Weight loss:
As I reported last time, I got down to 159 lbs but I'm once again stuck there. It really gets frustrating at the end like this. When I first started in April 2011 the weight came off fairly quickly and it was exciting to get on the scale each week and see how much I lost. But after a few months things started slowing way down and I always get stuck on plateaus that are hard to break. I was about 135 - 140lbs when I got married over 23 years ago, so I don't think 150 lbs is an unreasonable goal for my age (51). The last bit of weight seems to be in my belly area, which is kind of funny since this diet is called the "Belly Fat Cure". It seems like that is the last place for me to lose. I've been a bit strict with myself the last few weeks and after an initial 3 lb loss which I was excited about...,I got stuck again. I've been craving some kind of baked goods so I might go ahead and make a few lemon coconut muffins or something like that and add those back in. I have added walking into my schedule - finally! We have a farm right behind our house and I've started walking the dogs back there along the perimeter in the evenings after dinner. It's only been a week but I haven't noticed it helping in the weight loss department, but it is surely helping to tire out my dogs and that's a good thing especially with the puppy. Here are a few pics taken with my phone.
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| Farm behind our house - soybeans growing |
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| Coming back from walk - Hot air balloons always launch from our neighbors yard |
So I tried Patties idea of grilling Romaine lettuce and chicken tenders and then making a dressing of olive oil, balsamic dressing and I added a little truvia to it as well. It really was delicious!! The lettuce didn't wilt as much as you'd think and that bit of charred taste was really good.
I also finally tried the chia seed pudding. I have to admit I'm not a fan of this one. I think it was mainly the texture of the chia seeds after they plumped up. I guess it was a little like tapioca, which I've never liked. Think I might just put the chia seeds in my shake and see how that turns out.
I found a recipe online for Chipotle's salad dressing and gave it a try. I just subsituted some stevia for the honey it called for. I ate it right after I made it and it was good, but it's even better if you let the dressing chill for awhile in the fridge (which is what I did with the leftovers). I also marinated some Chicken tenders in a little frajita marinade and then grilled it, cut it up and made myself a homemade Chipotle salad. yum! Here is the dressing recipe I found in case you want to give it a try:
Chipotle Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey ( I substituted a bit of stevia - til it tasted right)
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 1/4 chipotle powder (I didn't have this but I had chipotle mustard and used that instead of the dijon and left this out)
1 tsp. lime juice
3/4/ tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
(the recipe didn't call for it but I added a little bit of cayenne pepper to give it that kick Chipotle's has - probably because I didn't have the chipotle powder)
Combine all ingredients on low speed in blender. Best if chilled for about an hour!
Everything else:
My husband and I are getting out of town tomorrow for a little trip to Lancaster, PA. We are meeting my parents on Thursday in Hershey, PA. I got them and us tickets to see the touring "Mamma Mia" at Hershey Theater. I love to go see plays when I can, and I've always wanted to see this one. We are going up a day early to do a little shopping. The boys are on their own for two nights and also have dog duty. Even though they are older now it still seems weird leaving them home alone while we go off on our own. We never did that when they were young 'cause we had no one to watch them, and so we didn't do many get-aways unless they were all with us. Kind of looking forward to the next couple days. Love shopping in Amish country and getting together with my parents will be fun (I think).
Just finished a great book called "Maine" by J. Courtney Sullivan. It's about three generations of women and a cottage they go to in Maine. I thought it was a great read. A part of me has always wanted to live in Maine, and then I remember the winters -lol!
Next week is 4th of July and I always have the family over to my house for a picnic. Still waiting to hear who is coming this year. When we get back on Friday I'll have to start planning for that. Saturday my husband is taking my youngest son to see an "Iron Maiden" concert in Virginia. Yeah, I passed on that one.
Hope you all have a great week!
