Check In May 2

I haven't been very consistent on blogging about my progress (or lack thereof). April was a busy month of travel and birthdays which made it difficult to lose weight. I have stayed relatively steady even though it is higher than I would hope. I hope to get back on track and stay on track losing weight through the month of May and beyond.

My exercise plan has changed a bit. I have added a lindy hop class to my normal two nights of social dancing. My goal for the summer is to start biking to and from work. To get into biking shape, I have started make use of the stationary bike. My work is about 6 miles from my house, so roughly 30 minutes. My short-term goal is to get up to 10 miles in 40 minutes on the stationary bike. I'm biking everyday and am currently up to 3.3 miles in 15 minutes.

I did get to try out Barre3 workout during April. I really enjoyed the combination of movements and I will look forward to take more classes there in the future.

Dinner Plan for May 2-8

May 2 - Out

May 3 - Grilled Chicken and Peppers

May 4 - Steak and Mushroom Stroganoff with Broccoli

May 5 - Thai Chicken, Peppers, and Salad with Peanut-Curry Sauce

May 6 - Chicken Capri, Brussel Sprouts

May 7 - Slow Cooked Short Ribs, Asparagus with Cheese Sauce

May 8 - Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops with Peppers

Statistics:

Last Weigh-in: 218.6
Current Weight: 213.6

Starting Weight: 207.4
Highest Point: 218.6

Lowest Point: 206.4

Check In: March 14th - Getting Back on the Horse

After a month and a half hiatus due to being sick, family birthday cake, Portland Lindy Exchange, and general lack of diet enthusiasm, I am ready to get back on track. I'm ready to go back to the strict phase of the diet and try out a new exercise plan to go with my scheduled twice a week swing dancing.

This week, I'm going to try out a new workout class, Barre3. Barre3 combines the barre-work of ballet, yoga and pilates. My plan is to attend classes three times a week on the days that I don't go dancing with rest days on Saturdays and Mondays.

Statistics:

Starting Weight: 207.4

Last Weigh-in: 206.4

Current Weight: 208.6

Highest Point: 212.2

Lowest Point: 206.4

Weekly Check In Jan 24

This week, I stuck to the diet well and the results show it. I've lost the weight from the Holidays and made up for some less healthy eating decisions. I'm super tired of salad but I'm finding lots of different ways to prepare it which helps.

This week's best meals were Italian Meatloaf and a spicy stir-fry.

Statistics:

Starting Weight: 207.4

Last Week: 210.2

Current Weight: 206.4

Highest Point: 212.2

Lowest Point: 206.4

Recipe: Creamy Italian Chicken

Crockpot meals are my favorite way to cook healthy. 10-15 minutes of preparation in the morning allows dinner to be done when you get home. This particular recipe makes something similar to a chicken stroganoff.

Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken pieces, skin removed
1/2 Bottle Italian Dressing
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves minced Garlic
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
8 oz lf cream cheese
4 ounces ff plain yogurt, drained
8 oz fresh mushrooms, optional

Directions:
Place chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with Italian dressing, onions and garlic. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove ½ cup of liquid from crockpot. Add soup, cream cheese and yogurt to liquid. Stir until smooth. Add mixture back to crockpot and cook 1 more hour.

Easy Vegetable Recipe: Brussel Sprouts

Finding good ways to cook vegetables for side dishes is always a challenge. One of my personal favorite recipes is for Brussel Sprouts.

Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP Butter
• 2 tsp Minced Garlic
• Brussel Sprouts

Directions:

Heat the oil and butter in a medium skillet on med-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the garlic and simmer for a few minutes.

Slice the brussel sprouts in half and place sliced side down in the skillet. Simmer for 4 minutes, stir and simmer for another 4 minutes until the brussel sprouts are browned. Remove the brussel sprouts and serve.

Weekly Check In Jan 17

Despite my best intentions, this was not a great week for dieting. I think I mostly did very well at cheating on the diet with french fries, ice cream, cookies, and brownies. Despite the many temptations of sweets, I've gotten some more healthy habits going as well. I've made the transition into carbohydrate-free breakfasts which is often the most difficult meal for me to find time to cook. I've made breakfast simpler by keeping a bag of chopped vegetables in the fridge to be sautéed and scrambled into eggs with cheese.

This week I also was able to try a few new recipes: Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Beef, Mole-Style Pulled Pork and Slow Cooker Jambalaya.

This is the start of a new week and a chance to do better on the diet. I'm not going to let myself get discouraged!

Statistics:

Starting Weight: 207.4

Current Weight: 210.2

Highest Point: 212.2

Lowest Point: 207.0

Weekly Check In Jan 10

Well, the diet is going well! I've lost all of the Holiday weight now and am ready to start losing consistently. Unfortunately, that might be a bit difficult since I'm already very tired of salad. Gyros Salad, Taco Salad, Caesar Salad, Chicken Salad ... Salad, Salad, Salad. That said, I still haven't have the same salad twice yet. Losing weight would be so much easier if I actually liked salad.

Assuming I can keep from eating anything too far off the diet, this week should be a good week for losing weight because I'll be getting a great deal of exercise in. I'll be going dancing everyday from Thursday to Sunday.

Statistics:

Starting Weight: 207.4

Current Weight: 207.4

Highest Point: 212.2

Lowest Point: 207.0