Saturday, April 25, 2009

“My Doctor Done Told Me”…

He said I’d have recurring back pain for the rest of my life if I didn’t lose some weight. I started a couple of years ago, and took off 25 pounds – half of what he suggested. Then I got derailed when Pooch got so sick a year and a half ago. Doing all the food prep a diet requires was just too much for me in addition to caring for our terminal friend. So, I found the pounds I lost.

For the past three days, I’ve been hobbling around like an old lady because my back has revolted. Too many cupcakes, not enough bunny food. Add to the mix the fact that North Carolina has just decided to reduce health insurance benefits for state employees who are “seriously obese” (determined by BFI), and it makes sense to take off those clingy extra pounds – all fifty of them. It seems an insurmountable task when I look at the bigger picture. Time to take baby steps… especially since can’t move very fast right now!

I had success the last time I made this vow by combining principles of The South Beach Diet and an older generation of Weight Watchers - no calculating points for me. I cut out a lot of the processed carbohydrates and concentrated on whole grains, lots of fresh veggies, lean meats, and weighing and measuring my portions.



I also resorted to counting calories, something both diet plans eschew. It’s simply a matter of physics: calories in-vs-calories burned determines weight loss. I know for a fact I can pack away a significant number of calories in a day, so I must count them to keep myself honest.

I use Fitday.com, which is a GREAT online journaling site. It takes a bit of time in the beginning. A lot of the foods we eat are not listed in their database, so I had to input all the nutritional info for those. But now, I have a long customized list to choose from each day and tracking my daily intake takes maybe 10 minutes a day. Each morning I plan my food for the day, input it all and the site calculates the caloric value for the day as well as the nutritional distribution for the day.

Here's a fabulous recipe for a high-protein breakfast. We love French toast for breakfast, but now it's off the menu for a while. Here's a substitute - I swear you'll never know the bread is missing!



Faux French Toast
serves 2

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp Splenda
2 tsp butter or margarine (I use Smart Balance)

In small bowl combine the eggs, cheese, vanilla and Splenda. Mix well. Melt butter or margarine in nonstick skillet and pour in cheese mixture. Allow to cook over medium heat until browned on the bottom and the top is no longer runny. Flip and cook the second side until browned. Serve with a tiny drizzle of maple syrup.

All the flavors and texture of French toast without the bread!

21 comments:

Enzie at World Market Portraits said...

Faux ?! I love it!
I hear your pain, I am blessed with the same curse!
Go to my Sur La Table Cuisine blog. A friend of mine just started blogging and she is giving away some beautiful porcelain pieces. These are very expensive and intricate.

Snap said...

I've had back surgery and know it would do better if I lost weight. Argggghhh. This recipe sounds so good! Thanks!

lori vliegen said...

i'm so sorry that you're suffering with back pain, kate! i think that you're definitely on the right track with the "calories in vs. calories out" approach. two years ago i lost 30 pounds by doing just what you're doing...the big thing for me was cutting out sugar and processed foods, and just eating "real food". of course, i've slowly allowed myself to eat chocolate (huge red-flag food for me, as you know!), which has led to cookies, cake, and other non-real-food items, so i've managed to put half of the thirty back on. uggh! it's a constant battle...and my mid-life hormonal niceties aren't helping any either! thanks for the faux french toast recipe...my dutch boy is working tonight, so i'm going to treat myself to this for dinner...i'll be thinking about you (oooh, sure wish you could join me!! how fun would that be?!!). hang in there, sweet friend! :)

Jewelry Rockstar said...

I have used fitday as well, and what's nice is that no matter how long you've been away they still have your food items that you've entered previously.

I lost weight by incorporating MUFA's into each meal (Mono Unsaturated Fats) such as olive oil Raw, almonds, avocado, and sesame seeds, and other good fats. Hubby has a smoothie every morning with MUFA and lost 40 lbs over a year.

I also used smaller plates and asked myself in the middle the meal if I was still hungry.

somepinkflowers said...

kate
kate
kate....

how many times
do i need to tell you?

foods made from
~* beads *~
HAVE no calories....

:-)

{{ it is the Bead For Life diet }}



seriously,
good luck to you,
i say...

hard to burn food away
with exercise
when your back hurts.

gotta Catch 22 working there, missy.

{{ think Beads }}

Our Hands For Hope said...

Oh I hate this kind of stuff. Counting, cooking, craving...yuck!

Unknown said...

Oh!!! That photo of fruits and veggies just made me hungry for something HEALTHY! Thank you!

I can relate to your issue. I find when I eat healthier that my back feels better. :)

shiborigirl said...

Thank you all for your sweet comments.

Sabii: I hate all the counting and diet stuff too, but I hate the back pain even more, so I have to do it.

It'll get better, I know.

Kate

Terri Pezzullo - Handmade said...

Hope you start feeling better soon. I'll start walking with you we can do it from on-line! Both start at the same time them come back and eamil about it.....

shiborigirl said...

Sounds like a plan, Terri! When do you want to start? Anybody else want to come along?

Kate

rochambeau said...

Hi Kate,
Sorry to hear about your back!
Grateful that this is a good time of year for fresh food. Aren't we fortunate?
It's important to take good care of ourselves!!

xox
Constance

Alison Reid said...

that faux french toast sounds yummy!! I must try it and loads of luck with the diet!

3rdEyeMuse said...

wow! that sounds like a terrific substitute!

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

OK, this is too funny. I took my daughter out to lunch/brunch today and had ricotta pancakes for the first time. I thought, "Man, I should make these...I need a recipe!"

Thanks again for the timely food hint!

Good luck on the weight loss, I'm down 10 with another 30 to go. : ( Walking, portion control & low carbs....

T.Allen said...

I'm sorry about your back. I hear you on the dieting choices...as the years come so are the pounds. Eating the right stuff in the right amounts is a daunting albeit necessary science.Good luck, feel better soon.

Unknown said...

Hey sounds lovely the Faux French Toast! I love pancakes.

Although I have done a fast recently and managed to lose 3.5 kg in a week, I am planning to read the booked called Abs Diet for Women. It is a book highly recommended by a close friend that combines diet and exercises.

I am also making myself to do exercises at least 3 times a week to sustain the weight that I have lost.

Good luck with your weight loss and looking forward to great results!

Christine said...

High protein is the key, but I hear you about not being honest unless you keep a food journal.Good for you for taking the initiative to get your health back..so many just take the option of medicating the pain. I think that's great that you have a doctor who is honest enough to tell you what you need to hear. I'm starting to feel aches and pains due to lack of exercise and so I bought my first treadmill..I love it, now I just have to prioritize that in my daily schedule..not easy:)

Vera said...

Kate, I'm so sorry to hear you are in pain... Good luck with your program!
The "French toast" looks terrific and sounds healthy! Thank you very much for the recipe, I'll try it this weekend (I am also trying to eat better :).

A Fanciful Twist said...

OH!! Inspiration, you are!!

You can do it in baby steps. I need to find a way to peel myself out of bed early and take a jog around the yard... It seems, not so easy these days...

But, let's do it!! xoxo

Fete et Fleur said...

Lovely recipe, and timely post for me.

I hope you feel better quickly!!

Hugs!
Nancy

Isabel said...

Well, that Faux French Toast looks yummy. I could have that kind of breakfast. Good luck on your diet! I always say that taking baby steps is the best way to diet. Instead of focusing on 50 lb, make it a more manageable goal and ...GO FOR IT!