MOLLY'S DIET RANTS! (ranting, raving, motivating & more)
RANTING BURNS CALORIES!
This is an open, ongoing, support-encourage-motivational-RANTING thread. Feel free to skip to the end, or spend days reading through all of this ...
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I have decided that "Diet" is a 4-letter word.
I find myself muttering and uttering the word around my house these days with loathing and vehemence previously reserved only for comments directed toward liberal politicians. In fact, I seem to be talking to myself a lot more these days .... sort of a running, sarcastic commentary on all the foods I can't eat, or on various other related topics. I wonder if there is a link between calorie-deprivation and Tourettes Syndrome? Grrrrrrrrr.....
I am now on Day 8 of the dreaded D-word. This is already the longest period of time that I have ever successfully remained on a diet. And I seem to be growing grouchier and feistier each day..... at least when I am alone and no one is around to hear my running rants. (My wonderful DH has heard some of my more memorable rants on the subject of broccolli and reports that I am hysterically funny when I am hungry!) I am counting carbs. I am counting calories. I am counting fat grams. Sheesh ... now my math anxiety is about to kick-in!
Mini Rant #1 .... what masochist decided that the serving size of cereal was anything less than 2 cups? Have you ever measured out 2/3 a cup of cereal? Or even a full cup? And placed it in a bowl? Those few little flakes and pieces just sit forlornly at the bottom of the bowl, shivering and lonely, even when we dribble on a few meager droplets of skim milk! Sheesh. Well, I can tell you that there is simply no way that my oversized body is going to be happy with that tiny amount of cereal ... so I have been eating TWO servings for breakfast. SIGH. And while the side of the box says that I can supplement the cereal with some fruit, they probably don't mean eat 45 cherries with your cereal -- much less 1/2 a watermelon, huh?
Mini Rant #2 .... Things NOT to say to someone who has told you that they have just started on a diet:
1.Good, you sure needed it.
2. It's about time.
3. Really? It doesn't look like it.
4. Again? Haven't we heard this before?
5. Gosh, how much weight do you need to lose?
6. What do you weigh? I've always wondered.
7. I never need to diet, I have a fast metabolism.
8. Really? I can eat all I want and never gain weight.
9. Is THAT why you are so grouchy?
10. I sure hope you plan to exercise a lot more.
AAAUGGH! All of these responses are just the thing to make me even grouchier .... so just smile and say something encouraging and supportive, ok? I will let you know how it is going.
_____
=^..^= Molly
WELCOME TO MOLLY'S MOTIVATIONAL RANT / CHAT THREAD ... FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR RANTS, TOO! YOU CAN EITHER READ FROM THE BEGINNING OR JUST JUMP ON IN ON THE LAST PAGE ... JOIN US!
Reason: Removed sticky 9/12, had been up since 9/4
Thank you for the welcome:):) AND I agree :):) this is the fun place to be.
The main exercise I do that I do not log is going back upstairs (several times a day) because I remember something when I am downstairs and forget it again (unless I am muttering to myself over and over) when I get upstairs or see something else I had forgotten, pick that up, go downstairs and then remember I have to go upstairs again:):)
The best I can say about this is that I am so glad I can do those stairs:):)
AND Lucia is my middle name and I like it so much I made it my user name:):)
Wishing you all a wonderful day and a happy tomorrow:):)
AND Molly - YOU are an inspiration.
Your creativity with food is just amazing.
I am hoping to have my cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure numbers down from my last visit (which were quite high which really surprised me). My doctor's appointment is 1st week in December and I am following the fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, cottage cheese, oatmeal, raisin and flaxseed routine. I saw your results (THANK YOU for posting them) and it has given me hope and determination to stick it out these next few weeks....
AND after that I will maintain - YOU have shown that I can combine foods and they can really be flavorful while being nutritious:):) Then I will start my new venture to "creative" eating:):) Right now - I just eat it straight AND I am hungry enough that it tastes delicious:):)
Tonight for dinner, I am having what I call my "Sizzlin' Spicy Scramble!" I start with Eggbeaters (plain this time, since DH doesn't like the garden vegetable flavored one for his pancakes, silly man) then I add in grilled onion, grilled fresh mushrooms, and grilled red pepper..... plus, of course, plenty of garlic, chili powder, black pepper and a touch of lime to keep things zippy! I paired it with 11oz of fresh asparagus (flavored with lemon juice, lemongrass powder, garlic powder and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray), plus a yummy toasted Thomas' Multigrain english muffin! It all makes for an amply-portioned, savory dinner with 6 servings of fresh vegetables and hardly any fat!!!
1.75 cups of Egg Beaters, scrambled (210 calories)
one large onion, diced (63 calories)
8 oz (one package) of fresh mushrooms, sliced (50 calories)
about 10 strips of sweet red (or yellow) pepper (14 calories)
Minced garlic, onion powder, chil powder, lime juice, black pepper to taste (hot sauce or salsa, optional seasonings)
11 oz grilled asparagus, seasoned with butter-garlic-lemon flavors (62 calories)
one toasted Thomas' light multigrain english muffin (100 calories)
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TOTAL CALORIES: 499 (not counting seasonings)
PREPARATION NOTES: The only real preparation time is chopping one onion and the pepper, and in slicing the ends off the asparagus since I buy already-sliced mushrooms. The asparagus gets the bottoms trimmed, then laid out neatly on a plate. Spritz / Sprinkle seasonings and microwave for about 4 minutes. Grill the onion, mushrooms and pepper first (with seasonings) until the onion starts to turn translucent, then add in the egg and keep stirring!
=^..^= ENJOY!
WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS NEXT WEEK, CHANGE THE BATTERIES IN YOUR SMOKE DETECTOR!
Of course, the alarm on MY clock didn't matter at all this crisp Autumn morning -- because at MY house, we're on "EMILY TIME!" What is Emily Time, you may ask? Well, Emily is a spunky, funny, uber-active, ultra-playful, always-something-new, rambunctious FEMALE orange tabby cat. (Only 10% of orange tabbies are female, and even fewer are completly NUTS and female!) Emily decided at around 6:40am that I needed to be awake to (1) pet her; (2) entertain her; (3) pet her; (4) play with her; (5) pet her; and (6) move around or something. She wasn't hungry -- there was plenty of food in the dry kibble feeder -- I think she was just bored. And when she is bored, she pounces, she prances, she purrs, she jumps, she climbs, and she makes frequent large and scary crashing sounds. Anyway, it worked and I got up ... raising my hands in defeat as I huddled under the covers with the blanket over my head (as she sat on my head!) Who needs alarm clocks, anyway?
My wonderful DH Ron is still in San Diego, flying fire support air reconnaisance missions, so I invited my girlfriend Nancy over for dinner. We're having sirloin steak, fettucini with spicy Sicilian-style pasta sauce plus grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms! Doesn't that soundly simply scrumptious for just 500 calories? I am making the fettucini Tofu Shirataki noodles (just 80 calories / 4 carbs for a HUGE serving) and will be using Trader Joe's organic, marinated lean sirloin. I may even make a low calorie pre-dinner dip using fat free Fage Greek Yogurt, a pepper-ranch organic dip mix, and mini rice cakes as chips! Yum! Yum! Yum! (That is 6 servings of veggies for dinner!)
I have decided to discontinue the application process for a job with the IRS. They are only hiring for seaonal FULL-TIME jobs (eek), and the only available shifts are 4pm to 1am (double eeek) and the IRS is located 45 minutes away from my house in a very scary part of town (triple eek-eek-eek!) My DH Ron just said that he would rather I stay home and focus on getting healthier, happier, and with "playing in the kitchen and online with my diet buddies!" In the two years I've been blessed to be a stay-home wife, I've really found that I love being a full-time wife and kitty mom, ya know?
We had a smattering of rain last night, but today is forecast for 83 and sunny. The rest of the week looks like low 80s/upper 70s.... fabulous fall weather! I raked leaves yesterday afternoon, but I think Mr. Tree has thoughtfully made another foliage deposit on my nice green lawn and tidy sidewalks! (Now you know my plans for today!)
=^..^= 59 Days 'til my next weigh-in! (Christmas)
Molly - your dinner sounds delicious. Have you used the Shirataki noodles before? How do you cook them? I have a pot of Dr. Oz's (Oprah's buddy) black bean soup on the stovetop, house smells wonderful. We're having roast pork loin with roasted root veges tonight and homemade applesauce. Yum Yum.
Sounds like a good decision to discontinue your job application process - job hours sound brutal and not in a good neighbourhood at 1:00 am ... I too love being a retired SAHW and doing all things I like when I want to.
Leaves falling - well that's a given here at this time of year. We have raked and raked everyone else's leaves that fall into our yard. So far our maple tree is defying the weather and is holding on to it's leaves. Usually we are raking after the first snowfall!
No rant here today ... things going well. Youngest son and his girlfriend are coming by for a visit - don't see much of them as they are building a business and so very busy.
I decided to switch up my usual spinach salad with a bit more zip for lunch today! As always, I start with a whole 10-oz bag of fresh spinach, and added one peeled, diced cucumber, two cups of radish slices, one small tomato (diced), and about five UNMARINATED artichoke hearts. Then I added in a 6oz can of Bumblebee chunk whita albacore tuna, and added in some zippy spices (black pepper, chili pepper, garlic, lime and onion powder) and tossed it all with Walden Farms zero-calorie balsamic vinaigrette. On the side, I added one serving (28 chips) of the Eating Right brand of potato crisps!!! Finally, dessert was a steaming mug of decaffeinated English Toffee tea with Cinnamon! YUM!!!
one 10 oz bag of fresh spinach, washed and gently torn (65 calories)
two cups of radishes, sliced (37 calories)
one medium cucumber, peeled and diced (24 calories)
five UNMARINATED artichoke hearts, diced (49 calories)
one small tomato, diced (16 calories)
one 6-oz can of Bumble Chunk White Tuna in water (150 calories)
chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice, onion powder, black pepper to taste
Walden Farms zero-calorie Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (0 calories)
one serving (28 chips) of Eating Right BBQ-flavored potato crisps (110 calories)
LUNCHTIME TOTAL: 451 CALORIES
VEGETABLE SERVINGS: 8 SERVINGS (not counting the chips)
=^..^= MOLLY
Original Post by ratinhat88:
Molly, when you weigh in on Christmas, I bet your jaw is going to dent the floor when you see how much weight you've lost. The good thing about waiting that long to weigh is that you'll undoubtedly see a BIG DROP when you finally do. Hang in there!
Oh, I hope so! 50 pounds lost = a trip to Hawaii!
=^..^= MOLLY
Original Post by brockcorydon:Molly - your dinner sounds delicious. Have you used the Shirataki noodles before? How do you cook them?
Ahhh... Shirataki noodles and Tofu-Shirataki noodles come ALREADY COOKED! How very cool is THAT? You can either place them in a colander and rinse them under hot water for 3 minutes, or put them in really hot water and then rinse them off.. (The hot water is to get rid of the flavors from the liquid they come in!) Personally, I like the hot water colander method ... and then I just add them to whatever I am making, or dump sauce on them!
Yum! There's some threads on shirataki noodles in the Food forum, and I discuss 'em on my journal, too!
=^..^= MOLLY
OK, this is another Non-Rant. (Hmm... I wonder if we need some special name for non-rants?) Anyway, to celebrate the loss of my first 40 pounds, I went shopping tonight!! Woo hoo! I got 2 pairs of brown pants and 1 pair of black ones, plus four tops (three of which were on clearance!) Oh, and two pairs of "control top" underwear. (Hmm... why do they call it control top, when it's usually my bottom parts that bulge out and need to be reined in?) And did I mention that everything is in sizes SMALLER than I used to wear!?!? What a delightful feel THAT is!!!
Top #1 is a long sleeve red t-shirt with three cute Scottish Terriers appliqued across the front. Top #2 was just a really pretty lace-trimmed t-shirt in a gorgeous dark celery green. Top #3 was a cream-colored v-neck shirt with giraffe across the bottom (will look great with either pair of brown pants!) Top #4 was a bright orange-brown-gold-olive print v-neck top with some beading and sequin accents in an almost African-inspired design. It should look GREAT with brown pants on Thanksgiving! (And spots will never show ... LOL!) For those of you wondering, I have fair skin with freckles and reddish-auburn hair .... so these colors should all work great with my skin tone and hair color!
Anyway ... I miss my husband (but I sure will look cute when he gets home, huh?)
=^..^= MOLLY
OK, I admit it -- I am getting pretty adventurous with my eating these days. Anyway, I'd be reading up on how tasty and lean ostrich meat can be, and then I discovered that my local Whole Foods grocery store carries all-natural, free-range Ostrich burger patties (just 100 calories each)! So, I invested in a pair of them and plan to sizzle 'em up for dinner tonight. Because I want to ensure that I get enough veggies in, I am actually just going to make one DOUBLE ostrich burger -- which is why I posted a picture of TWO cute little ostriches!
Ostrich meat is exquisite. It is dark red in color with a mild and flavorful taste and texture similar to beef tenderloin but without the fatty residue. While ostrich meat is described as a red meat, and is said to have all of the texture and taste of beef, it has 40% less fat. Like red meat, it is rich in protein and iron, yet is lower in fat, calories, and cholesterol than either skinless chicken or turkey, which are traditonally presented as viable alternatives to red meat.
Anyway, the plan is to grill up the ostrich burger patties with some fresh, minced garlic, some onion powder, and a pile of fresh, sliced mushrooms.... before serving them on a toasted Thomas' light multigrain english muffin. I am pairing it up with a small cucumber-tomato-radish salad as well as some zucchini! YUM!
Two ostrich burger patties (200 calories)
Thomas' Light multigrain english muffin (100 calories)
8 ounces fresh, sliced mushrooms, sauteed (50 calories)
zucchini in tomato sauce (105 calories)
one medium cucumber, peeled/diced (24 calories)
one small tomato, diced (16 calories)
one cup of sliced radishes (19 calories)
Walden Farm's Zero-calorie Balsamic Vinaigrette (0 calories)
TOTAL CALORIES: 515
TOTAL FIBER: 19 GRAMS
TOTAL PROTEIN: 40 GRAMS
TOTAL CARBS: 66 GRAMS
TOTAL FAT: 11 GRAMS
TOTAL VEGGIES: 8 SERVINGS
Molly, I tried the Thomas' light multigrain EMs...they're delicious. I use Smart Beat light margarine. One toasted EM + 1 Tbsp light marg is 2 Weight Watchers points and delicious with a cup of tea. Next, I'm going to try grilling the EM under the broiler with some low fat cheddar. Thanks for the tip about the EMs.
Jane
I agree it's probably a better way to go and forget the IRS thing, sounds like some horrible facts, especially the 1am in an unsafe part of town bit.
I am really impressed with your going for the only weigh in at xmas and I agree with what other posters have said, you'll be flabbergasted and über happy when you get on that pesky scale at xmas. It'll be the best xmas present ever.
And because I find it such a fantastic idea to do that.
I will join you on the xmas weigh in path.
I'm going to do one more weigh in on November 7 when my 1.5 week clean eating challenge (see the Motivation forum) is over and after that I won't weigh in until December 19. I know that's not xmas but that's my big goal for this year cuz I'm flying out that day to go home to Europe.
And I don't want to deal with the scales being different over there.
Anyone else up for a xmas only weigh in to support Molly and for the experience of having a huge weight drop by then?
Original Post by stayonpiste:Molly, I tried the Thomas' light multigrain EMs...they're delicious. I use Smart Beat light margarine. One toasted EM + 1 Tbsp light marg is 2 Weight Watchers points and delicious with a cup of tea. Next, I'm going to try grilling the EM under the broiler with some low fat cheddar. Thanks for the tip about the EMs.
Jane
YAY! You know, if you use a tablespoon of salsa (or pasta sauce), low fat (or fat free) cheese, and a few slices of low fat turkey pepperoni ... you can make GREAT little pizzas on those muffies! YUMMMMMMM!
=^..^= MOLLY
Original Post by sabineyvr:
Hi Molly,
I agree it's probably a better way to go and forget the IRS thing, sounds like some horrible facts, especially the 1am in an unsafe part of town bit.
I am really impressed with your going for the only weigh in at xmas and I agree with what other posters have said, you'll be flabbergasted and über happy when you get on that pesky scale at xmas. It'll be the best xmas present ever.
And because I find it such a fantastic idea to do that.
I will join you on the xmas weigh in path.
I'm going to do one more weigh in on November 7 when my 1.5 week clean eating challenge (see the Motivation forum) is over and after that I won't weigh in until December 19. I know that's not xmas but that's my big goal for this year cuz I'm flying out that day to go home to Europe.
And I don't want to deal with the scales being different over there.
Anyone else up for a xmas only weigh in to support Molly and for the experience of having a huge weight drop by then?
Woo hoo!!! I won't be doing this alone! The really cool thing is, it will really shift our focus off the scale and onto US. I just keep telling myself....
I am in control of what I eat.
I am in control of when I eat.
I am in control of how much water I drink.
I am in control of how much fiber I get.
I am in control of how active I am.
I am in control of how much exercise I get.
I cannot control the scale ... only my response to it.
I am not afraid of the scale.
I am not afraid of waiting for results.
I WILL eat better.
I WILL exercise.
I WILL be healthier.
And I WILL lose weight!
=^..^= MOLLY
Original Post by chris1208:
I have a legimate rant today...not a diet rant...but what the heck: Why do dogs and kids conspire to make me look like a fool? This morning my "kid" 22 year old left the gate to the yard open to the alley behind our house. Our dogs were outside and our rat terrier went on an adventure. We discovered it about a half an hour later so I went running down the alley in my big fuzzy pink robe, slippers and bed head calling "Skippy! Skippy!" We live right in the middle of a town of about 4 thousand people so I know I entertained some folks on their way to work. I went about four blocks before deciding to go home (get dressed) and look on my bike. When I got back, my son was already there and the dog was safely back in the yard looking very happy with himself. Phew! My fuzzball Shetland Sheepdog never moved off of his comfy rug on the back porch through all the excitement. I like that dog!
I cannot tell you how many times (and in which various states of undress) I've chased one stubborn female orange tabby named Emily (who goes gleefully bounding across the lawn with happy BOING! BOING! BOINGS!) or Corey, our cute little feisty, escape-artist corgi mix.
Who needs treadmills when you have pets?
=^..^= MOLLY
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