The Benefits of Diet Change

At my heaviest, I was 315 pounds. Right now, I am 260. That is a 55 pounds weight difference. Seeing that number is a big deal. Knowing that I used to wear size 28 jeans and was nearly too big for them, and today I put on size 16W pair of jeans... and they fit.

While I think working out is a truly vital part of health and weight loss, without a healthy diet, working out will get you no where.

I worked out for 8 weeks, doing some really intense cardio and nothing changed on the scale. During these workouts I was eating as well as I could, but I was still splurging every so often. Sometimes that "every so often" turned in to way too often way too many times. I thought I was eating really well, because my mind was just choosing to glaze over all the times that I slipped up and had something I shouldn't have.

That is until I was diagnosed with diabetes. I had to make the choice to change my diet or possibly stay on blood sugar regulation meds for the rest of my life. When I made that choice my body listened.

For nearly a month now I have been watching every single bite that has passed across my lips. I have kept to the 45g carbs meals and 15g carbs snacks. In this month I have lost about 10 pounds. And that is without doing any workouts. All I have done is simply restrict what foods I eat.

I have found recipes for the most delicious meals I have ever made in my entire 30 years. Everyone in my household is eating healthy and hearty. I am not missing out on anything. And I feel so much better for it. Now let's see what happens when I get to start working out again after surgery!

Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3 tbsp margarine or butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp dark chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick baking spray (paper or foil liners may be added before spraying).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients (banana through vanilla extract). Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and stir. Make a well in the center and add the banana mixture. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Chop the chocolate (by hand or in a food processor) and add to the batter. Stir until well-combined.

4. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup two-thirds full.

5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack

Per Muffin:
Calories: 157
Fat: 6.3
Carb: 21.1
Protein: 3.8

Note: I changed this recipe a little bit. It initially called for a half cup of Splenda, but as Splenda contains Maltodextrin which can possible spike blood sugar, I omitted it. The muffins are no worse for it either. The bananas are plenty sweet enough to make them really tasty. The chocolate helps as well. I used 65% dark chocolate, and that is reflected in the calories here. 

Recipe: Tera's Greek Turkey Burgers and Polenta Triangles

• ‎1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cloves of garlic diced fine
• 1/2 cup of feta crumbled
• 1/2 cup of spinach leaves, minus stems, finely chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine, make into patties. refridgerate for 30 mins, then cook til done.


Per Burger Patty:
Calories: 231
Fat: 14.5
Carbs: 1.4
Protein: 22.7


Note: I put these on Oroweat Double Fiber English Muffins and they came out really well. Everyone loved them.

• 1/2 cup uncooked yellow corn grits
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine grits and 1/2 cup chicken broth in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside. Pour remaining 1 cup broth into large heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Add garlic and moistened grits; mix well. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat; add feta cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted.

2. Spray 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon grits mixture into prepared pan. With wet fingertips, press grits evenly into pan. Refrigerate until cold.

3. Spray grill with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare grill for direct cooking. Turn polenta out onto cutting board; cut into 4 (2-inch) squares. Cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles.

4. Place polenta triangles on grill. Cook over medium-high heat 1 minute or until bottoms or are lightly browned. Turn triangles over; grill until browned and crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Per Triangle:

Calories: 58

Fat: 2.1

Carbs: 7.8

Protein: 2.1

Keep on Keeping On

Today was rough. At work, I felt like I had people coming at me from all directions. I had three projects asking for attention and didn't have enough of it to focus on even one. I was so happy to get done with work only to realize that as soon as I got home I had to go directly to the kitchen to cook.

Unfortunately this realization always puts me in the most foul of moods. And my poor husband has to bear the brunt of my frustration. After about 20 minutes of getting things started I calm down and apologize profusely. He's always such a sport.

Having to come home after working long days and travelling on a long commute, the idea of cooking is probably the last thing anyone wants to do. It's certainly not the first thing on my list of ideal things to do when I get home. The big comfy L-couch in our living room is far more inviting.

The fact is, I have to cook when I get home at night. Especially on nights like tonight when everyone is home and  the recipe I was making would take an hour to bake, not to mention the prep time. These are nights that I would much rather go out to the store and buy something quick and easy. Or even go through a drive through for some burgers and fries.

Once I made dinner though, and it was in the oven, I was able to relax. That part was nice. And the benefit of not going out for the quick and easy meal is that we had plenty of food for us all. It was extremely healthy and tasted amazing!

Quick fixes aren't always the answer. I leave the house at 6am and don't usually get home until 5p or 5:30. I go right to the kitchen and get dinner started so that everyone (including a usually very hungry me) can eat as soon as possible. This is vital to not only my health and well-being, but those that I care for as well.

Recipe: Fresh Vegetable Lasagna

Before

After

• 8 ounces (approx. 9 noodles) uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low fat (1%) cottage cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat spinach with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Combine spinach, carrots, green onions, bell pepper, parsley and black pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

3. Combine cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogurt and egg whites in a food processor or blender. Cover; process until smooth.

4. Spray 13x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange third of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Spread with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of vegetable mixture, half of mushrooms, half of artichokes and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.

5. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Remove cover; continue baking 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces to serve. 

Per Slice:

Calories: 287

Carbs: 33

Fat: 7

Protein: 23

Note: I ended up leaving out the onions and mushrooms (hubby is allergic) and made 12 servings out of this instead of 8. But it was probably the yummiest vegetable lasagna I've EVER had. The cottage cheese mix looks and tastes JUST like ricotta would have with far fewer calories and fat. I can't wait to make this again!

Recipe: Vegetable Confetti Rice

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup bottled roasted sweet red peppers, diced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 10 oz Broccoli Florets, chopped into small pieces
• 10 oz Cauliflower, chopped into small pieces

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add rice; cook and stir about 3-4 minutes or until rice is opaque. Add diced red peppers; stir to combine. Add broth. Cover; simmer about 12 minutes or until rice is just cooked through.

2. Add broccoli and cauliflower. Cover; cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add water, if needed, to prevent burning. Stir well before serving.

Per 1/2 cup:

Calories: 90

Carb: 14g

Fat: 2g

Protein: 4g

Note: This tastes a lot like Rice-A-Roni to me. Really super good. And just for the record, this is more vegetable than rice, but still really delicious.

Breifly Medicated

Yesterday I went to my doctor to discuss my newly diagnosed Diabetes. And as I expected, she put me on Metformin immediately. Her reasoning is that I will be going through surgery in about 2 weeks. And diabetics are at a higher risk for infection and complications, so she wanted to minimize the risks by ensuring that my blood sugar will stay in the acceptable range.

The upside though? After looking over the 7 days of meals that I'd recorded and brought into her she said she was really happy with my progress. She also said that with more weight loss (according to their scale I'd lost 11 pounds since January 3rd!) and my continuance on this diet plan, I may be pulled off the meds at our next visit.

That, my friends, is super extra wonderful amazing news. If I can go just 2 months on the meds and then jump back off of them? I will be absolutely elated. Being on meds for the rest of my life is just not something that I foresee for myself. If that means that I need to pay attention to every gram of carbohydrates that crosses my lips for the rest of my days, so be it! I would much rather take that route than the pharmaceutical one.

So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my April appointment. It gives me something to look forward to... and past the surgery coming up in about 2 weeks.