Wait for it...Weight for it...June 2009 WL **PACKING**

[WDWRocksMySocks]

For right now, we are in the midst of a simple 30 day challenge. No eating out for 30 days. Some people may find that easy to do. For me it is a struggle. I love Love LOVE to cook. I hate Hate HATE to clean. We have been eating out so often for so long, it is taking a bit to reprogram DS8 to realize that dinners need to be PLANNED. You can't just eat whatever you want every night because you might have seen a commercial and now you really want pizza! LOL.

The 30 days should be good on the waistline and the pocketbook.

I think your 30 day challenge is great, and definitely inspirational for me. I feel the same way you do. I really enjoy cooking, but absolutely DESPISE cleaning up afterwards. It's just so easy and convenient to eat out. Planning meals to cook can be a struggle -- especially when you realize you don't have a key ingredient and you've already started cooking.

We're currently attempting to cut back on dining out in hopes of saving money and saving the calories. Hopefully, it will work for both of us!

 

[TxRabbit]

With all this exercise talk, I better go get started! I do have a treadmill and exercise bike. Love them both, but some days it's harder to get on than others. I do have satillite TV in the basemtn, so I do watch and walk/ride and it makes it more doable. Sometimes that the only TV time I get to myself.

When we lived in KS, I wanted to have some exercise equipment in the basement. I figured that I would get on it every time Divine Design came on. I LOVE Candance. She could do my whole house. We live off rabbit ears now...so that wouldn't even be an option. Now that we don't have a basement...I don't know where I would put the equipment.

I think your 30 day challenge is great, and definitely inspirational for me. I feel the same way you do. I really enjoy cooking, but absolutely DESPISE cleaning up afterwards. It's just so easy and convenient to eat out. Planning meals to cook can be a struggle -- especially when you realize you don't have a key ingredient and you've already started cooking.

We're currently attempting to cut back on dining out in hopes of saving money and saving the calories. Hopefully, it will work for both of us!

We were really successful during our 30 day challenge. It really helped to reprogram our thoughts to think of HOME first when thinking of eating. How sad is that? But true.

I agree that the meal planning is difficult. I recently adjusted my grocery shopping style. I think of my kitchen more like a running inventory. I watch for when the prices of the things I normally buy are rock bottom and I stock up big time. I have something of a mental list of things that must ALWAYS be in my house. I really need to get it written down. I've been wanting to make a master grocery list for a long time.

Right now, I'm REALLY struggling with dinner planning because of this Fat Flush Plan. Many of my typical meals are not plan friendly so I am having to really think about what we can and can't eat. And cook new recipes. It's an absolute pain. And of course, DS isn't eating exactly what we are, so I feel a little like a short order cook.

It should be worth it though. DH is doing his typical male thing and the weight is just starting to fall off him.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

I don't think it's sad at all, you got to stick w/ what works! It's just so hard to stay on track. That usually does the trick for us, but sometimes the convenience overpowers that. Like Saturday afternoon, I slipped up and got Wendy's. It was gross and I couldn't even finish it. I would've preferred a salad or something from home but I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. It was sad, and I was being really lazy.

I've started keeping tabs on what staples I always need in the kitchen, and stocking up when they're on sale. I've tried making lists, but I also seem to forget them at my office. I just haven't figured out a plan that works well for us...yet.

What kind of meals are you eating on your current program? I'd love to get some possible dinner ideas. I'm stuck in a rut! Plus, DH and I don't like the same things so it makes it even more difficult.

 

[TxRabbit]

What kind of meals are you eating on your current program? I'd love to get some possible dinner ideas. I'm stuck in a rut! Plus, DH and I don't like the same things so it makes it even more difficult.

The current program is something of a detox eating plan. It eliminates foods that are common allergens, causes of inflamation, and causes of water retention. So, NO grains, of ANY kind, NO sugary veggies (i.e. sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter squash, corn and peas), NO sugar, NO fat except Flax Seed (whole and oil) and naturally occuring in meat and veggies, and NO dairy, none.

So, two whole fruit servings, two servings of flax, 8 oz of flesh protein (NO soy unless you are vegan, then twice a week), two eggs (separate from the other protein) and unlimited veggies (except only one carrot and three olives). And there is NO alcohol, caffeine, fake sugar (except stevia), or any other anything. This is why so many label it diet boot camp. It sounds worse than it is...

You also drink a cran-water drink all day long. You drink a lemon drink in the morning. And you drink a fiber rich drink when you first wake up and before you go to bed. (Add psyllium husks or ground flax seed to the cran-water).

The idea is that many of us have sensitivities to foods and don't even realize it. So eliminate these and then after two weeks, slowly start adding different carbs back into your diet, while you monitor how your body responds. So you can see if there are trigger foods that you would be better off avoiding.

So yesterday, we had two scrambled eggs with asparagus and mushrooms for breakfast. Fruit for a midmorning snack. Lunch was a huge serving of a tomato based soup with tons of veggies and beef. A spinach/romaine salad with cucumbers and tomatoes and homemade flaxseed oil dressing. A mixed veggie snack. A fruit snack. Dinner was blackened chicken with mashed cauliflower and stir fried veggies. We made a frozen whey thing for dessert.

You are encouraged to eat hot spices because it boosts your metabolism. So eat as much cayenne, cumin, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, etc as you want.

I have many other meals that my family really likes. What kind of cooking do you do? Crock pot? Grilling? Broiling? Soups? Salads? Did you see the crock pot recipes I posted? They are really good. I know it's hard to keep up with my big long posts.

Tell me what you would like to see and I'd be happy to share. Maybe we all can share...

 

[jewels1916]

Hey Rabbit! I've been MIA, but I am all caught up now! Just wanted to say hi and see how everything was going! How is the detoxing going? I am going to steal some of the info that you are posting for my own use. Sounds like a good plan. Hope you are well!

 

[TeaForTulips]

I ordered the vacation guides for Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida today!

I ordered my Texas one a while back. It is really fun to look at. I thought that it might be helpful for planning our big 1000 mile road trip!

That's where my thoughts are now...planning the actual travel to the World.

We have budgeted for an overnight hotel stay. The big decision is WHERE?

We would like to stop about 2/3 of the way if possible and have a much shorter drive the following day. I'm hoping that the guides may highlight some good places to stop and stretch. Especially for the ride home. We don't have to be crazy non-stop on the way there. Just efficient!

Any other drivers out there? Any tips?

This will be DSs first really LONG road trip. Should be great memories. Many good stories come from road trips.

I think its so great you are ordering guides! You guys are gonna have a blast. I LOVE road trips and I agree that many good stories come from them.

I am full of Louisiana and Florida knowledge because I've spent most of my life in both places. What route are you taking? Where is the 2/3 mark on your trip there and back?

My favorite place of all time next to Disney World is Santa Rosa Island, Florida or better known Pensacola Beach, Florida. It's where I spent half my childhood years. It is the most beautiful beach, lots of fun shops and places to eat. Not everyone is a beach going as we are, but if are then you must go!

Anytime I have taken long trips with children the best thing we found to help ease it all was the portable dvd players. We have the kind the hooks on the back of the seats because the kids were younger, but we also have the kind that you hold for any of the older kids or adults who arent keen on the movie choice. Id usually let the kids pick out a new movie for the road so they are attentive when it comes on.

I usually pack a ton of options. Most of my road tripping experience comes from being a nanny. Every child is different and what holds their attention is different. A few times I would get them their own map and highlight our route and they would "help" out finding us on the map, etc.

We are driving about 900 miles on our trip to Disney, but no kids this trip. Our goal is to drive almost all of it in one stretch. I'm a road trip queen though and have driven the about 1200 mile trip from erie, pa back to louisiana numerous times. Most of those times being by myself. I have learned how to self entertain! Also Ive been a certified professional nanny for years and Ive learned how to entertain children in the car and on planes. I could go on and on with ideas so Ill end this now because it is already super long! Sorry!

 

[TxRabbit]

I am full of Louisiana and Florida knowledge because I've spent most of my life in both places. What route are you taking? Where is the 2/3 mark on your trip there and back?

My favorite place of all time next to Disney World is Santa Rosa Island, Florida or better known Pensacola Beach, Florida. It's where I spent half my childhood years. It is the most beautiful beach, lots of fun shops and places to eat. Not everyone is a beach going as we are, but if are then you must go!

I don't know where the 2/3 mark is! I have to figure that out still. I think it might be in the middle of nowhere! It's on my to do list...

We'll be driving I-10. I'll have to look at a map to see where Pensacola is. I'm a beach lover myself.

Anytime I have taken long trips with children the best thing we found to help ease it all was the portable dvd players.

I totally agree with this! Unfortunately, ours broke. I'd like to replace it, especially if we end up having to drive to CO for a wedding in July!

DS also has a Ninetendo DS, which is OK for a while, but I don't want him looking at that small screen for too long. I've thought about getting the kind of DVD player that will accept an input so we could bring the PS2... but then I think that I'm going too far.

A part of me thinks that kids these days need to learn how to be BORED!! I rebel and I think that we need to suffer without all this electronic entertainment and just deal with it like in the good ole days!

A few times I would get them their own map and highlight our route and they would "help" out finding us on the map, etc.

I am LOVING this idea. I actually have found some exit by exit explanations of I-10 too. I might put it all together for a guide book for DS.

We are driving about 900 miles on our trip to Disney, but no kids this trip. Our goal is to drive almost all of it in one stretch. I'm a road trip queen though and have driven the about 1200 mile trip from erie, pa back to louisiana numerous times. Most of those times being by myself. I have learned how to self entertain! Also Ive been a certified professional nanny for years and Ive learned how to entertain children in the car and on planes. I could go on and on with ideas so Ill end this now because it is already super long! Sorry!

If we didn't have DS, Dh and I would probably drive it all in one stretch. He did it with his sister in college when he parents lived in Florida for a season. But with DS, the one stretch driving is rough not only during the drive, but after. We won't have that time of crash and recover once we got there. We have to be responsible parents now and can't black out for a time upon arrival.

I don't mind long posts. Please do go on and on...

 

[TxRabbit]

Hi Everyone!

I know there are people out there that aren't chatting along...

And that's okay!

And some of you actually have a LIFE outside the DIS!

So because I am a chatter box (I warned you!), I added an index to post 1 that highlights things that directly pertain to trip planning, losing weight, or as Tarah refered to them, are mini-TRs from past trips!

I hope this might help some of you...It'll help me get back to certain posts of my own.

 

[TxRabbit]

Hey Rabbit! I've been MIA, but I am all caught up now! Just wanted to say hi and see how everything was going! How is the detoxing going? I am going to steal some of the info that you are posting for my own use. Sounds like a good plan. Hope you are well!

Please steal away...that's why it's posted.

The detox is going well. The kitchen is a DISASTER, my fridge is PACKED with veggies and it's hard to find ANYTHING, but I still keep cooking! I find that's the hardest thing to deal with right now, all the cleaning that all this cooking requires!

 

[2BoysMom]

Hi Everyone!

And some of you actually have a LIFE outside the DIS!

WHAT?????
People have lives outside of the DIS??

I don't believe it.... I just don't believe it.......

 

[jewels1916]

Please steal away...that's why it's posted.

The detox is going well. The kitchen is a DISASTER, my fridge is PACKED with veggies and it's hard to find ANYTHING, but I still keep cooking! I find that's the hardest thing to deal with right now, all the cleaning that all this cooking requires!

Ha ha. I know. The cleaning is my least favorite part of cooking as well. My whole apartment is a wreck cause of all the packing. It's making it hard for me to stick to the diet. How easy to just order a pizza and then get back to work. *sigh* It's a process.

 

[jenseib]

The current program is something of a detox eating plan. It eliminates foods that are common allergens, causes of inflamation, and causes of water retention. So, NO grains, of ANY kind, NO sugary veggies (i.e. sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter squash, corn and peas), NO sugar, NO fat except Flax Seed (whole and oil) and naturally occuring in meat and veggies, and NO dairy, none.

So, two whole fruit servings, two servings of flax, 8 oz of flesh protein (NO soy unless you are vegan, then twice a week), two eggs (separate from the other protein) and unlimited veggies (except only one carrot and three olives). And there is NO alcohol, caffeine, fake sugar (except stevia), or any other anything. This is why so many label it diet boot camp. It sounds worse than it is...

You also drink a cran-water drink all day long. You drink a lemon drink in the morning. And you drink a fiber rich drink when you first wake up and before you go to bed. (Add psyllium husks or ground flax seed to the cran-water).

The idea is that many of us have sensitivities to foods and don't even realize it. So eliminate these and then after two weeks, slowly start adding different carbs back into your diet, while you monitor how your body responds. So you can see if there are trigger foods that you would be better off avoiding.

So yesterday, we had two scrambled eggs with asparagus and mushrooms for breakfast. Fruit for a midmorning snack. Lunch was a huge serving of a tomato based soup with tons of veggies and beef. A spinach/romaine salad with cucumbers and tomatoes and homemade flaxseed oil dressing. A mixed veggie snack. A fruit snack. Dinner was blackened chicken with mashed cauliflower and stir fried veggies. We made a frozen whey thing for dessert.

You are encouraged to eat hot spices because it boosts your metabolism. So eat as much cayenne, cumin, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, etc as you want.

I have many other meals that my family really likes. What kind of cooking do you do? Crock pot? Grilling? Broiling? Soups? Salads? Did you see the crock pot recipes I posted? They are really good. I know it's hard to keep up with my big long posts.

Tell me what you would like to see and I'd be happy to share. Maybe we all can share...

That is the nastiest diet I ever heard of. LOL! There is no way I could do it. Flax seed? Barf! LOL! I give you alot of credit...if it was between that and being fat, fat would win! LOL!

 

[TxRabbit]

WHAT?????
People have lives outside of the DIS??

I don't believe it.... I just don't believe it.......

I don't either, but I've HEARD it's true.

Ha ha. I know. The cleaning is my least favorite part of cooking as well. My whole apartment is a wreck cause of all the packing. It's making it hard for me to stick to the diet. How easy to just order a pizza and then get back to work. *sigh* It's a process.

Moving while trying to eat at home and eat healthy is the WORST!! The absolute WORST. Here's what I did. Whatever you cook, cook double, triple or quadruple. Eat leftovers, and FREEZE leftovers. These are especially helpful when you start having to pack your kitchen. I called it my, "If you are going to cook, cook A LOT!" strategy.

And IF you order pizza, you should seriously supplement that pizza with a salad (from a bag for ease) or some cooked veggies (shove them in the microwave) and eat fruit for dessert that night. Limit your servings and only order a pizza with ONE meat product on it. Then continue to eat off the pizza for a couple DAYS. Am I lecturing? It's like WARNING! Diet police! I hope I don't sound horrible, but you can see why I called myself Rabbit. I do like to order people around...

That is the nastiest diet I ever heard of. LOL! There is no way I could do it. Flax seed? Barf! LOL! I give you alot of credit...if it was between that and being fat, fat would win! LOL!

Flax seed isn't so bad. The oil actually has a really nice flavor. It makes a really good salad dressing. For the plan, we combine it with apple cider vinegar (the only allowable vinegar), fresh squeezed lemon and chopped fresh parsley. Ground flax seed is a nothing thing to add to whatever. It's supposed to keep the pipes flowing, KWIM? And it's only like 1 or 2 tablespoons a day... Like I said, it sounds worse than it is.

Tonight I made the most AMAZING lettuce wraps. Blacked flank steak with a super yummy sweet and sour type cabbage mixture on top. Very Asian flare. Put it all in a Romaine lettuce leaf and enjoy. Btw, the Romaine leaves worked out so much BETTER than the iceberg from places like PFChangs, which I LOVE. I find the iceberg cracks and then the juices run down to your elbows and it's just a total mess. But the Romaine was almost like eating a hard taco shell, you just fold it over on the stem/seam with all the goodies there and presto, easy peasy! If anyone thinks it sounds good, I'll post the recipe...

Going to west coast swing class tonight with Peter. So much fun to dance with my hubby. I skipped last night I just wasn't up for any of it. So no bellydancing or zumba for me. I feel a little guilty, a little wimpy, but this eating plan is really taking a lot of energy to plan and deal with. I felt brain dead and drained. Not a good frame of mind for hitting two hours work of exercise.

 

[jenseib]

Again you are making me gag! LOL!

I am really picky though on stuff. I will only eat French dressing for the most part. I will eat italian, but I don't like all of them. So if a salad doesn't have one of those dressings, it's pretty much just nasty to me, but if I got a dressing I love then I'll eat salad forever.
If I'm not enjoying my food, I won;t stick with it, and from the sounds of it, this would not be a diet I would enjoy at all. I'm also not big on eggs. Only every once in awhile will I eat them.

 

[TxRabbit]

If I'm not enjoying my food, I won;t stick with it, and from the sounds of it, this would not be a diet I would enjoy at all. I'm also not big on eggs. Only every once in awhile will I eat them.

It definitely sounds like you would have some issues with this plan!

Eggs are a must do. They are a lecithin rich food, which is the main component of bile, which is the key component that helps the liver break down fats. So eggs help improve the quality of your bile which in turn, helps your body breaks down fats efficiently, something anyone trying to lose weight wants their body to be able to do! Combined with adding half a freshly squeezed lemon to water, which helps to thin bile, you have a powerful addition to your diet.

The author of this plan had her clients add nothing but two eggs and two glasses of lemon water a day for six weeks. Without any other changes, every client lost weight. The highest weight loss being 21 pounds, which no other changes.

Maybe if you think of the benefits of eggs you can tolerate them better.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

I have many other meals that my family really likes. What kind of cooking do you do? Crock pot? Grilling? Broiling? Soups? Salads? Did you see the crock pot recipes I posted? They are really good. I know it's hard to keep up with my big long posts.

Tell me what you would like to see and I'd be happy to share. Maybe we all can share...

I'm open to pretty much all types of cooking. I do a lot of soups, salads, and baking (fish and chicken). I would love to use my crock pot more, but I just can't find a good recipe that both DH and I would like. He's a much pickier eater than I am. He likes pastas and spicy food -- that's it. It makes cooking very frustrating!

I saw your recipes, and I thought they'd be great to attempt. But, since I'd be cooking for just one (DH would never eat them) I don't think it'd be worth it. That's why I stick to salads and cooking individual pieces of fish.

 

[jewels1916]

Ha ha! Nah, didn't sound too much like a lecture! But even so...I listened! No pizza for me! I have to start keeping bags of salad in my fridge. I used to buy them all the time, but never finished them, and I hate letting stuff go to waste. I LOVE steam in the bag veggies. I can just make a bag of the asian seasoned ones, toss on a tiny bit of soy sauce, and it makes a full-on meal for me. Your suggestions are definitely going to help me get through this moving/trying to stay healthy time.
I am also training for a few running events...a 5k...a 10K...hopefully working up to a half-marathon at the end of the year. So eating healthy is a must!

 

[TxRabbit]

He likes pastas and spicy food -- that's it. It makes cooking very frustrating!

That IS frustrating. I have two recipes that he might like that I REALLY like. One is Thai Chicken Curry (spicy and oh so good) and Chipotle Potato Salad (which I have also made into a pasta salad instead of potato). Interested?

I am also training for a few running events...a 5k...a 10K...hopefully working up to a half-marathon at the end of the year. So eating healthy is a must!

WOW! That is so impressive! Healthy eating IS a must! Are the running events here in TX?

 

[2BoysMom]

yes, interested in the recipes...

 

[Happydog]

Hi there! I have emerged victorious from a big event at work, so I just caught up on the past four pages! Now time to make dinner, all these ideas are making me hungry! OH, and I would like the asian lettuce wraps, rabbit! That sounds good. My husband and I both like similar dishes in restaurants. Interesting about eggs and lemon water -- who would have thought?!? Will catch up again later this evening ...