Food Philosophy

So maybe I should be a little more specific about how I see all this weight loss stuff.

Here's my philosophy.

I don't believe in "dieting." Whether or not you might classify what I'm doing as dieting is up to you. I don't. I'm not following some published nutrition plan.

You might ask, "Charlotte, why are you so insistent on not following one of those diets?"

Because I insist on being realistic here.

Like my dad's birthday is coming up. If there's cake. I'm likely to eat a bite. Yes, one bite.

And next week if I decide to eat a doughnut, I'm going to eat a doughnut. And I insist on not making myself feel guilty about it.

Instead, I'm going to account for that doughnut, and I'm going to make the conscious choice to be responsible for it. Responsibility for my doughnut choice entails a few things:

• Eat only ONE
• Eat it slowly and enjoy the heck out of it
• Including it in my food tracking - no lying to myself that it doesn't count
• Try to walk a little longer, work out a little harder the next few days
• Make sure I am better with my nutrition for the next few days
• Let it go, and still love myself

So, in a little bit when I post about today's plan, and how it didn't originally include eating potato chips, yet I ate potato chips, you'll see that it'll all work out. Because I refuse to let that potato chip choice influence me further. It's a choice I made. And as long as I take the responsibility of that choice, it will be ok.

And as far as the types of foods I eat?

Normal.

I don't do anything fancy shmancy. As much as I enjoy watching Food Network (and I really do), I will hardly ever make a recipe shown on those shows. Maybe I have an unsophisticated palate. Maybe I just like everyday, no frills, food.

I don't eat tofu. Maybe because I've never tried it. Maybe someday I will. Not today though.

I like to eat what I call farm-style. Vegetables. Preferably fresh. (I try growing my own: so far we're up two zucchinis and maybe a few tomatoes. Luckily  my parents grow an amazing garden and are generous enough to share.) Whole grains. Lean (or somewhat lean) meats in small portions.

 When I buy fruits and vegetables at the grocery store I don't buy organic. I'm on a budget here, people. I just do the best I can.

And I think that it will all work out.

The Plan: August 13, 2013

The Activity.

Morning walk, moderate pace, with the boys.
Afternoon 10-minute dance party with my little ones
Evening TurboJam! 20-Minute Cardio, 40-Minute Turbo Sculpt


The Food.

Breakfast:

• Large egg fried inside a piece of whole wheat toast, using 1 Tbsp butter (254 calories)
• 2 Tbsp ketchup (40 calories)
• Large grapefruit (103 calories)

Snack:

• 1 nectarine (60 calories)

 Lunch:

• Buffalo chicken lettuce wrap - recipe posted below (240 calories)
• Carrot sticks from 2 medium carrots (50 calories)

Snack:

• 1 string cheese (90 calories)

Dinner:

• Low-carb cheeseburger - recipe posted below (340 calories)
• Creamy Cole Slaw, recipe here. (49 calories)
• Oven-fried Zucchini Sticks, recipe here. (127 calories)

Snack:

• Protein shake, recipe posted below (152 calories)

The Recipes.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wrap
makes 2 servings
8 full leaves of your favorite lettuce (iceberg, romaine, etc.)
1 chicken breast, cooked or 1 can chicken breast in water (12 oz)
Frank's Original Hot Sauce
24 small ripe olives, sliced
2 Tbsp ranch dressing

Wash lettuce, pat dry, set aside. Combine chicken with hot sauce to taste. Heat chicken in microwave or on stove top. Assemble each lettuce wrap by layering four lettuce leaves, half of the chicken mixture, half of the olives, and 1 Tbsp ranch dressing. Serve.


Low-Carb Cheeseburger
makes 4 servings
1 lb lean ground beef
4 slices medium cheddar cheese
4 slices red onion
4 large slices tomato
Ketchup
Mustard
Several large romaine lettuce leaves

Wash lettuce, pat dry, set aside. Form four patties with the ground beef. Grill or fry to your preference. Place cooked meat on a bed of lettuce leaves. Top with cheese slice, tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard. Wrap lettuce around everything. Serve.


Favorite Protein Shake
makes 1 serving
1 scoop doTERRA Chocolate Trim Shake powder
2/3 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
Approximately 7 large ice cubes, crushed

Place everything in a blender or your Magic Bullet (my personal favorite), blend on high until smooth.



The Bottom Line

Calories consumed: 1505
Estimated calories burned: 870

The Plan

I'm a wife and the momma to two very handsome little boys. I cook. I clean. I like being a traditional mother. And it's a ton of work. The bottom line is that implementing a life-changing decision like "I am going to be healthier" is a lot of work. And being a busy wife and mom means that being healthy sometimes takes a back burner.

So the plan?


The Plan: To Plan

The 29 pounds I've dropped so far was all due to making healthy a priority. It requires planning.

So, I'm going to post my plans here.


The Goal

So, I'm now at 211. And, let's face it. I'm probably never going to hit 120. I really don't believe I'm built that way. So, my reasonable long-term goal? 160. That gives me 50 pounds to go, and a total of 80 pounds overall.

What goal is good without a time frame? New Year's Day 2014. How's that for a twist? I'm not starting a New Year's Resolution for 2014, I'm completing  a resolution by then!

And for a short-term goal? 191 by September 24. That's 20 pounds. Now, I know that puts me above the "recommended" weight loss rate of 2lbs/week. But I don't care. I can do this. I need to do this.

 
The Basic Tools

• This blog. Accountability is supposedly what it's all about, right?
• Myfitnesspal.com. I've tried lots of tracking websites. This is the only one I've really liked.
• My favorite at-home video workout: TURBO JAM
• Our stroller
• A few favorite YouTube workout videos
• PRAYER. No joke. I need God's help to do this, and I need His blessings to keep my body accepting the changes I am trying to make

And last, but not least, a lot of sheer will-power coupled with two little boys to run me ragged and burn the heck out of these calories!

The Brutal Truth

Hi. I'm Charlotte. I'm overweight. And I'm finally doing something about it.

To not be boring with all of the details, here's the short of the story.

April 2008 - Got married at around 210 pounds
October 2008 - Two months pregnant, 222 pounds
January 2009 - Still 222 pounds... how I managed that, I have NO CLUE
May 2009 - Baby boy was born, with me at 265 pounds! (How in the world did I put on 40+ pounds in four months?!?!)
January 2011 - Got tired of my clothes cutting off circulation (little joke there...), started to exercise and watch my eating. Weighed in at 240
May 2011 - Weighed in at 201! 
Summer 2011 - Things got interesting in the home life, and all diet & exercise went the way of the wind
September 2011 - Pleasantly surprised by pregnancy
May 2012 - Baby boy was born, with me topping out around 240 pounds
April 2013 - Weighed in at 240 pounds. Again, got tired of the tight clothes, getting winded at the top of the stairs, feeling blob-ish. Started weight loss endeavors again!
August 2013 - Weighing in now at 211 pounds, but have been at some sort of stand still for a good month or so. 





TODAY - Ready to really get started again.

I have six weeks until some pretty exciting events. Think I can drop 20 more pounds by then? The bet's on...