Week 11 – Thursday/Friday

Yesterday and today have been much better days for me–I have been able to relax and have some fun.

Thursday  my family went out to dinner with my mom for her birthday.  We all went to Eat n Park, where we all ate healthy.  I had the salad bar with my usual salad, a spoonful of cottage cheese, and I ordered a piece of grilled chicken with a slice of american cheese on top (it’s so simple but so yummy!).  I didn’t order any side veggies, because I wanted a larger salad.

Today, I was off and had a dentist appointment.  Right after I was done at the dentist, my husband and I went out for a breakfast date at Denny’s.  I had a western omelet (ham, peppers, onions, cheese) and a side of …broccoli!  Something else I had this morning was coffee–I haven’t had coffee in a long time and it tasted great/felt good.

I have been very good about getting in all of my Medifast meals and eating on time today.  It rained all day today, so I didn’t get to go for a walk with my husband like we wanted to.  Hopefully we can get one in tomorrow before I head in to work.

A day of work tomorrow and then 2 days off in a row!  Hopefully, after Monday, I will be refreshed and begin feeling better (I’m still pretty tired today)!!!

Thank you for the encouraging comments (on my blog and otherwise)!

Week 8 – Friday

Back to normal life today. I feel back into my routine quite easily today. I didn’t feel overly tired in the morning, and I had no trouble getting in all of meals today (and on time!).

I had my weekly check in with my health coach today and I learned a few things about water that I would like to share (and record so I don’t forget). 64 ounces of water per day is the bare minimum that we should be drinking. We should actually be striving for a number our ounces equal to 1/2 our body weight (I am 224 lbs so I should be drinking 112 ounces of water per day). In addition to drinking that much water, we should be drinking an extra 8 ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise! Knowing this, how many of us are dehydrated and didn’t even realize it? Dehydration is bad for weight loss for a variety of reasons. Did you know that being dehydrated actually can make you feel hungry? I am going to strive this week to increase my water intake to at lease 80 ounces of water per day so that I can work myself up to the 112 ounces that I need. I hope that once I get and keep myself properly hydrated, it will be easier for me to figure out when I’m actually hungry and stop mistaking my thirst for hunger.

Dinner today was the result of another kitchen experiment. A few days ago, my brother was eating crackers with (stay with me on this one) Frank’s Red Hot and peanut butter. I know there are a few people out there who’s stomachs are turning right now, but until you’ve tried the combo don’t write it off! I thought it was an interesting taste when I tried it, so I crafted a recipe around it.

“This” Shrimp and Scallops

6 Tablespoons of Franks Red Hot

4 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons of Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Light Margarine

42 ounces of shrimp/scallops (cooked)

Mix Franks, PB, Cream Cheese, and Light Margarine together in a small sauce pan on medium-high heat stirring constantly. Once the ingredients have combined (they need not be 100% melted) you can add it to cooked shrimp and scallops and let it cook over low to medium heat until the sauce is completely melted together and the flavor has soaked into the seafood (test a piece to find out). This should make 6 – 7 ounce servings (if you are making less shrimp/scallops be sure to drain off the excess sauce or store it for future use, you’re only meant to have 1/6 of it!).

As soon as I finish my recipe card, I will post the PDF on my recipe page. Believe me, I know it sounds strange…but it really is quite good! I call it “This” Shrimp and Scallops because that is what we named the sauce…”This”. I think “This” would taste good on chicken too if any one wants to give that a shot.

Our vegetable tonight was roasted cauliflower–a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and just a touch of parmesan cheese. Yum!

Since I am back from my mini vacation, its time to get back on my regular sleep schedule tonight. In bed by 10, falling asleep by 10:30, asleep by 11, up at 7. I am actually looking forward to getting back on schedule, it feels good to have a healthy bedtime routine. Over the next day, I’m going to pick another healthy habit to add to my night time routine.