Gummy Snack

Worked all day, gym after....now I have to wait 30 minutes for dinner.....so hard no to snack on chips or sweets...need to keep the blood sugar up....

Quick tip to curve the craving:

Gummy Vitamins! I still eat the same ones I ate when I was 10 but they make them for adults too. They are a tasty treat and a great way to get your daily vitamins. The gummy bear flavor makes the wait for dinner seem more 'bear'able.   (bad pun)

Yummy yummy portabello and tuna in my belly

Baked Portabello Mushrooms and Tuna

This tasty treat is adapted from a Paleo recipe and can easily be edited to please those not counting the calories

For each serving get 3 medium portabello mushrooms or 1 large portabello mushroom. Twist the stems and pop them off so you have fun bowls to fill with goodness. (2 servings worth below)

For each serving take mix:
(1) 5 oz can of tuna
Hot sauce, chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste (I used Cholula)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbs capers
1 Tsp dill
2 Tsp Fat Free French Dressing

(This recipe plus 3 mushrooms= nutritional info below) 

Here are some great substitution ideas if you have picky eaters:
-remove the capers
-substitute mayo or full flavored ranch for the light ranch- adds more flavor (and calories)
-top each mushroom with cheese (don't add the cheese until the last 5 minutes of bake time)
-Add avocado to the top of cooked mushrooms

This recipe is great because it is easy to customize. Simply mix each serving in a separate bowl. My husband gets Mayo and cheese :)

Once all the ingredients are mixed together put a 3rd of the recipe into each mushroom cap. (or all into one cap if you are making one large mushroom). Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes. If you are going to add cheese remove the mushrooms at 15 minutes add cheese and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted.

I served my mushrooms with some risotto. Below is one portion of Tuscan risotto (1/2 cup cooked) which only adds 130 calories. Total meal: 380 cal, not too shabby. (Went to the gym today so I gave in on a few more carbs for dinner- breaking rules already )

Baked Mushrooms and Tuna: Great dinner, low in carbs, high in protein. My only suggestion would be to try to find a canned tuna that was lower in Sodium.

Spinach and Feta Omelet with Sweet Potato

Yummy and Filling! Total morning cook time about 5 minutes

On Sunday I have been prepping meals to cut down on my cook time. I took 2 sweet potatoes, skinned them, chopped them and baked them for about 25-30 minutes (flipping them once in the middle). I put them in some Tupperware in the fridge and they kept for the whole week. (Makes about 4 servings)

To speed things up in the morning use two skillets.

Coat the first with PAM and warm about 1.5 cups sweet potatoes over med-high heat (microwave would probably work as well). Stir occasionally

In the other pour and cook egg whites flipping once. Fill with spinach, mushrooms and 1 oz of Feta and enjoy!

Amounts in Nutrition Calculation below:
1/2 Medium Sweet Potato
1 Cup Egg Whites
.5 Cup Spinach
.5 Cup Mushroom
1 oz Feta Cheese

Carbs are confusing

If you are like me you are probably unsure what to do about carbs in your diet. Some say all carbs are bad while others say eat good carbs....What the heck is a good carb?

Lucky for you I did some homework and here is what I found out. There is a magical thing called the Glycemic Index. Basically it measures how high your blood glucose levels rise the first hour after the food is consumed. From what I understand these glucose spikes are bad for weight loss because they don't provide sustained energy, cause crashes, and create cravings. The idea is to have a steady blood glucose level though out the day.

In case your a picture person:

So what is good and what is bad? Most article say that a food with a GI under 55 is good, 55-70 is moderate, and above 70 is no bueno. Below I listed some of the common foods I eat as well as some outliers I found.

Low GI: Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Sweet Potatoes 

• All Bran 43
• Apple 37 
• Baked beans 46
• Carrots 51
• Cashews 22
• Cherries 22
• Chickpeas 33
• Chocolate 49
• Sourdough bread 57- I know this is above 55 but I put it on this list because it is so delicious and so close I plan on eating it :)
• Soy beans 20
• Spaghetti (white) 43- al dente and thicker lowers index
• Spaghetti (wholemeal) 39
• Sweet corn 55
• Sweet potato 54
• Tomato juice 38
• Wheat bread made with 75% cracked wheat kernels 48 

High GI: Processed foods, Breads

• Banana (ripe) 58
• Croissant 69
• Dark rye bread 76
• Dates (dried) 72
• Doughnut 76
• French baguette 68
• Pineapple 66 
• Potato (boiled or mashed ) 74
• Table sugar 65
• White bread 70
• Wheat Bread 71

This site provides a searchable tool for things I have missed:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php
(Picture above also from this site) 

Also Oprah says "No carbs before bed" and, well, I believe her so I am going to try that too!

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day

I am no nutritionist so much of what I am saying comes from a myfitfoods challenge and information I have read. Take it for what you will but to me it makes since

Its easy to think: If I skip breakfast, that's one less meal= less calories= weight loss.

Here are the two reasons I think that isn't true:

1) There are a ton of studies that show that skipping breakfast actually leads us to snack on something unhealthy before lunch (someone brings doughnuts to work and you indulge) or over eating at lunch because our bodies feel starved. I believe them, because man is it easy to order a burger and fries for lunch instead of grilled chicken or a salad when you are starving!

2) There are also studies that show that you metabolism kicks into full gear right after you have eaten in order to burn off what you just consumed. Why not give your self energy in the morning! Also, I feel like a healthy breakfast puts you in the right mindset for a healthy day

Ultimately weight loss is about burning more calories than you are taking in. So of course, I don't think that eating pancakes and bacon each morning will lead to wight loss; that's just silly. I do believe consuming a well balanced breakfast with "good carbs" that is between 200-300 will kick start the day right. (more information on meal size to come)

Bottom line: It is easier to say no to cravings when you are full, so eat something healthy first.

Getting Started

Last weekend we had a 80 degree Saturday in Los Angeles which made me realize, crap, bathing suit season is right around the corner! Motivation time.....

I got on the scale and weighed in at 145 (posting that on the internet....scary) which is about 20 pounds heavier than my 5'2" self should be. 

So here's the plan. DO IT TO IT....LOSE IT! Get back down to darn close to my high school weight. 

No fad diets, I need something that I am going to maintain through out the summer (hopefully longer). I hope the blog keeps me on track. I also want to find healthy recipes and options for dinning out which will make this sustainable. 

My 5 Rules :
1) Eat breakfast every day within an hour of waking up.
2) Eat often: 4-5 "small" meals per day (Each meal should be 200-300 cals)
3) Cut down on carbs at dinner and try to eliminate "bad carbs" from my diet
4) Portion control! Shrink my stomach....if it doesn't fit on a small plate I don't need it 
5) Allow myself a cheat meal each week- portion control is still important but eat what I want. 

Obviously I will be adding an exercise regimen as well. However, following the "rules" for me is much more important. I don't want to fall into the trap of "Well I went to the gym today so I can eat that." When you count your calories burned at the gym and compare it to food it is scary to find out how little cake you can eat for 30 minutes on the treadmill :(

 My goal, get to the gym 3 times a week for at least an hour