Diet Wars: Hanging Tough

In Search of..... Fun Foods to Eat Under 300 Calories

Pizza - Who would have thought that you could still eat pizza on a diet? A normal slice of pizza (1/8 of the whole pizza) is roughly 140 to 196 calories, depending on the size of the pizza and what other stuff will on there. I would stick to the thin crust cheese pizza, with maybe one additional topping of mushrooms, chicken, veggies, maybe pepperoni. A slice of pizza and a small tossed salad with fat free dressing can make a great meal.

Grilled Chicken Salads - The BK Garden Salad with Tendergrilled Chicken is your best bet. The whole salad along with the packet of Fat Free Ranch Dressing is exactly 300 calories. A perfect lunch. I never add the croutons to the salad and they probably add a little more. Shoney's has a similar salad along with a side of fruit. A cursory look at several regular restaurants and fast food restaurants shows that in many places you have to be REALLY careful with the salads. You can easily be fooled into thinking you're eating healthfully (which in theory you are) but especially the restaurant salads like you get at O'Charleys, Logans, etc., are going to be anywhere from 500 to 1,000 calories! Yikes! (Thanks to Hungry Girl for that tip)

A Filling Breakfast - I've never been a good breakfast eater and tend to wait until late in the morning, and then stop off at McDonald's for a sausage and biscuit. I've discovered a very filling breakfast for just below 300 calories is a toasted English Muffin with a tbsp. of jam (preferably sugar free), and two boiled eggs. That's more that I would ordinarily eat, but since I'm having to make do until lunch, I figure I should get that protein from the eggs. You could also make your own Egg McMuffins and stay well within range.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hanging Tough

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything on the blog, and it's gratifying to know that people are reading it because I've had a few people remind me that I haven't written anything! Time issues and life transitions has interfered with updating these last two weeks. Since the last entry I've lost another pound - but held steady for two weeks. I'm slacking off a little because of schedules, etc. and so am planning to get back on track. I do pretty well during the week while at work, but anything off my schedule or during the more relaxed weekends is a little more difficult. There's also the going out to dinner or lunch with friends and family that can make it more difficult - if I want to use that for an excuse!

My home life has suddenly gotten very interesting which is one reason I'm delayed in writing here. I've gone from being a single woman living alone for the last 7, almost 8 years, to having my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson living with me. What started out as a temporary thing seems to becoming semi-permanent. With the state of the economy and our collective finances it just makes more sense to have them living with me and all of us contributing to the household upkeep. But we need to change from them living out of suitcases to a more stable environment. I have only a 2-bedroom apartment, although it's a large apartment. So we're in the midst of rearranging furniture, finding a place for the baby to sleep (he now sleeps in Gramma's bed!), and just making it a comfortable situation for everyone. And as soon as one becomes available at my complex, we'll be moving into a 3 bedroom apartment.

However, the current living situation makes staying on the plan a little more challenging. We're cooking a lot together, and we're not always cooking the healthiest of foods. But, Jenn, my daughter-in-law, is going to start on the plan as well, so our meals will be more healthy, within the plan. Chase will also benefit whether he wants to or not! Plus Jenn is at home during the day and can plan our meals. She also wants to start exercising on a regular basis, which should motivate me since I've still not gotten into a routine that includes activity. If she goes to the apartment complex fitness center in the evenings, I should go with her and at least get on the treadmill or elliptical trainer.

So life is continuing to be the adventure it usually is for me! After a long spell of relative inactivity and a lot of "alone" time, my home is filled with loving family members and the delighted squeals of a 14 month old who thinks everything his daddy does is funny. It's not a bad life!