Just Slammed

I haven’t had time to write lately because I have been just slammed at work with projects and deadlines. There really is too much to do these days, and the weeks and months ahead appear to be worse. BUT the diet and weight loss continue to go well in spite of this increase in stress. My go-to stress reliever has always been food. And while I can feel the chocolate cravings more intensely these days, they are easier to ward off because it’s a psychological thing, not a body addiction thing.

So, I still feel great. To date, I have lost 13 pounds! And I guess it’s starting to show because every day, someone stops me and tells me how skinny I look. I can’t say I hate it. It feels really good to hear and motivates me to keep going! So far, none of my work clothes fit and the bridesmaid dress I have to wear in three weeks went from being too small to too big, so big I WILL have to get it altered this weekend. Dangit. I did not want to spend the money!

The only thing I wish I had was time to continue trying new recipes and low-glycemic meals. For now, I’m running on soups and salads, and my shirataki noodles are sitting in my fridge untouched. I’m hoping that after the wedding, my weekends will be mine to enjoy and I can start trying these recipes. Until then I’ll just keep my belt tight and hope my pants don’t fall off as I walk up the stairs to my office.

Fave Food Find: Shirataki Noodles

This weekend, I was invited to a Chinese New Year’s luncheon. And while I usually stick to bringing my staple of baked goods for dessert, now that I’m no longer eating processed white sugar it’s hard to justify making a dessert when I’m not going to be able to eat it! So, while searching through my cookbooks for an Asian dish, I came across a Hungry Girl recipe that included my new fave food find for the month: Shirataki Noodles. These are essentially tofu noodles, low-fat and gluten free, and function much like any regular pasta or noodle. I was so excited about this recipe, that I woke up early Saturday morning, unable to sleep, just so I could get out and find these noodles. I had to go to Whole Foods to get them, and I hate Whole Foods just as much for the locations (which are hard to get in and out of) as for the prices. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the noodles are only $1.99 a package. So I bought four :-).

I think the dish turned out great. It includes Shirataki noodles, zucchini, scallions, mushrooms, egg whites and pancake mix (I bought mix with a whole wheat base). I think it tastes great, but the next time I make it I will add some bell peppers and a little more eggs and pancake mix. This iteration was a little noodle heavy so the pancakes fell apart easily. But the noodles tasted good. And although they are a little unconventional, I am very excited to try them with pasta sauce as a substitute to pasta noodles and see how they go. My Hungry Girl cookbook has a lot of recipes with these little noodles, and I look forward to trying them soon.

Noodlicious Zucchini Pancakes (courtesy of Hungry Girl):

(50 Calories, <0.5g Fat, 8 Carbs, 1.2g Fiber, 4g protein - 1 WW point)

Ingredients:
2 x 8 oz. pkgs. House Tofu Shirataki Noodles
4 egg whites
1 cup pancake mix
1 Tbsp. salt
3/4 cup green onions (scallions), chopped
4.5 cups zucchini, shredded (unless you can find them pre-shredded, this takes about 45 mins and equals about 4 zucchinis)
1 cup finely sliced fresh mushrooms

Directions:
Rinse noodles well. Microwave for 1 minute, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Next, combine egg whites, pancake mix and salt in a bowl. Stir in noodles, green onions, mushrooms and zucchini. Place skillet over medium heat, and coat with non- stick cooking spray. When hot, scoop a little less than 1/3 cup of the mixture (per pancake) onto the skillet. Cook until underside is golden, then flip and cook the other side. Continue until all the batter is gone. Makes 15, 4-inch pancakes.

Serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream or even some salsa. Yum!

Burgers, French Fries and Thai… Oh My!

For the time being, I am turning this blog into a diet journal to chronicle my journey from flab to fab. No, really. I have decided to get serious about losing weight this year. Last year I focused on finances, this year it’s my gut.

Those of you who know me well know that I am a loyal gym member. I work out 4-5 days a week and try to maintain an active lifestyle. Those same people also know that I love food. All food, as much as I can get. I wouldn’t say I have a problem; I just don’t really pay attention to what I eat. Any time I decide to lose weight, I am successful momentarily but after I stop paying attention to what I eat, I start adding back in the food I shouldn’t be eating.

Weight loss has been a life-long struggle for me, and I am determined to be successful this year. Yes, I am joining the millions of other Americans who have decided to lose weight but the difference is that I am going to do it! And all 2 people who read this blog are going to keep me accountable.

But I am not doing this on my own. I clearly have no self-control when it comes to food, so I am employing help and doing something I’ve never done before. I’m following an eating plan. Now, this may not be drastic to you but I’m in new territory here so be kind. The plan I’m following is the USANA RESET plan. It’s pretty neat. The first 5 days is a cleanse, basically to reset your body, and then you slowly build back in a low-glycemic diet. My hope is that the cleanse will also kill my cravings, and that I’ll reset my body to crave the good stuff, not the bad stuff (and I don’t mean the “good stuff,” my friend Betsy’s yummy peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallow and peanuts concoction). I dream of the day when I can walk past a plate of cookies and not want one. I hope that some day, the smell of McDonald’s french fries won’t drive me wild. I long for a time when the sultry sound of bacon sizzling won’t set my heart a flutter.

Tomorrow I begin my journey. I will keep you posted of my success as I lose the weight so wish me luck!