Kickin' It Up a Notch

Tonight my husband and I dined at Emeril's Italian Table in the Sands Casino, Bethlehem. We loved both the food and the way the restaurant combined beautiful old world Italian atmosphere with the modern Bethlehem Steel theme of the casino.

These are pictures of the inside of the restaurant, taken by my husband from our table. In the second picture, the casino is visible on the right. Below that are pictures of my meal and my husband's.

Pictured: Eberly Farms chicken (roasted under a brick), parmesan risotto and pancetta braised brussels sprouts with carmalized onions

Pictured: lasagna bolognese (housemade fresh pasta layered with ground veal sauce and bechamel)
We both enjoyed our meals, but we only were able to eat a small portion. By the time we were finished, this is what we had left. This was easily one of my favorite meals, ever!!

After supper, we walked down to the farmers market at SteelStacks. The walk there and back was about 1.5 miles, so hopefully we burned up a few (hundred) calories.

Rocked Me with a Hurricane

Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a category 1 storm, but it still did a lot of damage in my town. The historic area of downtown saw flooding from the creek running along side some of the buildings that were erected in the 1790s.

Here are before and after pictures showing the flooding. If you look closely at the first picture, you can see the retaining wall of the creek in the lower right hand corner. That's the wall that's almost completely underwater in the second photo.

It makes me sad to see this because the first picture was taken by my husband two weeks prior to yesterday's storm. The area was full of people having a great time celebrating with food, drink and music. Now it's a mess.

The valley I live in has had droughts before. I'd much rather have a drought than have a flood.

Favorite Restaurant Meals: Lone Star Mesquite-Grilled Chicken

Pictured: mesquite-grilled chicken breasts (8 ounces), steamed broccoli and green beans, approximately 625 calories per order
I love the mesquite-grilled chicken breast at Lone Star Steakhouse. It's always perfectly seasoned and very moist. I vary the sides that I order with my chicken. This time I chose broccoli and green beans, but sometimes I get Texas rice (brown rice with onions and mushrooms, 80 calories) and/or a side Caesar salad (160 calories). I had to guestimate the calories for the broccoli (70) and green beans (55) since Lone Star doesn't post calorie counts.

One of the best parts of this meal is that I can easily get two servings out of it. I love meals that give me leftovers. It's also not bad calorie-wise, especially when split into two meals.

Favorite Restaurant Meals: Cosi TBM Light

Pictured: TBM light (whole grain flatbread, tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, fat-free vinaigrette) with baby carrots, 454 calories per order
This is one of my favorite meals from one of my favorite 'fast food' restaurants, Cosi. I usually have it once a week, with a large slim vanilla latte (skim milk, espresso and sugar free vanilla syrup). At 629 calories, it's not a small meal, but it's very filling and usually keeps me satisfied for the rest of the afternoon.

Any sandwich made with Cosi flatbread is good. Sometimes I like to spend a few hundred extra calories and get the Steakhouse Gorgonzola Melt. It's 824 calories of delicious beef medallions, Gorgonzola cheese, caramelized red onions and bleu cheese spread.

One great way to help keep calories down at Cosi is to get a Cosi Duo: half of a flatbread sandwich and a small soup. Pollo e pasta is only 140 calories, for example. It's a nice compromise between great taste and lower calories.

Five Ingredient Challenge

I was reading about the five ingredient challenge at 100 Days of Real Food. It sounds like such a good challenge to do, but for now I'm just going to identify what foods I eat that have more than five ingredients.

Things I Eat Often That Fit the Challenge:

• Almonds
• Cheese
• Chicken
• Cream of wheat
• Eggs/egg substitutes (egg whites only)
• Fruit (blueberries, cherries, oranges, strawberries)
• Homemade jam
• Kashi Autumn Harvest cereal
• Peanut butter
• Popcorn (air popped)
• Skim milk
• Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, corn, green beans, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, spinach, squash, tomatoes)
• V8 juice

Things I Eat Often That Don't Fit the Challenge:

• Arnold sandwich thins
• Coffee creamer (full dairy)
• Fiber One cereal
• Granola bars
• Greek yogurt (with fruit)
• Sugarless gum
• Weight Watchers ice cream bars

There's definitely room for improvement, although I won't give up my coffee creamer. Or my lattes at Starbucks and Cosi. I prefer to aim for 80% rather than perfection with my diet. I've already improved so much, in less than one year.

Wegmans Meals Make Lunches So Easy to Pack

This meal has approximately 340 calories as pictured. I added 20 cherries for a lunch of 440 calories. Pictured: (bottom right) turkey roulade, (bottom left) roasted butternut squash, (top left) green beans, (top right) roasted red potatoes

This meal has approximately 580 calories as pictured. Because the calories are higher, I didn't have any fruit with it. Pictured: (bottom right) artichoke and asiago croquette, (bottom left) chicken parmesan, (top left) broccoli, (top right) roasted butternut squash
Except for the butternut squash, these meals came from my local Wegmans store. I bought two $6 meals and divided them into four meals, so these actually cost me $3 each. I like buying from Wegmans because I know the food is freshly prepared and I get the variety I need to make me happy.

My only complaint is that the artichoke and asiago croquette broke apart when I tried to cut it in half. I probably won't get it again. It's also high in calories (320 for the whole thing). I only bought it this time because I wanted to try something different.

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash

One of my favorite vegetables to cook and eat is butternut squash. It's so easy to prepare. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, prepare the butternut squash by cutting it into fairly even pieces.

In a large bowl, mix the butternut squash with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and any other desired spices.

Pour the butternut squash onto a shallow baking pan. Arrange the butternut squash into a single layer. Bake for 40 minutes.

By the time it's done cooking, the butternut squash will be very soft. The finished dish is so good, I can eat half the tray in one sitting. Luckily, 1 cup of butternut squash is only 82 calories. Add 80 calories for the olive oil. Divided into multiple servings, it's a low calorie way to enjoy a great source of vitamins A and C and fiber.

If I can cook this, anyone can!

Favorite Restaurant Meals: Ruby Tuesday Spaghetti Squash

Pictured: spaghetti squash marinara (red pepper marinara tossed with roasted spaghetti squash and tender zucchini), 406 calories per dish
I plan to make this a series of posts. I want to show what kind of meals I eat at well-known (national chain) restaurants while I'm watching my calorie intake. I usually eat out an average of three times every week (twice on weekends and once during the week. I try to eat healthy choices that aren't too rich in calories.

With this meal at Ruby Tuesday, I usually eat one garlic and cheese biscuit (102 calories) and half of my entree. That's 305 calories. If I'm still hungry, I eat a piece of fruit at home. Leftovers heat up well, so I always take half the meal home to have for supper.

I owe a big thank you to Ruby Tuesday. I never had spaghetti squash until I had it there. Now I make it at home, too. I like the taste with marinara sauce, but I'd love to try it sometime with pesto. It's a great way to sneak more vegetables into my diet.

Eating at the New Jersey Shore

Pictured: ham and brie on focaccia bread, pickle and potato salad from the Pavilion Restaurant at Jenkinson's Beach, Point Pleasant NJ

Pictured: patty melt (hamburger, cheese, onions and rye bread) from Johnny Rockets on the boardwalk, Atlantic City NJ
I tried to make healthier choices at the shore, but I didn't have a lot of options. I should have skipped the potato salad at the Pavilion Restaurant, but I haven't had any all year. At least it was only about 1/2 cup.

At Johnny Rockets, I didn't get the french fries that came with my burger. I had a choice of bread, so I picked rye. I figured I'd at least get a higher fiber bread.

Luckily, I walked 20,000 steps the first day at the shore, and 10,000 the second day. It helped keep my weight from going up. It's nice to know I can handle situations like this, where I don't have as much control of the menu, and still not gain weight by making bad choices.

Pictured: Sharon on August 19, 2011 at the shore, Atlantic City NJ

More pictures can be found here

Recipe: Kielbasa-Bean Slow Cooker Soup

Recipe and picture from Food.com, but original recipe is from Weight Watchers.
http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-kielbasa-bean-slow-cooker-soup-296150

INGREDIENTS

58 ounces fat-free chicken broth, four 14 . 5 oz cans
16 ounces low-fat smoked sausage
15 ounces canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 medium carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onions, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained

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PREPARATION

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low-heat setting at least 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more.

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NUTRITION

Yields about 1 heaping cup per serving. Per serving: Calories 195.8; Total Fat 2.5g; Saturated Fat 0.6g; Cholesterol 11.9mg; Sugars 4.8 g; Sodium 1799.1mg; Total Carbohydrate 32.3g; Dietary Fiber 8.5g; Sugars 4.8 g; Protein 12.4g.

Strategies for Maintaining Weight Loss

I'm not at my goal weight yet, but since I'm taking a couple months off from actively trying to lose weight, I figured it would be a good idea to document some of my strategies for keeping off the weight I've lost so far.

• Eat breakfast daily
• Exercise approximately 60 minutes a day
• Check weight at least once a week
• Watch less than 10 hours of television per week
• Maintain a consistent diet on weekends and weekdays
• Track food intake
• Maintain a consistent eating pattern
• Catch 'slips' before they turn into bigger problems
• Stay accountable
• Stay motivated
• Become an avid label reader
• Fill half your plate with vegetables
• Plan meals on most days of the week
• Eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet

These strategies were taken from many different articles online. They aren't that different from my regular weight loss strategies. I'm eating a few hundred calories more than I was when I was trying to lose weight, but that's about the only thing I've changed about my eating habits.

Recipe: Ranch Style Pretzels

Recipe is from my own collection. I don't remember from whom I received it.
Picture from CopyKat Recipes: http://www.copykat.com/2009/03/27/ranch-pretzels/

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. Ranch Style Hidden Valley Dressing (dry)
1 c. peanut oil
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bag (broken) pretzels

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PREPARATION

Mix first five ingredients in a bowl. Dip the pretzels into the mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Spoon the rest of the mixture over the pretzels and bake again for 10 more minutes.

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NUTRITION

Yields 14 servings for a 14 ounce bag of pretzels. Approximately 250 calories per serving. This will vary based on what kind of oil and pretzels are used.

Jammin'

This past weekend, I made blueberry jam with the help of my best friend. The ingredients were simple: frozen blueberries, lemon juice, apple juice, sugar and pectin. The process was fairly simple, too. It involved a lot of stirring of the ingredients over very high heat. On a hot August afternoon. With only a small fan to keep us comfortable.

After what seemed like at least an hour, the mixture was finally enough like a syrup to be poured into sterilized jars. Three large bags of frozen blueberries yielded eleven small jars of low sugar, all natural blueberry jam.

In spite of all the effort (or maybe because of it), it was worth it. The taste was better than anything I've ever bought in a store. You just can't beat homemade, especially when you know the ingredients are all fresh and natural.

Oh Lolli, Lollipop

I crave candy, but I'm trying to cut back as much as possible. One of my favorite treats that I still allow myself to have is the occasional lollipop. But not just any kind of lollipop. Here's an example of the kind I enjoy.

These handmade lollipops are from VintageConfections, a shop I discovered on Etsy. The shop owner told me that the lollipops are about 50 calories each, so they taste great and don't break my calorie budget.

My favorites: coffee/caramel, mint chocolate chip, apple cinnamon, pumpkin cheesecake and many more!

Needing More Fiber

A friend at LoseIt recently suggested watching my fiber intake. I usually don't have a problem with that, but it never hurts to eat more of a good thing. Below is my list of favorite high fiber foods.

• FRUIT: Apples, with skin, Bananas, Blueberries, Oranges, Strawberries
• VEGETABLES: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes, Spinach, Squash, Zucchini
• OTHER FOODS: Almonds, Brown rice, High fiber cereal and cereal bars, Kidney beans, Oatmeal, Sunflower seeds, Whole wheat bread, Whole wheat pasta

I should have no problem eating more of these since I already eat several of them every day.

Bangers and Mash

Pictured: bangers and mash (with peas) from Braveheart Highland Pub, Hellertown PA
Half of that meal was my lunch yesterday. The other half will be eaten for a different meal. One thing I've learned from counting calories is that I don't have to eat everything that's on my plate. Restaurant meals tend to be twice the amount of food a person should eat for a single meal. When I have a high calorie meal like this, I always take half home.

I counted half of this meal as 500 calories, based on various calorie counts I found online. It may actually be a high guestimate, but I'd rather guess too high than too low.

Happiness in a Cone

Pictured: rice pudding cone from vendor at Musikfest, Bethlehem PA
More pictures can be found here
That yummy looking thing is a rice pudding in a waffle cone, topped with whipped cream. cone. I figure it was probably around 530 calories. 350 calories for the rice pudding (assuming it was 1 cup of pudding), 120 calories for the waffle cone, and 60 calories for the whipped cream.

It was an indulgence, but I had it while at a local festival that I rarely attend. Because I knew it was going to put me over my calorie budget, I made sure to get in some extra walking by not taking the shuttles between venues at the festival. According to Fitbit, I logged in 4.41 miles of walking. That would explain why my weight hasn't changed.

Mermaid or Whale?

My mother emailed this to me. I thought it was very cute.

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them... where is IT? Therefore, they don't have kids either... Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

p.s. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a glass of wine with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my rear in the mirror I will think, "Good grief, look how smart I am!"

I do believe in maintaining a healthy weight, but I like the point of this message, which is that being thin isn't everything. There has to be a middle ground between being a mermaid or a whale. That's what I'm aiming for!

I Love New York

I made plans today to go to Ithaca NY for an overnight stay with my best friend in October. There are a few thing we'd like to see:

• Taughannock Falls Park
• Buttermilk Falls State Park
• Iron Kettle Farm
• Ithaca Farmers Market

There are also some gorges in and around Cornell University that would probably look beautiful in fall. My best friend wants to get foods for canning. I'm more interested in hiking. I love walking in the cooler weather. One of these days I'll learn to make my own fruit jams, but that's as much canning as I'll probably ever do.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Hubby and I are one step closer to going on vacation in Canada. His passport arrived yesterday. We're expecting mine any day now, since we sent them for renewal together.

If we get to go on this vacation, it will be a bus trip with a local bus company. We went to Niagara Falls with them last year. This bus trip visits Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. Here are the highlights:

• Dinner and entertainment at Festin du Gouverneur (Montreal)
• Guided Tour of Old & New Montreal, including Notre Dame Basilica
• Dinner at du Vieux Port
• Guided Tour of Quebec City (Quebec City)
• Guided Tour of St. Anne de Beaupre
• Montmorency Falls
• Guided Tour of Ottawa City (Ottawa)

I've always wanted to visit Montreal. I've been to Toronto, which is a beautiful city, but I imagine Montreal as having more of a European feel. I have a strong fascination for European cities, which are much older than any cities I can visit in my own country.

I'm also hoping to go on a trip with this same company around Christmas. They have a short trip to Wheeling WV that includes a holiday dinner show, train display, Christmas lights show and tour of Pittsburgh PA. Every year I try to find a different place to celebrate the holidays. I just have to get hubby to agree.

The Meaning of Maintenance

My plan is to take a break from having a calorie deficit until the end of September. I've been eating between 1,600-1,700 calories. LoseIt gives me a maintenance budget of almost 2,200.

My goals:

• Eat 2,000-2,100 calories per day of nutritious food.
• Avoid junk foods.
• Keep consumption of sweets to a minimum.
• Eat fewer cereal bars and more salad.
• Drink water instead of soda and flavored water.
• Walk for 30 minutes most days.

Essentially what I'm doing is keeping up the same good habits I've developed, but allowing myself a little more freedom. We'll see how this goes after about a week.

Full Diet Break

After being on a calorie deficit for almost seven months, I've decided to take a break and go on maintenance for a month or two. I'm going on vacation in September and won't have as much control over my meals anyway. I've been skimming through this article and the book Break Through Your Set Point by George L Blackburn. Both recommend taking breaks from eating fewer calories to give the body a chance to relax.

This doesn't mean I'll go back to the bad habits that got me here in the first place. It means I'll be raising my calories from approximately 1,700 to closer to 2,000. I'll be adding in more healthy foods, not junk food. I'll probably increase the frequency of my exercising slightly, which should be easy once the weather starts getting cooler and I can walk outside again.

It's worth trying this. The worst that can happen is I might gain back a little weight. The best that can happen is I'll refresh my body (and mind) with this short break. I don't want to fear maintenance. I have to get there someday!

Introduction

I have a feeling this is mostly going to be a blog about losing weight, but I also hope to post other things, too. I should probably begin by giving a little information about me, and why I need a weight loss blog.

Pictured: Sharon on July 30, 2011 at Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville, PA
That's me (standing next to a stuffed wolf at the local zoo). I'm 53 years old, and I've had a weight problem since childhood. I gained 52 pounds in one year after a life threatening illness when I was 5 years old. I've slimmed down several times in my adult life, but I've never been able to maintain it.

This time around, I've been using LoseIt to monitor my calories, and Fitbit to keep track of my exercise. I also listen to Fat 2 Fit Radio, a great source of inspiration. Here are a few of my statistics:

Highest weight: 260
Current weight: 199 (-61 pounds!)
Goal weight: 160-165 (at least 34 pounds to lose)

I'm a big believer in losing weight slowly. I don't reduce calories drastically and do tons of exercise. I don't drop whole food groups out of my diet. I don't stop eating sweets. I believe in cutting back, but not cutting out. I believe in moderate exercise, at least 3-5 times a week.

It may take me a while to achieve what I desire. I may make a few missteps along the way. I'm not aiming for perfection. And that's why I've titled this blog 'Slowly Slimming Sharon.'

I will lose weight, and I will feel great!