Time Away...Mon 7-30-07 to Sat 8-4-07

I'll be away from my computer this week, but will keep a written journal of my eating/exercise and post an update on Sunday, Aug 5, 2007. Be good while I'm away, okay? :)

173 lbs-Monday Weigh-In 7-30-07

Well, I was hoping to have lost at least 2 lbs, but it seems I am the same weight. 173 lbs. At least it's not more than last week. I did so much exercise last week (5 days!) that I figured that would have helped. Plus I think I did well on my eating. Maybe it was the birthday cake and the cupcakes. :) I do have a lot more energy since I've been working out so that is a good thing.

I will continue to plug away.

Sunday Food Log 7-29-07

6:30 am...sm bowl Kashi "Nuggets" and green tea with honey

11:45 am...Ham Sandwich Bento Lunch (photo)

4 pm...medium size banana cupcake (not the tiny ones and not as big as my bigger silicon cups that I have pictured, I have some silicon cups that are a size in between) with coffee mug of milk

7:30 pm...no photo of my dinner tonight. Since everything came out of the dinner at different times, we had to sit down and start eating before everything was ready or else the main dish would have been cold: tri-colored pasta with chicken and cheese (which I made Saturday and saved in a big bowl) baked in a pyrex dish with buttered bread crumbs over the top; broccoli soufle (something new I wanted to try); french bread (I didn't have any); salad (romaine, grape tomatoes, chopped organic baby carrots); and lemonade. I had a bit of everything in my bento box except not the bread. Afterward I had one medium size banana cupcake.

8:30 pm...decaf tea with Splenda and splash of milk

drank more water than usual
no exercise to speak of today

Ham Sandwich Bento Lunch 7-29-07

Not a particularly cute bento lunch today, but a very yummy one! One ham sandwich with the crusts removed and cut in half: whole wheat lightly spread with mustard and organic ranch dressing with 1 slice of ham folded in each half and some lettuce. Tasted really, really great! Plus a "sweet and sour" fruit combo of fresh grapefruit sections (that I carefully cut out of the grapefruit) and fresh cherries. My tastebuds and tummy were quite happy after this lunch!

Saturday Food Log 7-28-07

6:30 am...piece of whole wheat toast with chunky almond butter

11:30 am...pasta and egg fish bento lunch (photo)

2:30 pm..."dragon fruit" vitamin water

4 pm...mini banana cupcake (photo)

7 pm...dinner at a birthday party: small piece of bbq chicken breast, small scoop of macaroni salad, 1/2 corn on the cob with margarine and salt, mixed baby greens salad with candied pecans, cranberry raisins, apples, and dressing. One regular size chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Ate most of it.

drank some water but not a lot
no exercise to speak of today

Cucakes! 7-28-07

I think cupcakes are so cute! I have always had a hard time eating them, though, because they are so sweet (well, as an adult I mean, I'm sure I was fine with them as a child!) Lately I've been wanting a cupcake. I saw this recipe for banana cake that called for the addition of a large ripe banana to a regular yellow cake mix and I thought it sounded simple! Then I turned and saw the one last banana leftover on the counter that no one would eat because it was too ripe and I knew I had to try this recipe for sure! Plus, it included a homemade frosting recipe that sounded like fun, too. So here is the regular size cup cake (above) and I also made some tiny ones (below) that would be perfect for a bento box and not as much sweetness at once as a regular size cupcake...
With the Light Weigh, there are no foods that are off limits. You can eat anything you want, but you eat only a certain amount. This makes it very realistic and you never get that deprivation thing going. As a matter of fact, when you feel your stomach growl you are to ask yourself, "What do I really want to eat right now?" This mentality makes the Light Weigh eating style very doable. :)

BTW, I love these silicone baking cups!

Pasta and Egg Fish Bento Lunch 7-28-07

Very filling lunch today! Tri-colored pasta with chicken (Schwan's frozen "chicken for fajitas" chopped smaller) and Schwan's mixed veggies tossed when warm with shredded cheddar. Quite yummy! A bit of lettuce with some chopped organic baby carrots and a hard boiled egg molded in the shape of a fishy. I've been wanting to try making a molded egg and finally found an egg mold! I colored it with a new paintbrush and some natural food dye from the local gourmet cooking shop. I felt like eating something sweet, so I also had some cute little Chinese cookies--chocolate koalas filled with white chocolate cream. I also drank 6 oz 1% milk with this lunch.

Friday Food Log 7-27-07

7 am...6 oz cranberry juice and bowl of Kashi "Nuggets" cereal with 1% milk

12:15 pm...Egg Salad Love Bento Lunch (photo)

3:30 pm...1 sm piece of chocolate (mocha) birthday cake and 8 oz 1% milk

6:30 pm...6 oz cranberry juice

7:30 pm...Spaghetti and Meatballs Bento Dinner (photo) followed by green tea

drank moderate amount of water today
exercise: fairly high impact aerobics and free weights plus ab crunches (1 hr)

Spaghetti and Meatballs Bento Dinner 7-27-07

The spaghetti was brown rice pasta and I don't intend to buy this type of pasta again. It cooks up really poorly (sticks together in a clump in spots) and tastes just as bad. BUT it was all I had in the house, so I cooked it up. Meatballs are turkey ones from frozen (Trader Joes) and I cooked them a bit too long. I think next time I'll make my own. They really aren't that difficult. :) The sauce is Prego. :) French bread from Schwan's (comes frozen). Okay, this bread is really great. The whole family loves this bread. It has a good, fresh taste. Simple salad of romaine lettuce and cut up organic baby carrots. I put a raspberry vinegrette on the salad and didn't really care for that. Cheese on the meatballs is that sprinkle parmesean that most serious cooks frown upon, but my family loves it. :) Oh well, so dinner wasn't that tasty tonight, but at least we all sat down to dinner, right (minus the oldest who was on a date)?

Bentos size-tested

I tested these when I got them with water, but it's hard to see that in the photos, so here I'm showing you how much these bento boxes hold using Kashi "Nuggets" cereal (like Grape Nuts). With the Light Weigh you eat portions that are the size of your clenched fist (that's the total portion for a meal). It is also the amount that would fit in a regular size mug like the one below. Since I don't want to eat my meal out of a mug, I am finding that using the bento boxes is not only fun to do, but it gives me a good visual and keeps me from eating a larger amount like I do when I use a plate.

New blue bento box... how much does it hold?

Here we go. If I put food in this blue bento box with no spaces in between the items, this is how much I should fill it. Since the food I put in isn't this dense, I can make it go higher. It looks to me that this bento box gives me the perfect portion size for my meal according to Light Weigh eating recommendations.

Here is my orange bento box.

Here is the green. The green is only one tier, but also the perfect size. :)

Egg Salad Love Bento Lunch 7-27-07

Little sandwiches made with whole wheat bread cut with heart shaped cookie cutter and filled with egg salad and lettuce. There is one egg in this lunch. I squished it and mixed in a bit of organic ranch dressing and salt and pepper. There was leftover egg salad, so in the lower tier I put a smaller heart of bread and topped it with the rest of the egg salad and decorated it with a little heart cut (free hand) from red bell pepper. The salad is cucumber hearts, grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce cut small, spicy walnuts and pecans, and crumbled bleu cheese. Not shown: balsamic dressing. The egg salad sandwiches were really yummy!!!

Thursday Food Log 7-26-07

6:30 am... small bowl of Kashi with 1% milk (didn't finish it) and 6 oz white grape juice

12:30 pm... crab cakes and aparagus bento lunch (photo)

3:30 pm... "Quickly" Passion Fruit Milk Tea Tapioca Drink (size large) and a bite of son's fried ice cream ball (squished all over my shirt and pants)

7:30 pm... Chicken Crepe Bento Dinner (photo)

drank plenty of water today (more than past few days)
exercise: 90 min workout today (X-Bike, weight machines, stretching)

Chicken Crepe Bento Dinner 7-26-07

Top Tier: Chicken Crepe (bought the crepes at Whole Foods) filled with cut up chicken (cooked up "chicken for fajitas" from Schwan's) with cream of chicken soup, then put a bit of swiss on top of them and some of the sauce from the pan included some chicken that I chopped up smaller), then cooked in the oven till melted. The family liked them! Also some asparagus in the top tier (only ate 1/2 of that).

Bottom Tier: piece of birthday cake from last night, broccoli (didn't eat it) and two chunks of cucumber hollowed out a bit with a melon baller filled with cream cheese and decorated with punched nori hearts (those were yummy).

Crab cakes and asparagus bento lunch 7-26-07

This was a very quick lunch bento that I put together. Two crab cakes (stacked) leftover from dinner the other night and the aioli sauce in the little red triangle container; asparagus; broccoli; carrots; pretty flower pick skewers of swiss cheese and ham. This was a pretty filling lunch.

Wednesday Food Log 7-25-60

6:30 am... small bowl of Puffins cereal with 1% milk and water

10:45 am...birthday breakfast! (photo)...gift from my daughter

1 pm..."Naked" brand Tropical-C juice smoothie drink (15.2 fl oz)

4:45 pm...4 small whole wheat crackers with cheese (cheddar and swiss) and apricot

6:15 pm...1 piece of Godiva chocolate (birthday candy)

8:30 pm...dinner at Fresh Choice (salad bar restaurant) I ate only till full so if I went over the amount I should have eaten it wasn't by much. :)

9:45 pm...piece of birthday cake and small scoop of chocolate chip ice cream (homemade--from scratch-- cake by my daughter!)

drink: some water but not a lot
exercise: step aerobics with free weights, some pilates (1 hr 10 min. total)

Birthday Breakfast-made by daughter!

Scrambled egg omlette with veggies on whole grain toast (with cute broccoli nose and asparagus smile!) and strawberry and banana smoothie.

Tuesday Food Log 7-24-07

6:30 am...9 oz white grape juice, Kashi Nuggets Cereal (like Grape Nuts) with 2 sliced strawberries on top and 1% milk

11 am..."dragon fruit" Vitamin Water

12:30 pm...bento lunch (photo)

6 pm...handful of blueberries and about 6 cherries

8 pm...crab cake bento (photo) followed by decaf tea with Splenda and splash of milk

drank some water but not a lot
Exercise: 75 min workout: X-Bike followed by circuit weight machines and stretching and abs afterward

Crab cakes dinner bento 7-24-07

Crab cakes that I made myself! (fresh crab from Whole Foods, mayo, crushed whole wheat crackers, parsley, a bit of lemon juice, egg) with aioli sauce (Whole Foods); asparagus (good with the sauce), strawberries and apricot, salad of romaine with carrots and Newman's Own Italian Dressing. I only ate two of the crab cakes so that I could have a scoop of corn casserole that I also made for dinner, but it didn't come out of the oven till we were 1/2 way through dinner. :)

Tofu and veggies Bento Lunch 7-24-07

Sesame tofu from Whole Foods deli, carrots, broccoli, brown rice, asparagus, and salad with spicy pecans, raisins, blue cheese, and "field greens" (Whole Foods) with balsamic dressing in the little container. (I also put in a little container of soy sauce after the pic was taken.) I tried to decorate the rice with broccoli trees with bits of red bell pepper to look like some kind of red fruit on the trees. :)

This bento box is a pretty green and has a lid that latches on at the sides. The lid is clear so you can see what's inside even with the lid on. :)

Monday food log 7-22-07

6:30 am...sm bowl cheerios and 1% milk

10:30 am...small bite of apricot while I prepared bento lunch

12:30 pm...tofu feast bento lunch (photo)

3 pm... brownie with 8 oz 1% milk (brownie homemade from scratch by daughter!)

8 pm...dinner at Chevy's "Fresh Mex" Restaurant: 2 watermelon margaritas, chips and salsa, shared a chicken/shrimp fajita dinner with daughter (ate one tortilla filled with chicken and shrimp and other stuff from the platter) and also some bites of chicken and shrimp, beans, rice from the platter without a tortilla. Hard to gauage portions on this meal but I'm sure it was over what I should have had. I did much better than usual, though.

9:30 pm...decaf tea with milk and Splenda

drank some water (not as much as usual)
exercise: tough step aerobics with free weights, 1 hr.

Tofu Feast Bento Box Lunch 7-23-07

This was such a yummy feast for me! I really like tofu, but I don't eat it very often because my family doesn't like it and so I don't make it. But I got this tofu from the deli at Whole Foods, so that works out nice for me. When I opened the lid at work the center of the flower was squished. :) I put the silicon cup with the rice and flower in the microwave for a bit. The tofu tasted great cold. The apricots, blueberries, and strawberry were full of flavor (from Whole Foods). The flower is made from a red bell pepper and my handy little flower cutter with a mozarella cheese center and roasted asparagus for the stem and leaf (Whole foods deli item). The broccoli is also from the Whole Foods Deli. The little cup of brown rice was leftovers from dinner (rice was cooked in chicken broth). I added a little container of soy sauce for the tofu and rice (it's shaped like a green bell pepper and has a tiny yellow screw top).

173 lbs-Monday Weigh-In 7-23-07

Whoopie!!! Today I finally had a breakthrough! I weighed in at 173 lbs. this morning. That's 5 lbs less than last Monday! I remember that this sometimes happens when people eat portions recommended in the Light Weigh. There can be weeks that you loose 2 lbs and there can be weeks that you loose 5. Glad this is a fiver! I can use the boost of encouragement to keep going. I was really hoping and praying that this week's eating efforts would pay off.

The great thing is that I feel good and not hungry or deprived. I do feel like I WANTED to eat more some times but for emotional reasons and not physical ones. The truth is, when I wanted to eat like that, I knew I wasn't hungry and so it was clear that I wanted to eat just because I wanted to eat at those moments. Because of the clear boundry of the bento box, I am not tempted to say "I think I can have a bit more of this or that" because it's very clear how much fits into that cute little box and what is beyond that amount.

It feels like my stomach has shrunk down because I can be very fulfilled in the portions now that I've been eating. I think using the bento box has been not only fun, but also a good visual for me. For example, at dinner last night I was able to really enjoy my food and by the time I got to the last few bites I felt full and I left a couple small bites. On the Light Weigh you are encouraged to leave a bite of food for your Guardian Angel. It's such a sweet concept. The main idea behind it is that you teach yourself "detachment" from food, meaning that you are not so stuck to it that you are hoarding every bite that you can get, but that you are able to remain in control of yourself enough to be able to leave some for someone else. It is really a good practice that has a pretty deep spiritual meaning.

I am enjoying that when I eat out I can think of what I can eat some of and then take home to use in my bento box for future meals! Like when I went to Red Robin, I asked for the dressing on the side so that the salad would last longer. I was able to take the container of dressing home since they brought me a lid for the little container. I thought maybe I'd have to take out the apples later, but they stayed surprisingly fresh (kinda scary, actually, since that is not natural for apples). This is really great, actually, because eating out is one of the things that has been my downfall and contributed to me putting weight back on. I was just thinking that it wasn't a good thing to be spending the money on eating out and then not eating much. But, knowing that I'm going to eat it eventually and not only that, but that it saves me time and money for future meals is a really cool thing. (Not to mention that I'll know that I have some yummy food in those future meals.)

BABYSTEPS forward! Here's to another week!

Asian Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner in Bento Box 7-22-07

This is another dish from our friends at Schwan's. Their "Chicken in Asian Sauce" also has mushrooms and water chestnuts. The sauce was a bit too spicy for my daughter, but I really liked it. I cooked the brown rice in chicken broth. I think that the Wolfgang Puck chicken stock was the best. This was an organic brand but it was still good. In the other tier is romaine lettuce with cheddar and mozarella flowers. (I had some time while waiting for the rice to finish cooking, so I thought I'd have some fun.)

Potsticker Lunch in Bento

These potstickers (pork) taste great and are so simple to whip up! They are frozen from Schwan's. They come 4 in a little pouch that you pop in the microwave for 1 min 15 sec, meanwhile you heat up a skillet with some oil. When they come out of the microwave, you set them in the pan and they crisp up so beautifully in just a couple minutes. I included a little container of soy sauce to squirt on them before eating. In the other tier I have more of my left over salad from Red Robin (that was a HUGE salad) and see that the apples have still not changed color. All tastes great still. They must have put something on those apples (hopefully just lemon juice). Salad is: mixed greens, chicken, apple, and honey mustard dressing.

Sunday Food Log 7-22-07

6 am...sm bowl of cheerios with 1% milk

7 am...decaf Earl Grey tea with Splenda and splash of 1% milk

12 noon...Potsticker Bento Lunch (photo)

12:15... Green Moroccan Mint tea with honey

4 pm...homemade chocolate chip cookie (made by daughter) and 8 oz 1% milk

8 pm...Asian Chicken Dinner in Bento Box (photo) and afterward I drank cup of decaf tea with Slenda and 1% milk

10 pm...herb tea

drank some water today (not as much as usual)
no exercise

spinach and cheese "mini bread bowl" dinner in bento

From Schwan's...you just pop them in the oven from frozen. Daughter made these. I also had some more of my apple roasted chicken salad from lunch at Red Robin's.

Saturday Food Log 7-21-07

6:30 am...flax flakes and raisin cereal, 1% milk

12 noon...lunch at Red Robin (had special raspberry/sprite drink; 3 big onion rings; some of my Apple and Roasted Chicken salad with honey mustard dressing)

1:30 pm...taste of cotton candy, small piece of homemade toffee (something here gave me a bit of a stomach ache)

6:00 pm...spinach and cheese "mini-bread bowl" dinner in bento box

10 pm... piece of chocolate cake (made from scratch by daughter and me--with fudge frosting!)

Garlic Chicken Pasta Dinner in Bento Box

This is made from frozen (comes like a frozen lasagne)...garlic alfredo, twisty pasta, spinach; grape tomatoes (only ate two); mango (shared with son)

Friday Food Log 7-20-07

6:30 am...sm bowl of cheerios with 1% milk

11 am...chicken sesame egg roll bento lunch (only ate the 2 egg rolls)-photo

1 pm... lime green popcicle

1:30 pm... 10 oz red cherry punch

6:30 pm... garlic chicken pasta dinner in bento box (photo)...didn't eat all the mango (shared with son) and ate only two tomatoes

10 pm...piece of chocolate cake (made from scratch by daughter and me)

drink: water
exercise: ran around a bit for our garage sale

Chicken Sesame Egg Roll Bento Lunch 7-20-07

I only ate the egg rolls and saved the salad for later. (Same salad as I've been making...spinach, bacon (from Schwann's...it's the already cooked and frozen kind that makes up quickly in the microwave) and champagne dressing. I didn't take this anywhere but just ate it at home so it didn't have to fit.

Hawaiian Chicken drummettes Bento Dinner 7-19-07

Hawaiian chicken drummettes from Whole Foods deli, salad with spinach, bacon, and egg with champagne dressing.

Mini Turkey Sandwich Bento

Turkey sandwiches with cheddar cheese and mustard and lettuce on pumpernickel cocktail bread. I accidentally made them with two pieces of bread by accident. The bread was jut "okay"... it tasted a bit dry. I didn't eat the extra bread. Spinach, egg, and bacon salad. I forgot to pack salad dressing, but it still tasted really great!

Thursday Food Log 7-19-07

6:30 am...vanilla yogurt with 6 fresh cherries cut up, decaf tea with Splenda and 1% milk

10:15 am...a bit of bacon, one jello jigglers heart (as I prepared my bento lunch)

12:30 am...mini-turkey sandwich bento box lunch (photo) and one fresh apricot (from co-worker's tree)

4:15 pm...Starbucks decaf nonfat latte and 2 mini vanilla scones

7:30 pm...Hawaiian drumette bento dinner (photo) and 8.45 oz carob soymilk (organic Edensoy)

drank some water
exercise: x-bike, weight machines and flys with free weights, some pretty pitiful push-ups, and stretching (75 min total)

Bunny Bento Bag

First Lunch in Bunny Bento Set

This is such a cute set. I was anxious to try it out! :)

Gaspacho Bento Lunch 7-18-07

The Gaspacho is organic, imported from Spain (Whole Foods). I liked it at first, but I really didn't like the metal spoon on the metal insides of the container. Next time I'll have to remember to use a plastic spoon for soup with this set. The little containers have whole grain bread sticks and the other one has nonfat cottage cheese with fresh blueberries and some fresh white peaches. The Gaspacho didn't sit well in my stomach (maybe too spicy) and I was still a bit hungry after this lunch.

Starry Sausage and Rice Bento Dinner 7-18-07

Brown Rice cooked with water and 1 c Wolfgang Puck chicken broth, chicken kielbasa sausage, the stars are American cheese; spinach with bacon in both the little sections. Also had 6 oz. glass white grape juice and 6 oz. cranberry juice.

Wednesday Food Log 7-18-07

6:30 am...bowl of irganic flax plus raisin bran with 1% milk

10:15 am... 3/4 donut shaped white peach, small whole wheat bread stick

11:00 am... 8.45 fl oz box drink of organic soymilk (carob flavor)

12:15 am... Gaspacho Bento Box Lunch (photo) and a small Italian plum (brought in by a co-worker)

3:30 pm... rice cake with hummus; plum

5 pm... 1/2 orange

7:45 pm...Star Bento Dinner (photo) with two 6 oz glasses of juice (cranberry and white grape)

8 pm... decaf tea with milk and Splenda

drank some water
exercise: 1 hr step aerobics, free weights, stretching

"Hi" Teriyaki Chicken Bento Lunch 7-17-07

See how it spells "Hi" with the carrots? :) This is brown rice with carrots, cabbage, and teriyaki chicken and teriyaki sauce from the hot foods section in Whole Foods. I love to get this for lunch. It also comes with beef or tofu or salmon and I've had them all. The portion is really big, though, so I brought it home for me and my daughter to share. I also had some yummy blueberries and spinach from Whole Foods, salad dressing (Balsamic Vinegrette) for the spinach, and a 5.5. fl oz V-8 juice. It was a very filling lunch. I didn't finish the whole rice dish. Sometimes I just finish my food at lunch because I'm sitting and chatting with friends at work, but this time I was good and finished when I felt full. :)

Tuesday food log 7-17-07

6:30 am...yucky blueberry instant oatmeal (didn't finish bowl)

10:15 am...about 1/4 cup of scrambled eggs with ham and onion, 2 pieces bacon, 2 small pieces of potato (from Whole Foods deli area)

1:00 pm..."Hi" teriyaki chicken and brown rice bento box lunch (photo)

3:45...fuji apple (from Whole Foods)

7 pm...2 pieces veggie pizza and a piece of cookies and cream ice cream pie (birthday party)

drank lots of water
exercise: 75 min workout (30 min on X-bike, then weights and ab crunches)

Monday Food Log 7-16-07

7 am - kashi "trail mix" granola bar

11 am - another kashi "trail mix" granola bar

2:30 - Rainforest Cafe pasta bento box lunch (photo)

3:30 - "dragon fruit" vitamin water (20 oz)

7:30 pm - once slice of cheese pizza from Amici's (thin, New York style)

That's it! I wasn't even all that hungry, either. I decided that I wanted to be very minimal and since it was a very busy day, I didn't have much time to think about overeating anyway.

drank some water but not lots and the vitamin water lasted for a lot of the afternoon.
exercise: deep cleaning of half the kitchen was some physical exercise

Rainforest Cafe Bento Box Lunch 7-16-07

Here is what I ate for lunch on Monday. Leftover pasta dish from Rainforest Cafe (penne pasta, very garlicy alfredo sauce, walnut pesto, spinach and red bell pepper-yum!); simple salad of lettuce from the farmer's market and a bit of crumbled blue cheese (and some salad dressing from Trader Joe's that came with a packaged spinach salad that I had left over); and the last of the cantalope with a cute little pic. This is my new bento box. I love the bright, cheery orange color!

177 lbs.-Monday Weigh-In 7-16-07

I've decided that I'll weighing-in on Monday mornings. This morning I did not get very good news on the scale. I started out at 175 lbs. This morning I weigh about 177 lbs. I thought I was doing well with my eating. I'm going to need to step it up a bit, it seems. Oh, well, "Baby steps", right? Onward and upward! :)

Sunday Food Log 7-15-07

8 am- toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese and 20 oz. Diet Sobe drink (mango melon)

11:30 am - veggies and ranch dip (carrots, broccoli, celery, snap peas)

1:00 pm- crab cake with tarter sauce and 2 french fries (on Fisherman's Wharf in SF)

1:30 pm- "Cold Stone" kid size scoop of coconut ice cream with almonds

3:30 pm - dinner at "Rainforest Cafe" in SF: slushy juice drink, 1 coconut shrimp with orange/mango sauce, 1/2 house salad with balsamic dressing, 1/2 penne pasta with garlic alfredo sauce, walnut pesto, red peppers, spinach, and chicken (shared dinner with daughter) and too much of the yummy bread.

8 pm: "vitamin water" (smaller, 12 oz size)

drank lots of water
exercise: long walk in SF

Saturday Food Log 7-14-07

5:30 am- bowl of Kashi "Nuggets" cereal with pitted cherries on top and 1% milk, green tea with honey

7:30 am- (snack on the road) 2 slices cantelope and handful of cherries

8:30 am- 1/2 egg salad (made with ranch dressing) and lettuce sandwich on sourdough whole wheat bread

12:30- 3/4/ of BBQ tri-tip sandwich (French bread)

3 pm - 16 oz Jamba smoothie "Orange A-Peel"

7 pm -other half of egg salad sandwich

7:30 pm- 6 strawberries, 6 grapes, 4 small pita chips with hummus dip, some veggies and ranch dip (broccoli, carrots, celery, snap peas, celery)

drank lots of water
exercise: not much, just walking around the softball park a bit

Chicken Rice Bento Dinner 7-13-07

Made this and snapped it quick as I was putting things on the table tonight. Green beans and lettuce from the Farmer's Market. They were very good. The brown rice was especially tasty because I cooked it in Wolfgang Puck's chicken stock instead of water. Everyone loved it. The chicken was super easy to prepare because it was Schwann's frozen chicken for fajitas and then I added some soy sauce and sesame seeds.

Egg Flower Bento Lunch 7-12-07

I finally tried out my new egg cutter and made this pretty flower in my salad today. :) The carrots and lettuce are organic from the farmer's market. The carrots really don't taste very good at all. The cantelope and cherries are from Whole Foods and taste amazingly wonderful! I made the "veggie burger" mix into little hearts today. I figured this way it would be easier to cook because I'd only have to cook two sides like a patty. I actually liked the veggie balls better because they were crispier. I also had a little container of Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegrette dressing for the salad.

Friday Food Log 7-13-07

No regular breakfast today...had to rush to exercise class, I just snacked on a couple things while I made my bento box lunch. (had a small piece of cantalope, a cherry, and a couple tiny veggie balls)

10:15: small piece of cantalope

12:15: Bento Lunch (photo)

6:15: "Vitamin Water" (didn't finish bottle)

7:15: Dinner in my bento box (photo) and afterward I had decaf tea with Splenda and a bit of milk.

(I'm having a hard time uploading my photos tonight, so I'll try again soon!)

This weekend will be a challenge because we're going to be out of town.

Drank lots of water today!
Exercise: 1-hr class called "Boot Camp"...lots of aerobics and weights! The lunges with weights are the hardest for me. The backs of my legs are having a hard time getting into shape. They keep cramping up when I do a lot of reps of lunges with weights.

Food Log 7-12-07

6:15-Kashi "Nuggets" cereal with 1% milk and fresh raspberries

10:30-some cantelope, raspberries, and a sample "veggie ball"

12:35-Veggie Ball Lunch Bento (photo)

5:45 pm-samples of peaches and nectarines at the Farmer's Market and 1/4 of a peach when I got home (that peach didn't taste as good as the samples at the market. It LOOKED like a peach, smelled like a peach, felt like a peach, but didn't TASTE like a peach (like most of the produce I seem to eat these days with the exception of Whole Foods stuff).

6:30 pm-Turkey Roll Dinner Bento (photo)

8:15 pm-chocolate chip cookie (made by my daughter) and some hot decaf tea with milk and Splenda

Drank lots of water
Exercise: 90 min workout with x-bike, free weights, and weight machines.

Long Turkey Rolls dinner 7-12-07

We had a crazy night with lots of activity so no sit down dinner. I made this quick dinner for myself and short order for what everyone else wanted tonight. These are strawberries from the Farmer's Market trip today. They are okay but not amazing tasting (quite pretty, though). The last of the veggie balls (I'd saved some in the fridge) with the rest of the Thai peanut sauce from lunch. I made the turkey rolls with hummus, lettuce from the Farmer's Market, and some slice turkey from Trader Joes. Instead of cutting "wheels," this time I just cut the roll in half and ate it kind of like a burrito. This dinner was quite yummy.

2-tier Veggie Ball Bento Lunch 7-12-07

I spent more time on this bento box lunch than I have in the past. I made those little "veggie balls" special for this bento. They were pretty simple, though. I took a box of "veggie and grain" burger mix, added hot water, waited 10 min, shaped into balls, cooked in a bit of canola oil. I really loved these. One thing that I also took with me was a little tupperware type container of this really yummiful Thai peanut sauce that I used to dip them in. mmmmMMMM! I got the very pretty flower pics from a recent swap. I went for the second tier today because I really wanted a lot more salad than I've had for the past couple days. This is part of a ready made salad kit that I got from Trader Joe's (spinach, feta, cranberry raisins, candied pecans, and a really great dressing that I put some of into that cute little container. I added a sticker to make me smile. In the little compartments I put some of the filling from last night's burritos and then a combo of cantelope and cherries. Let me tell you, that fruit was AWESOME! I'm totally sold on Whole Foods produce. I went to the Farmer's Market in town tonight and the produce I got there (that I've eaten so far) doesn't taste half as good as WF! The burrito filling (beans, diced tomatoes with green chilis, spices) was a bit too hot for me by itself. It needed some crackers or tortilla to go with it. Oh, and I should say that it was lots of fun eating with the chopsticks, but I wasn't able to eat it all with those. I couldn't get that burrito filling with the chopsticks at all. I had to get a fork from the lunch room at work to finish things off.

Yes, I know, this seems a bigger portion today. Like I said. I really wanted more salad. I figure salad really is fluffy and could be squished down and MIGHT also fit in the correct portion amount (or maybe close). :)

Kashi with Raspberries breakfast

This is all I had for breakfast this morning. I had to get to the fitness center early for class. No time for tea even.

Wednesday Food Log 7-11-07

6:15-Kashi "Nuggets" cereal with 1% milk and 2 sliced strawberries (see photo), decaf tea with milk and Splenda

11:00-a few raspberries and a couple of the extra sandwich rolls that wouldn't fit in my Bento.

12:30-Bento lunch (photo)

3:15-16 oz. Passion fruit milk tea with tapioca pearls

7:30 pm-Bento dinner (photo)

today's beverage: lots of water
exercise: 1 hr of aerobics and free weights

Turkey and Mustard Rolls-First Bento!

My daughter made her first bento box lunch today! Turkey, lettuce, and mustard rolled in a "light oat wrap" with raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and some cranberry/nut mix! She also put her dinner in her bento tonight. :)

Walked Across Burrito-Bento Dinner

Hey! Who walked across my burrito? (footprints stamped from Nori) Burrito: made with handmade tortillas from Whole Foods, black beans (from can), diced tomatoes with green chilis (can), chopped onion, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and some diced American cheese; watermelon (the BEST I've had all season! It's the old-fashioned kind with seeds that I got from Whole Foods); lettuce with Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegrette.

Turkey Rolls-Bento Lunch

Today's lunch! sandwich rolls made with hummus, spicy turkey, and lettuce rolled in "light oat wraps"; Omega Trek Mix (cranberry raisins, almonds, walnuts, pepitas, pecans, pistachios, canola and peanut oil (Trader Joes); and some very flavorful raspberries and blueberries from Whole Foods. I took this to work today.

Kashi Breakfast

This morning I ate a bowl of Kashi "Nuggets" (like Grape Nuts) topped with two strawberries sliced and 1% milk. This is not a cereal bowl but a custard size bowl. I also had some decaf tea with Spenda and a dash of milk. No need for my bento box this morning. :)

Portion Sizes and Light Weigh Eating

From the Light Weigh (spiritual growth and weight loss program) I learned that the perfect portion to eat is an amount that is the size of your clenched fist. This is also about the amount that will fit into a regular size coffee mug. This is the perfect amount to eat for a meal because your stomach (when normal size and not all stretched out from constant overeating) is about the size of your clenched fist.


So I put some Cheerios in my bento box and then put this into the cup (see photo above). I actually had filled the bento above the dividers and it was more than a cup full, so I had to put some back in the box.

Then I poured the cup full of Cheerios back into the bento box so now I can see exactly how much to fill the bento so it will be the same amount as would fit into a coffee mug. This will be very helpful for me when I fill my bento with various foods. The Cheerios fill all the spots, so if I have bigger chunks of things that leave "holes" then I'll be able to pile it a bit higher (like salad, for example).

The two main principles for eating in the Light Weigh are: 1) eat only when hungry (stomach is just starting to growl) and 2) eat only the right amount.

About 5 years ago I lost a bit more than 40 lbs. on the Light Weigh. I started out with a group for support and found the program worked very well for me. But, then as I was on my own and my life changed (job stress and increased eating at restaurants) I stopped following the Light Weigh eating principles and the weight slowly crept back. Now I'm starting over.

One thing that I didn't do before when I lost the weight is exercise. I didn't have the time. Now I've gotten rid of a lot of the job stress and I've joined a fitness center. I've been exercising for about 2 1/2 months now. Of course I'm feeling better and have more energy. I have a long way to go, though. It's been about 10 years since I've seriously exercised regularly. It feels good to be exercising again!

I am thinking that I should start eating with chopsticks, too, because that would cause me to eat more slowly, take smaller bites, and also enjoy my food more.

Happy Sausages-Bento Dinner

What a cute dinner! So, it was quite easy and it really amused my kids. I just took what we were having for dinner and arranged it in my bento box and that's what I ate at the dinner table. My daughter (age 13) likes my idea and said she'd like to try this, too. She likes to eat healthy food. Oh, I did also eat a fantail shrimp and a very small piece of canary melon with this.

Bento dinner contents: white long grain rice sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and soy sauce topped with slices of turkey kielbasa sausage with sesame seed eyes and American cheese smiles. lettuce with Newman's Own balsamic vinegrette dressing and some very yummy cherries (best I've had all summer).

This was a very enjoyable dinner. For whatever reason, I was able to eat slowly and enjoy the food and I was full afterward.

Tuesday food log 7-10-07

7 am: green tea (fair trade) with honey, bowl of Kashi "Nuggets" cereal with 1% milk

11:30: Asian Noodles Salad--Bento Lunch (as pictured)

2 pm: square of chocolate (fair trade, of course!) :)

3:45: brown rice cake spread with hummus, piece of watermelon

6 pm: decaf Earl Grey tea ("ft", you know) with milk and Splenda

7:30 pm: Bento dinner (as pictured) PLUS one fantail shrimp (baked, with cooking spray) and one small piece of "canary melon."

Beverage for the day: water
Exercise: good, hard work out at the fitness center this morning!

My Bento Diet Plan

Isn't this a FUN lunch?

Contents: Asian Noodles Salad (deli item from Whole Foods): spaghettini, carrots, scallions, sesame seeds, and soy dressing decorated with duckies and heart shaped American cheese; Fresh raspberries; Omega Trail Mix (from Trader Joes): cranberry raisins, almonds, walnuts, pepitas, pecans, pistachios, canola and peanut oil.

This beautiful bento box was given to me in an online swap. I LOVE the butterfly design. Here I've used only the bottom tier and it's the perfect portion size for me.

This bento box lunch is: 1) a healthy, well-balanced meal, 2) the perfect portion size, 3) thoughtfully prepared, 4) enjoyable to eat. What more could I ask for?

Bento box lunches are new for me. I recently discovered this healthful art during my online adventures. It occured to me as I was taking this picture that I could eat this way for every meal! So, that's my plan (and I'll post pictures here). When I eat at a restaurant I'll arrange my plate as if it were my bento box. (If I don't take a picture of my restaurant food, I'll write down what I eat and post that.)

Goal: to loose 40 lbs.

Here we go!