Break Out the Beakers, It's my Maintenance Experiment

[Izzysdream]

Originally Posted by TexasMommy

Good morning Denise! Your weekend sounds like it was busy and fun! I love that you are eating some of the foods you want and knowing to say no to some others... you are making smart choices and that's so great!

Yea, it's amazing Cass....I've been stuck mostly in the all or nothingness with food and bouncing around in maintenance. Never thought I could drink beer again. LOL
Reading Brain over Binge is helping also...

[Bejewelme]

Hey Izzy life is sounding good for you, s glad to hear it!

[TexasMommy]

Originally Posted by Izzysdream

Yea, it's amazing Cass....I've been stuck mostly in the all or nothingness with food and bouncing around in maintenance. Never thought I could drink beer again. LOL
Reading Brain over Binge is helping also...

I'm trying to get out of that mindset too. I know I still need to lose weight, but I want to eat more foods... just smaller portions. The warm weather helps me as I'm more active. I think I'm just tired of focusing so much on food and eating... it's why I've been staying away from my journal. I'm going to look for the book.

[Izzysdream]

Took a bike ride to Forest Park near my home. Beautiful hot summer April day. Stopped and laid out on my blanket and took an ahhhh moment. Home now good and sweaty. Gonna ice ice baby the feet and knee then head to Club Fitness to do the upper body machines. Had my little Olympus camera with no zoom and took some lousy pictures. LOL




This is the first real aerobic workout I've gotten in about 2 years since I injured my right foot. Hoping my joints will cooperate and let me ride at least 3 times a week....


Food so far
whey shake, mac nuts
2 big pieces of fried tilapia breaded in flaxmeal, sauteed asparagus

[tiggy_oz]

A bike ride AND the gym? Jeez girl, you're an exercise poster gal. How great you can ride and have fun despite the joint stuff.

Yummm I want asparagus and mac nuts now hehe.

[Izzysdream]

Post workout:
mac nuts
whey shake
nuked apple/cinnamon/mac oil

Bit heavy on the food today, but the exercise should offset it.

Feeling a gnawing like I want to snack tonight. But I'm just going to ignore the impulse. Ignore that animal brain.

[Izzysdream]

Weighed 146.6 this morn. Surprised me!

Met up with good friend Bob this afternoon. We saw 21 Jump Street (should have seen the Titan one in 3D). I got a kids size buttered popcorn. Decided to reign in the carbs the rest of day.
Food
low carb thickburger from Hardees sans the ketchup
Small movie buttered popcorn
Low carb shake
fried eggs with spinach with a few bites of leftover pork steak

Made it to Aya's laughter yoga class tonight. She's doing it twice a month at InPower Institute. They mostly do Yoga/Reiki but have plenty of other interesting classes I'm tempted to sign up for. Definitely going to the Nature Photography class in a couple of weeks. Mike from class tonight, is trying to get me to check out her restorative yoga class. I can't do regular yoga for my joint/tendonitus problems, but he seems certain I can do restorative. Most classes, she just asks for donations. Now, that's in my budget! LOL
After laughter yoga I went to Club Fitness and did the upper body machines. Rain preempted my bike ride today.

Came home to an expensive bouquet of flowers on my back porch. Compliments of my ex.
Decided to push the "ignore" button....

Yesterday was a flaxmeal day. I made my favorite flaxseed brownies, licked the bowl...ate some crumbs. Dinner was a flaxmeal pancake with melted peanut butter. Yum.
Mouth is watering for a brownie right about now...but I'll wait til tomorrow...

[Izzysdream]

Weighed 149 this morn.
Had a blind date for coffee this morn. He was tall, attractive but wanted to come over right away. Nuh uh.
Having dinner tonight with C. Getting my root canal finished tomorrow, going to play the rest of the weekend by ear.
Hope the weather is nice so I can frolic outdoors!

[Izzysdream]

they are pretty though..

[tiggy_oz]

Hehe @ ignore button for ex's. Lovely flowers though. Enjoy them - sounds like you earned them many times over. Ug at the man wanting to hook up so quickly. PASS!! Ug root canal!!!! Best wishes on that one!

[Izzysdream]

Got root canal finished Friday, yesterday it was still really hurting, a lil better now. Glad it's over with. 3 hours in the dentist's chair with my mouth craned open. Yikes.
Was starving yesterday so I fed. LOL
whey shake, 2 artisan chicken southwest hotdogs from Sams. 2 flaxseed brownies, a few mac nuts
Dinner
Wine
Chicken Saltimbocca

Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyère,
Sugar free truffles
here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Grain with Gruyère

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 50 minutes

1½ cups heavy cream
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/8-inch thick
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small pot bring cream and garlic just to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Butter a 9×13-inch shallow casserole dish or gratin dish of similar size and set aside. Stir the cooling cream occasionally to help prevent skin from forming.

2. Build the Gratin: In the buttered casserole dish, spread one quarter of the sliced sweet potatoes out in a single, overlapping layer. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1/3 of the salt, pepper, and thyme and then about ½ cup of the grated cheese. Using another quarter of the sliced sweet potatoes, build a new overlapping layer. Again sprinkle with 1/3 of the seasonings and ½ cup of shredded cheese. Using half of the remaining sliced sweet potatoes, make another layer and sprinkle the last third of the seasonings and another ½ cup of cheese (you should have about ½ cup cheese remaining). Use the last of the sweet potatoes to make one final layer on top. Stir the garlic cream mixture then pour it evenly over the top of the gratin, being sure to cover the top layer of sweet potatoes. Shake the dish gently to distribute the cream. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

4. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, move the gratin to the top 1/3 of the oven and bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. You may also place it under the broiler for a few minutes if you wish the top to be a deeper brown (but watch it closely!). Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

*Note: Make Ahead! You can slice your potatoes and completely submerge them in ice cold water, cover and refrigerate up to a couple of days. Then drain, pat dry and assemble the dish. Less to do on Thanksgiving morning, the better!

Supposed to go on a motorcycle ride and out to eat this afternoon.
Friday have a date for opening day for the Cardinals. Haven't been to a game in a couple of years, should be fun!

Going to work out tomorrow and ride the bike.
Drove by this pond in forest park around 6.30 pm on Friday. Loved the way the shadows fell across it. Need to remember to take my camera and try to go there at that time of day. Loveliness.

[Bejewelme]

Happy Easter hun, I think getting out to some new yoga classes and photography classes will allow you to meet new people and get you over the ex even faster, the flowers are lovely I am glad you hit the ignore button!!!! Sounds like you are having fun!!!

[Izzysdream]

Made some lc flaxmeal foccacia bread today. It has 0.7 effective carbs, 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein and 185 calories. 12 Servings
Can't wait to bite it!




Wow, really good with butter! Really filling! Yum

[tiggy_oz]

Man you are a trooper with that tooth. Just kinda mentioning it offhand. Nuts woman! I would be bawling and making a giant fuss. You win the toughness prize

The food looks yum! Send me a care package hehe

[Frenchie'sGirl]

Happy Easter!

[TexasMommy]

The bread looks yummy! So B is up to his games again huh?

[Bejewelme]

That bread is not too bad I agree!!! Sounds like you had a good weekend!

[Izzysdream]

Someone posted this low carb recipe to fb, thought I'd "file" it here:

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Ground Beef Recipes

[Izzysdream]

Operator Error. LOL

[Izzysdream]

Weight: 150.4
Sleep: 4 hours
Mood: entering the pms zone

Weight is still up a couple of pounds, but not stressing too much. It's water. Was the same weight last night and weighed 3 hours early this morn. Had some sugar free chocolate on Easter. Been staying away from that stuff. Ate way too much Sunday, and did something that I haven't done in a while....emotionally ate before bed. Act forgiven...

Yesterday, had to really fight the cravings. Kept repeating to myself I am stronger than my animal brain (courtesy of Brain over Binge - I keep meaning to talk about book here don't I?). Had to fight not to have my flaxmeal foccacia bread/butter for a few hours last night. Not really fight myself, but ignore the prompts. LOL
If I want to maintain this weight, if I overindulge a day or two I must eat clean (mostly meat) until the weight drops. Plain and simple. It's a habit I must learn to adhere to if I don't want my weight yo-yoing all over the place as it's done in the past 2+ years.

Sun is shining but it's supposed to be cool today, a high of 60. Shoulda woulda coulda taken my bike out in the 70 yesterday. I did work out though and did the upper body machines. Reminder to self: Need to get out around 6:30 and take pictures of the pond at Forest Park near where I live.

I'm feeling missing my laughter yoga on Easter this week. It's so uplifting to be there. Can't wait to go back this weekend. Cancelled going to the game on Friday. The guy was wishy washy and it's supposed to be cold and rainy. Can you believe it's supposed to get down to 30 tonight? BRRRRRR
Good thing the lantanas I planted on the porch last week are hardy suckers. I may want to put a bag over them anyway....

[Izzysdream]

Ravenous today. Ended up having a whey shake, low carb thickburger, shirataki noodles with leftover chicken saltimbocca and 2 pieces of flaxmeal foccacia/butter. Dinner finally satisfied my mad hunger!
Took photos at the pond but the light was leaving...if I'd gotten there a bit earlier...





My favorite:



House Across the Street:



Love the Architectural Details

[TexasMommy]

Beautiful house!! I wonder what the inside looks like...

[tiggy_oz]

That area looks lovely! Neat house. I love going through them on open house days in historical towns. Down in Eufala there are so many neat ones done in historical style even inside.

I am glad you are liking that book. I bought it but haven't read it yet. Sounds like it is helping you.

Bugger about the wishy washy guy but you sound like you have a pack of them chasing you atm, so one less is no worry. Got any fun plans for this weekend?

[Izzysdream]

Decided to copy the post I made in Tiggy's journal about "Brain Over Binge"

The book is written by a former bulimic that purged with exercise. My life has been ruled by my binge disorder. Reading this book has helped put it in perspective. I thought I was at he mercy of this demon binge monster inside of me. Now I can see the biochemistry involved with the disorder. My binging started after a starvation diet the summer before I turned 16. That, plus I'm genetically predisposed. Obese grandmother, my great grandmother was 300 pounds...alcoholic father.
Anyway the "animal brain" responds to dieting in some people as a survival mechanism and hence the binging period begins. In me, binging became a habit, an addiction. I was over 100 pounds overweight by the time I was 21.
Pathways are engraved in the brain according to this binging action. By repeating the binging action, the pathways become more deeply entrenched. Chemicals that temporarily make you feel "ahhhh" are released in the brain. And dambaby, don't we all want those "ahhhhhs"
By learning to ignore the animal brain which urges to binge....the pathways can be "rewritten" so to speak...but it takes time.
This book has given me hope about my disorder when nothing else really has...

I don't know if this book would be helpful for those that don't have a binge disorder.... a lot of overweight people don't have eating disorders..
At one of my darkest periods, I gained 40 pounds in two months...
__________________

[Bejewelme]

Izzy- I love your photos, that house looks cool, but the confetti lantana!!! That is my favorite I have big pots of it here in the summer, being so cold we cant even put it out til near the end of May, but that is my favorite summer flower!!!

Glad that book is helping you!

[TexasMommy]

I haven't read a book that wasn't a school textbook in so long, but I think that book would be helpful for me. I'm doing okay right now, but that okayness only lasts for a while it seems.

[Izzysdream]

My old work called me in today. It was soooo nice to be at work again. Being off over a year has been getting really boring...and really lonely lately. Last fall they paid me under the radar for a couple of months which really helped. I don't think they will be able to do it now. If they get this construction project in June, I'll be put on full time and it will be an 18 month job. But I don't know if I'm willing to lose my unemployment for temp/part time work with them, if they don't get the contract for the June project.
Made up some daikon radish tonight, I cook them in chicken broth, lemon juice and seasonings to take the bite out. They turn out slightly sweet and yum. I boiled off the broth and burned the edges, good thing I like a bit of burnt seasoning to my food. LOL
I'll probably fry them with some eggs tomorrow and dip em in low carb ketchup. YUMMMY

[Izzysdream]

Rainy day today. Worked a couple of hours then headed to Illinois to my brothers to cut his hair. He, me and my dad went out to Mama Mia's for lunch. American food. I had the smothered chicken; chix, provel, lots of onions and green peppers, salad and some broccoli. Boy it was yummy good. Did some shopping at goodwill and found 20 bucks worth of tops. Waiting for my friend Mary to come by tonight. We going to watch scary movies. Boo!
Been talking to R all week. We are going to meet on Sunday. Sounds good so far, he loves nature (has a boat) a nice house, good job, 2 time shares in Branson and Table Rock Lake and wants a relationship. Talking on the phone is one thing, meeting is another...we'll see.
Made a chili/stew thing tonight. Hamburger, tomatoes, chili seasoning, threw in the daikon radish and petite brussel sprouts for good measure.




Looking at a puppy on Sunday. Half chihuahua and half pom. Both parents don't weigh more than 5 pounds and are mellow...

[tiggy_oz]

MMmm chilli. Interesting additives but I reckon it was good! R sounds interesting. Fingers crossed he turns out to be a good one. Good on paper at least .

Tricky about the job thing. Pity there are no allowances to do some part time work and not screw up your benefits. Hopefully the contract will come through and you can get back to work full time.

[Izzysdream]

Ah the chili just didn't work. So I scooped out some daikon radish and made the dish I've been craving....scrambled eggs with it....dipped in lc ketchup. Yum. Wish I had more eggs...two small ones didn't do it.