mashed potatoes and broccoli for poor DH, who had his wisdom teeth out on Monday. Somedays I feel like a short order cook!

I have decided to take part in Tammy's challenge for April. 10 pounds is probably a tall order, but nothing ventured nothing lost! I plan to do some organization for next week this weekend, so that the evening menus are not as random as they've been this week. I know what I'll say next will get me little to no sympathy, but if I leave the cooking up to our helper, I get some pretty uneven results. She's used to cooking with a lot of oil and other goop, and it's just no good for me. The kids also do not like foods with a lot of sauce, or things they can't identify (aka casseroles). We all do better if I plan the menu for the week with recipes for dinners. I also plan (health willing) to get back into the exercise routine next week. I feel my strength has diminished now with very little exercise for the past couple of weeks. Onward and downward!

On the mend

Hello all. Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I'm still trying to recover from whatever this crud is. I saw the doc again yesterday, and they finally came up with some antibiotics, so hopefully that will clear this junk up. I haven't had much of an appetite, but I haven't done any exercise, either. I really do not like this weaky feeling, so I'm looking forward to being able to breathe normally again. It's amazing the things we take for granted in our day to day lives. I never thought I'd be one to take my health for granted, but obviously I have been doing just that. I have to try to remember this for the times in the future that I don't feel like exercising--it really does suck to want to exercise and really not be able to, so we should be taking advantage when we are able. I am down this week, though--now weighing in at 262.8. I saw 261 a couple of days at the scale, but I think that was really because I haven't been eating much. Now that the normal eating is returning, it's creeping back up again. Hopefully by next week I'll be able to get back to some exercise--it's amazing how much I'm missing it--it definitely helps with stress relief!