Weigh-in: Week 46

Let this one be a quicky to be amended with pictures later on.  I am on my way to my favorite night of the year.  We spend it with my dear friends, aka my adopted family and it is always fabulous food, laughter and debating.  There won't likely be a weigh-in next Monday as we are out of town and I am not lugging the scale with me.  Look for the Week 47 weigh-in on Wednesday, January 2nd.

This week I posted a 0.2 lb gain and that leaves me at a 90.0 lb loss overall.  I am not all that happy about posting a gain, but when you are on a slow weight loss regimen it shouldn't be uncommon.  Sleep will not be a problem over this one.  I'll throw the pictures of the scale and the percentages at the amended post tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all!
M

Weigh-in: Week 45

I've been bad this week.  I haven't posted anything in a while and tonight I got involved in something and didn't post until my cousin John asked me about it.  Thanks, John!  Life has been real busy and I have been on The Dreadmill a decent amount.  I did lose weight, though.  Not too bad I guess, huh?


A much better picture than last week shows me at 273 even.  That is a 45 week loss of 90.4 lbs.  The water percentage rose to 42.0% and body fat dropped to 42.0%.  We have achieved the nexus where water will soon exceed body fat. Pretty cool.

I can tell everyone right now that until the new year, my posts will be scarce.  I will put some things up here and there, but my hope is that I get back to a regular schedule after 1/1/13.

Thanks for swinging by, have a wonderful holiday season and I will see you next time.

M

Weigh-in: Week 44

I told ya, I told ya, I told ya.  I can just feel it. And everyone please save me the lecture that I could have enjoyed the benefits of exercise earlier had I just applied myself.  I wasn't ready.  But now I am exercising and I am enjoying the benefits of The Dreadmill.  It was a good week.

It's hard to see, but I had no time this morning to retake pictures of the scale.  That photo shows 274.6.  It represents a 3 lb. loss for the week and brings the total reduction to 88.8 lbs.  The water percentage rose to 41.6% and body fat dropped to 42.3%.  That is a 0.6% shift on both counts.  The crossover nexus where body fat is taking up less room than water is almost upon us.

So there you have it.  I hope to have a good run up to Christmas.  With any luck, I can be down to my 100 lbs. lost goal by my birthday on January 12th.

Cya next time,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ avocado with garlic salt and pepper on whole grain toast
Lunch ~ chicken breast with roasted pepper and arugula with balsamic on a roll
Dinner ~ rotisserie chicken and roasted cauliflower w/onion and garlic in a Poupon mustard glaze
Exercise ~ I'll get in 2.3 miles on the dreadmill before bed tonight.

A.L.O.E. 12.09.12

Another week draws to a close.  Week 44 is all but behind us.  I could have had a baby in this time and taken four weeks to convalesce.  My uterus isn't up to the task though.  So instead, I have lost an adolescent, or the equivalent at least.  I hope that tomorrow I step away from the scale with even less under my belt.  A belt that needs to be replaced again, by the way.  Here is this week's A Little of Everything.

Easier Everyday 
Last week I wrote about how things were getting harder.  And overall, that is absolutely the case.  But something is getting easier.  The Dreadmill.  Nine days into December's quest for fifty miles before the new year, the treadmill, re-dubbed The Dreadmill, is getting easier.  I am almost, kinda sorta, looking forward to getting on it.  There is a feeling of accomplishment and pride that comes at the end of a walk/run.  About 85% walk and 15% run to this point.  Today I logged 2.3 miles in 45 minutes, with 5 minutes of that running at 4 MPH.  This month I have logged 16.7 miles on my way to fifty.  Right on pace.

Milestone

A small milestone went unmentioned yesterday and I wanted to crow a bit.  The post that I published yesterday, "What Is The Point?" was my 250th post of The Drive to 195.  It's mind boggling that I have put out 250 of these.  Even more mind boggling that a number of you have read each one.  I salute you, dedicated readers!  With 13,600 page views from from over 10 countries, I found something curious.  The most views come from the United States, of course, but, even with friends and relatives in the UK and a brother in Saudi Arabia, the second most views (464) have come from... Russia.   Huh?!

That's all for today!  I am very excited to weigh-in tomorrow.

Cya,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ I slept through a reasonable breakfast time today and got on The Dreadmill.
Lunch ~ Off to the shut yer Whole Foods Market and had a lunch prior to grocery shopping of chicken tikka masala over brown rice and a unsweetened orange beverage
Snack ~ two carrots and sun dried tomato hummus
Dinner ~ I tweaked my salmon cake recipe a tad and they were the best ever.  I think I may re-publish the revised recipe.  We ate them with some sauteed broccoli rabe.
Exercise ~ 2.3 miles in 45 minutes on The Dreadmill

What Is The Point?

Sometimes when you know a secret, but you can't pass that knowledge along, it is a little frustrating.  All too often, I speak to people who tell me about how many pounds they've lost and invariably the conversation turns to what they can't eat or they bemoan the loss of certain favorites.  "I'll treat myself when I hit goal.", I hear them say.  It is at this time that I want to lay some hard cruel facts on them, but instead, I offer encouragement and cheer them on.  Who am I to be a demotivator?  

It seems counter-intuitive to tell someone trying to better themselves that they are destined for failure. The bitter truth is that even if they hit their goal weight, old habits will kick back in and the pounds will return.  Even worse, it will come back and then some.  That is if, of course, you are like over 95% of the rest of the world.  We all think we are different.  Only 5% of us are right.

The reason I am taking my weight off ever-so-slowly is that I am changing habits.  I am developing trends that become second nature.  When you take an abstinence approach to weight loss it becomes about what you are removing from your routine, not about what you are including in new routines.  I get my rewards from finding new and nutritious ways of making good food.  That may not be what thrills you.  I more than get that.  But you do need to find what will float your boat along the way to sveltness.  If not, the same old things that made you overweight to begin with will be the same things you seek when you cross the "finish" line.  That line you are celebrating, it's not an end point.  It is the beginning of your next upswing.

So many of you will make a new year's resolution to take off some pounds in 2013.  We could ask ourselves, "What's the point here?"  Do I want to make a sprint to a point on the scale or do I want to live life as a person making intelligent choices on an ongoing basis?  You know the answer already.  The real question then becomes "Am I willing to take the necessary time to make long-lasting changes?"  It's a commitment that is so very hard to make.  Don't lie to yourself when you commit.  Do it right or wait until you are ready to.  I've spent 35 years lying to myself with half-hearted attempts and paying dearly.

Cya next time,
M

What I ate and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Panera Power Breakfast Sandwich and decaf
Lunch ~ Tomato soup and one slice of bread with reduced fat peanut butter
Dinner ~ Drinks with old friends, a Burger King plain burger on the drive home and some brown rice with parsley, Earth Balance Spread and canellini beans when I got home.
Exercise ~ 45 minutes on the treadmill and about 2.25 miles

W.I.M.H.W. 12.05.12

I'm a day late, so we will call this one What's In My Head this Week.  It's been a busy one and an everyday exercise routine eats up a good chunk of time, so it becomes increasingly harder to blog.  But I will find a way to get it done.  Let's jump into it.  Times a wastin'.




Sometimes You Just Know
I am a tactile, show me kinda guy, as if I were from Missouri.  I like to see proof, or at least some support of evidence before I make a determination.  Perhaps that is why I am not very religious.  With this weight loss thing though, I seem to have a sixth sense for the weeks where I am losing weight and those in which I am not.  This week, for instance, I am feeling quite optimistic about my Monday weigh-in.  Do I feel lighter?  No.  In weeks where I have gained some weight, do I feel heavier?  Do my clothes fit any differently? No.  I just know.  I can't explain it.  I just do.  My wife has an uncanny sense when it comes to her body.  She is extremely in touch with what's going on.  For the most part, I have no clue what is going on inside of me.  If Tab eats something healthy and nutritious invariably she says she feels a certain way afterward, whether it is more energetic or more alert.  And no...she doesn't use caffeine or much in the way of sugar.  Weight loss for me is something I just know.  Makes no sense to me, but it I feel good when I have these weeks.  I have a general feeling of well being in knowing that it is a week of solid progress.  There is a certainty that positive (negative?) movement will be shown on the scale.  We will once again test this theory come Monday.

Iran?  No I Ran.
How many "I ran" references can we put in this?  There's that Flock of Seagulls song, the country Iran and one other really good one.  I RAN.  I actually ran.  Yeah.  ME!  It wasn't much, but I ran.  Maybe it was more of a jog and it was only for two minute bursts, but dammit, I ran.  Ten short months ago the thought of me even walking briskly, let alone running, was totally absurd to me.  Yet this week on the treadmill, I pushed the bounds of my comfort and decided to try it.  I first jumped the speed up to 3.5 miles per hour and then to 4.  I sustained running for 2 minute intervals, several times during my walking at what I guess was an average speed of 3.8 MPH.  This wouldn't be a big deal to most of you.  To me, it is huge.  I'm a guy who once had a 72 inch waistline.  I guess that was huge too.  My arm may break from the self back patting.  Did I mention that I ran?

That's all for now.  Cya next time,
M

What I ate and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ on the run with an Egg McMuffin and decaf
Lunch ~ a chicken sandwich w/roast red peppers, and balsamic
Dinner ~ becoming a fav in our house, pan seared tilapia over kale and canellini beans
Exercise ~ 45 minutes on the treadmill and 2.25 miles.  oh...and I ran

This Week In Food: "Pumpkin" Mushroom Risotto

Way back in the early days of The Drive to 195, I wrote of the things that I found indispensable.  One such thing was Cooking Light Magazine.  Their recipes are almost always fabulous and are available online at www.myrecipes.com.  I subscribe to the print version of the magazine and sometimes give out subscriptions to my weight-conscious friends as gifts.  Cooking Light gets most of the credit for this recipe.  I have made changes however to suit my tastes and my wife's non-meat-eating lifestyle.  She got no ham and I used vegetable stock.  You can feel free to use low sodium chicken stock.

Another oft written-of affinity is kabocha squash, also called Japanese pumpkin.  I find it regularly at my grocer and it is one of the so-called 'super foods', extremely high in nutrition, low in calories and packed with flavor.  I subbed kabocha in the Cooking Light recipe that called for canned pumpkin.  I would much rather use a fresh veg, than what amounts to pie filling in my supper.  It's inexpensive and easy to prepare, but if you are in a pinch, go ahead and use the canned.  Another recipe substitute was using speck, a smoked ham, in place of pancetta, unsmoked Italian bacon.  The speck was readily available at the grocery and had MUCH less fat and calories than the pancetta.  In fact, it cut the fat by about 75% and the overall calories by around 15%. The speck added a nice salty, smokey note to the dish.  I'll use it get my bacon fix in future concoctions.

This all came together in about an hour and if you want to make risotto, you have to be willing to spend a good 30-35 minutes, or so, in front of the stove stirring.  It's worth the effort.  This was a great meal for a cold winter's evening and paired well with the winter lettuce and pear salad, which I will link below.  I hope you enjoy my spin on Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto.

Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

serves 4
352 calories, 7.5g fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed Kabocha squash (instructions below).  You can also try butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree.
• 28 oz. no salt added vegetable stock
• 2 Tbs pignoli nuts (pine nuts).  You can also sub chopped walnuts.
• 2 Tbs diced speck (such as Citterio Cubetti Speck)
• 1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups shiitake mushroom caps (you might also try thin sliced crimini mushroom caps)
• 1.5 cups of sweet onion (1/4" dice)
• 1.5 Tbs garlic minced
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs mascarpone cheese
• 3 Tbs scallion (thin sliced, green portion only)
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Method

• Peel and dice about 1/4 of a kabocha squash into about 1" pieces and microwave for 5 minutes on high.  Mash with a potato masher or electric beater until smooth.  Set aside.
• Bring vegetable stock to a simmer can keep hot on a back burner, ready to ladle into the rissoto.
• In a large skillet, toast pine nuts and set aside.  Careful!  These will burn quick and don't take long.
• Cook the speck for about 3 minutes on medium high heat.
• Add the olive oil and cook the onions, mushrooms and garlic, stirring frequently until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook until most of the liquid is gone.
• Add the rice and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring constantly to well coat the rice.
• Add salt
• Using about 3/4 cup of stock at a time, add to the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed.  Repeat this until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender.  You should have creamy rice at this point.  About 25 minutes.  If you need more liquid, add small amounts of hot water until the rice is the desired doneness.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the kabocha, mascarpone, scallions and ground pepper.  Blend well.
• Adjust seasoning and sprinkle with the pignoli.
• Serve with a Pear and Winter Lettuce Salad, recipe HERE

Risotto may seem intimidating, but it's not hard if you are attentive and stir constantly.  You are a slave to the stove for about 35 minutes, so plan accordingly.  Also, I found that the dish needed a little more salt, but you can adjust to your own needs and tastes. Enjoy!

Cya Wednesday,

M

What I ate today and how I exercised:

Breakfast ~ 2 poached eggs with multi-grain toast and speck

Lunch ~ Grilled chicken sandwich

Dinner ~ Brussels sprout and fennel vichyssoise and some mashed kabocha on the side.  Three super foods in one meal!  

Exercise ~ 45 minutes on the treadmill and about 2.2 miles

Weigh-in: Week 43

I've paused my Tivo during Monday Night Football to not only build up some commercial bypass time, but to bring you this week's weigh-in results.  I've had a decent week and got moving again, so I am feeling upbeat, even with minimal weight loss progress made in the last seven days.

The numbers are screwy again this week.  Weight is down, body fat is up slightly and water percentages are off.  I'm befuddled, but I am not losing sleep over .1% of anything.  This week I weighed in at 277.6 lbs. That is a 0.8 lb. loss from last week and a total, thus far, of  85.8 lbs.  Body fat rose slightly to 42.9% and water dropped to 41.0%.  I guess we can call the week a wash, but I got back on the horse, or shall I say treadmill, so I am feeling good about myself.

Cya next time,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ A mix of two cereals w/banana and almond milk
Lunch ~ Lunch with my friend Doug at Minado in Morris Plains.  This sushi buffet is what I call a smorgasbordasm.  I compensated with a light dinner.
Dinner ~ A nice salad with four kinds of beans, roasted red peppers and some toasted pumpkin seeds, tossed with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Exercise ~ I will do 45 minutes and about 2 miles on the treadmill before bed.

A.L.O.E. 12.2.12

Hey there, you.  How ya been?  I've been keeping busy.  So much so that I sit here at 11:48 EST doing my thing here.  I'm pooped to say the least but I've been remiss in posting these last few days.  I need to stay in touch with you folks and keep you up on my goings on.  And now I bring you A Little Of Everything.

I.O.U.
This whole weekend I have been telling myself that I need to knock out a few blog entries, but knocking them out isn't fair to anyone who takes the time to visit me here.  You deserve better.  So, please accept my I.O.U. for one general post (it's about 1/3 written) and one food post.  Laura P. in CT, your risotto recipe is forthcoming.

It's Getting Hard
This falls more under the more heady stuff of Wednesday's, but here goes.  Lately I have been struggling.  I'm finding hard not to snack on garbage, my car is wanting to drive through any drive-through it passes (I haven't succumbed) and my desire for larger portions is getting stronger.  I am trying to combat that with more veggies.  Just tonight I had three helpings of braised cabbage.  I'm still committed to this.  It's that the damned devil on my shoulder is out of retirement.  Not too many worries there.  It is just getting harder is all... especially around the holidays.

My Gift to Me
December being the holiday season, we should receive gifts, right?  Well I have a weird one for myself.  I decided earlier this week that I would give myself something I really don't like all that much.  The gift of exercise.  My brutal honesty in the blog hasn't gone unnoticed by certain readers and I owe it to myself to get moving.  So after a very heartfelt inquiry at my reunion as to my constant "None" in the exercise log, I decided to make December the month I do at least 50 miles in 31 days.  I plan to walk daily, but I know from past experience that promising such is a tricky proposition.  So far in December I'm clean.  Two days in, and I have done two sessions of 45 minutes and a little over two miles in each.  Thanks, Bill, Marcelle and Chuck for your encouragement.  I'm on it.  And yes, I have been fairly miserable each of those 90 minutes thus far.

Cya Monday for weigh-in,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Poached eggs, crispy speck and whole grain toast cubes, all mixed up.  Decaf 
Lunch ~ Tuna melt with tuna salad, multi-grain bread and vegan non-dairy cheese
Dinner ~ Braised cabbage and apples with chicken apple sausages and an O'Doule's
Exercise ~ 45 minutes and 2+ miles on the treamill