Fair Fail

Oh, Florida State Fair. I haven’t visited you since I was a kid and now I remember why. Your delicious, savory and deep fried treats have ruined my entire week! I’ve decided that I must confess my food sins and let you all see exactly what I ate that fateful day. Don’t get me wrong…this was no accident. My every intention was to eat whatever I wanted, regardless of the consequences. And the consequences were ABUNDANT.

Fair food day:
Carrots and hummus (1 tbl) – 150
I started out by eating a light breakfast because I knew that I was going to eat terribly.

Donut burger (bacon, cheese, lettuce, pickles, bbq sauce) – 1,500
Delicious, but SO NOT WORTH an entire days worth of calories.

Slushie – blue raspberry / pina colada – 600
I only got these because they were cheaper than water. I also snuck in 2 bottles of water (I’m a terrible person, I know.)

Tea- sweet – 20 oz. – 40
Same reason as above – a 20 oz. cup was only $.75 and the calorie count wasn’t too bad on it either!

Fried Oreos – 5 pieces – 400
These were not as good as I expected them to be, and for that, I am glad. Next year I can skip this and not feel like I’m missing out.

Cheese pizza – 1 slice – 300
Pretty good pizza…not bad for fair food.

Red velvet funnel cake with cream cheese icing – ½ - 350
ZOMGTHISWASSOGOODITHOUGHTIDIEDANDWENTTOHEAVEN!!!!!!!!

The above statement pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject.

Gyro – 560
Had this when I got home…could have skipped it altogether as I wasn’t hungry but of course I didn’t.

Lemon pudding – 100
They gave out free ‘samples’ of these 100 calorie puddings as I was leaving. They asked if they could put some in my back pack to take home, as it was the last day of the fair and they couldn’t leave until all the packs were given out. I said sure. I ended up with forty…FORTY(!) free lemon meringue puddings. Guess who’s been having lemon meringue pudding every day since the fair. That’s right. Me.

Total calories consumed during this gutbuster of a day: 4,000. And that, ladies and gentledudes is how I wrecked my field trip to the fair.


It's been way too long since I've posted...flog me if you must (and you must!)

Thinspiration

One of my coworkers mentioned a growing trend in the online world. It’s called ‘thinspiration.’ Since Kristen and I are researching for weight loss trends and tips, I decided to look into it. I was a bit shocked at what I found there. Sure, some of the pictures were of nicely proportioned physiques and inspirational quotes, but most of the rhetoric involved a pro-Ana (anorexia) agenda. There were also pictures of sickly looking girls, rib cages protruding, looking like concentration camp survivors. This is their idea of beautiful. And people wonder why insecure teens grow up to be neurotic adults. They’re not taught that being healthy is beautiful. They’re being taught that being thin is beautiful. I’ve been exposed to the ‘model beauty’ propaganda. I just didn’t buy into it. I decided that I’d rather be fat then have to starve myself to be ‘pretty.’ Now that I’m older, I understand the difference between being thin and being healthy. I could care less about conventional beauty. I just want to be healthy.

This is NOT healthy!

Part of being healthy is learning how to lose weight responsibly. I found this neat little tool online at www.fitbie.msn.com. You plug in your height, weight, age, gender and activity level and it tells you how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight and how many calories to cut from your diet to lose weight sensibly. They suggest that you should cut 500 calories every day to lose weight. 200 of those calories should come from your food and 300 of those calories should come through exercise. The website also warns that no diet plan should go under 1200 calories per day.



Cindy-
2/3/11 – 233 lbs
2/10/11 – Pounds lost – 1 lb
Current weight – 232 lbs
Total pounds lost – 16 lbs

Kristen-
2/3/11 – 298 lbs
2/10/11 – Pounds lost – .5 lb
Current weight – 297.5 lbs
Total pounds lost – 12.5 lbs



Recipe of the week:
Weight Watcher’s cauliflower with tomato curry sauce

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion(s), finely chopped
2 tsp ginger root, fresh, peeled and minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 cup(s) canned tomato puree
1 1/2 cup(s) water
1 pound(s) cauliflower, florets, cut into bite-size pieces and steamed
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped


Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, 4–5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cumin; cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato puree and water. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Place the cauliflower in a serving bowl, top with the sauce, and sprinkle with the parsley. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

The fat just walks away...

There is a sci-fi show that I watch called Doctor Who. One of the episodes is about these little alien creatures, aptly named “Adipose” (the scientific name for fat) that come into existence by feeding off of people’s fat. The people take this ‘weight loss’ pill and during the night, the aliens pop up out of their skin and leave to go back to their space ship. The slogan for these ‘weight loss’ pills is “the fat just walks away!” Ever since I saw that episode, I wished there was a way that the fat could just walk away from my body. But it doesn’t. So the next best alternative is to find some exercise to help you lose weight that doesn’t make you bored to tears.

Enter Zumba. The Spanish dance craze that’s been ruling the exercise world for the past few years. I was reluctant to try it at first because I have about as much rhythm as a dead horse. But Kristen dragged me in the room, kicking and screaming anyway, and we began shaking our butts off (literally). I was surprised at how much I liked it. The music has great energy and the moves, while not always easy to follow, were somewhat repetitive so I picked them up by the third try. The teacher has a motto: “There is no wrong and there is no right. As long as you’re moving and having fun, you are doing Zumba!” I’ve been three times already and it’s been a fun experience every time. That’s not to say that it’s not hard work. I’m so grateful for the 30 seconds or so in between each song change to catch my breath, drink some water and wipe the sweat from my face. I’m not usually into the group exercise scene, but it was great to have a break from the monotony of the treadmills and elliptical machines. I know that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea (it sure didn’t seem like mine at first), but if you have access to these types of classes, please try them at least once. You just might surprise yourself.

Cindy-
1/27/11 – 332 lbs
2/3/11 – Pounds gained – 1 lb
Current weight – 333 lbs
Total pounds lost – 15 lbs lost

Kristen-
1/27/11 – 299.5 lbs
2/3/11 – Pounds lost – 1.5 lbs
Current weight – 298 lbs
Total pounds lost – 12 lbs



(Weight Watchers inspired) Chicken Pita Pizza’s

We took this recipe from the Weight Watcher’s cookbook, but we’ve tweaked the recipe to suit our tastes.

Ingredients:
4 oz. cooked chicken breast chopped or shredded – 110 cals.
garlic powder, oregano, and basil (to taste)
2 medium whole wheat pitas – 300 cals.
1/4 cup low sodium tomato sauce – 20 cals.
¼ cup 2% shredded cheese (Italian blend is preferred) - 60 cals.
1/2 oz. finely chopped (or julienned) sundried tomatoes – 40 cals.
veggies and fruits of your choice (just add in the extra calories) - we've used onions, avocado, Roma tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, arugula, etc.
Servings: 2
Calories per serving: 265


- Spray a pan with nonstick spray and cook the chicken until done. If the chicken starts to burn in the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water. This cuts down on the calories that using oil would add.
- Spoon low sodium tomato sauce onto the pitas
- Add sundried tomatoes and veggies of your choice
- Top with cheese

Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes (until cheese is melted)

Good luck and small victories

Good Luck.

That’s what my roommate Kristen said to me as she walked out the door with what seemed like the last healthy food in our house. How was I supposed to navigate through the whole day at work while trying to avoid the pitfalls of the snack machine?! Normally, I’d say “forget it” and go on a fast food and snack rampage. Not today, I told myself. Not today. So I rooted around my fridge and pantry, trying to find something to throw together last minute (and not break the calorie bank). I found canned chicken, craisins, Greek yogurt, onions and celery. I thought, “Hey! I can make a chicken salad out of this!” So I found the last 2 pieces of whole wheat bread and toasted it. I mixed the ingredients together, spread it on the toast and put a little vinegar on it for a bolder flavor. I also threw on a piece of Swiss cheese. It was DELICIOUS! It was definitely a small victory for me. I made a conscious decision to look for healthy alternatives before giving up and ruining my calorie count for the day. And when you have as much weight to lose as Kristen and I do, you really look at those small victories as motivation to keep going. Those bigger goals seem so distant and impossible. Once you stop looking at the larger goals and focus on the smaller ones, you’ll find that even the larger goals become easier to attain.

Now, onto the weigh-ins:

Cindy:
1/20/11 – 337lbs
1/27/11 - Pounds lost: 5
Current weight: 332 lbs
Total pounds lost: 16

Kristen:
1/20/11- 301.5lbs
1/27/11 – Pounds lost: 2
Current weight: 299.5lbs (UNDER 300lbs – Goal one accomplished!!!!!!!)
Total pounds lost: 10.5



Recipe of the week:
Cindy’s chicken salad sandwich
2 slices whole wheat bread - toasted – 140 cals
2 oz. canned chicken breast, drained – 70 cals
1/8 cup Craisins – 35 cals
2 tbl. onions – 8 cals
2 tbl. celery – 2 cals
2 tbl. Greek yogurt – 42 cals
1 tbl. red wine vinegar – 3 cals (optional)
1 slice 2% Swiss cheese – 60 cals
Total cals - 360

Toast the bread. Mix the chicken, Craisins, onions, celery, yogurt, and vinegar together in a bowl. Spread the mixture on a slice of toast and top it with the cheese and the other slice of toast.

Tip: I used Cabot Greek yogurt for this which is a little higher in calories than the Chobani yogurt that we usually use, but the Cabot has a more tangy flavor that I thought complimented the sandwich better. You can switch out or tweak any of the ingredients listed. I added the calorie counts on each individual food item so you can adjust it to your taste and not wonder how many calories you’re eating.

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our blog! You might be wondering why we named this blog “(Almost Formerly) Fat Girls.” Or maybe why we decided to air all of our ups and downs through the medium of the internet. Or maybe you’re just wondering what to make for dinner tomorrow night. Well, my roommate (Kristen – on the right) and I (Cindy – on the left) have been overweight and unhealthy for most of our lives. We haven’t found any diet or pump-you-up workout video, or magic pill that makes it easy to stay in shape. That’s because it’s NOT. It takes hard work, dedication and I believe that (most of all) it takes an airtight support system to help keep you going. Especially when you’re staring down a piece of cake, wondering who has greater willpower!



Every week we’ll be listing our current weight, how much we’ve lost (or gained) that week and how much we’ve lost total. There will be progress pictures posted at major milestones (20 pounds lost, 50 pounds lost and so forth). We’ll also feature a shopping and/or food tip that we’ve implemented in our lives. Some of these tips you may have heard before but some readers might be first time dieters who’ve never given much thought to how they shop or how they prepare their food (like we were). Since we’ve already been at this for a few weeks, I’ll post our progress to date:


Cindy:
1/6/11 – 348 lbs (Starting weight)
1/13/11 – 340.5 lbs (lost 7.5 lbs)
1/20/11 – 337 lbs (lost 3.5 lbs – lost 11 lbs total)


Kristen:
1/6/11 – 310 lbs (starting weight)
1/13/11 - 306.5 lbs (lost 3.5 lbs
1/20/11 - 301.5 lbs (lost 4.75 lbs – lost 8.5 lbs total)

Our first trip to the produce stand and Mazzaro's Italian Market
(which we'll talk about in a later post)

The grocery store is a convenient place to shop for produce, but I must confess myself a little disappointed in the 'freshness' of some of the fruits and vegetable I found there. Try to shop at local markets for your fruits and vegetables instead of the grocery store. We’ve got a fresh produce market right around the corner from our house and the quality of their produce is leaps and bounds above the grocery store (and most of the time it’s cheaper, too!). You’re helping to stimulate the local economy and getting tasty food. It’s a win-win situation! Last week I bought the most delicious strawberries, which are just coming in season. With them, I made the most decadent dessert of strawberries and crème that I’ve ever tasted. It was so easy, too! Here’s the recipe:


Strawberries and Crème

1 cup strawberries, halved – 49 calories

1 six oz. tub of Chobani Greek yogurt – 110 calories

1 tbsp. brown sugar – 50 calories

Total calories: 209

Mix the brown sugar in with the yogurt. You can either dip the strawberries in the yogurt or pour the yogurt over the strawberries.