A butter & chocolate diet for me!?

I've had arthritis since high school...brought on by my weekly volleyball games where I'd dive for any ball that was within 20 feet of me. I probably spent more time on my knees than a $2 hooker. :)

Anyway, at one point, I tore the cartilage in my knee and it's never quite been the same.

Lately, as my weight has yo yo'd up and down I've noticed that I've developed an occasional pain in my left big toe that makes it nearly impossible to even bend that toe. Forget about wearing heals, I can't get my foot in the correct position for that.

I've always suspected that I have gout, brought on by the extra weight that I carry. I'm pretty convinced of this because when I lost 90 pounds a few years ago, the pain went away.

Anyway, I've been doing some research and here is a list of foods that WebMD suggests to help deal with gout. The first few I can understand but how am I suppose to lose weight, as they suggest, if I'm eating butter, cheese, chocolate, sodas & peanut butter?

Foods that are safe to eat (low in purines):

• Green vegetables and tomatoes
• Fruits and fruit juices
• Breads and cereals that are not whole-grain
• Butter, buttermilk, cheese, and eggs
• Chocolate and cocoa
• Coffee, tea, and carbonated beverages
• Peanut butter and nuts

I'm totally ok with eating these items, the trick is to find that happy balance between calories and low purines. We'll see what we can do. A butter & chocolate diet it is! :)

New job weight gain?!?!

On 9/19/11 I started a new job. The layout of the facility means I have to walk a decent distance to the entrance and up 3 flights of stairs to get to my desk. If I leave for lunch or go outside on break, I get the stair workout again. I was hopeful that this daily routine would help me get back on track with my weight loss.

Unfortunately, that is not happening. I have actually gained about 5 pounds since I went back to work and it's getting frustrating. I confess that I haven't been 100% faithful with food tracking & that is probably the biggest issue. But I have to wonder if the repetitive walking & stairs is causing my joints to retain more fluid than usual. The arthritis pain has been more noticeable than before and my left ankle is really feeling the strain.

Of course, it could also be the fact that, other than the "commute" from the car, I sit on my butt all day. I'm going to have to make a conscious effort to get up and walk around more. Maybe get out at lunch and walk a couple laps around the block. It would sure help the circulation if nothing else.

Not sure what else to try right now but I know I must keep better track of my food intake. First plan is to cut out regular soda. I've been drinking those a lot while in training and I need to cut back. Think I'll start at diet soda first & then slowly omit them entirely. I've been drinking tons of water at work, so I just need to continue that.

I think I might wear my heart rate monitor to work one day and see how many calories the walk & stairs really makes. May not be as much as I think. Here goes nothing!

What the hell is wrong with me?

I was so confident that I would start out this week, watch what I ate, log every single bite and work out. Yeah, that's not been happening. I don't know why I can't get my willpower to actually do its' job and stop me from eating crap that I know I shouldn't? It's like my brain is completely out of control and it wants me to eat everything!

Right now I'm sitting here thinking I'd love nothing more than some cheddar cheese, boneless wings from BWW and a can of pringles! I'm even bargaining with myself about how much exercise I need to do to eat all that! Ridiculous, I know but it's how my brain works right now.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be pretty. I guess I could just eat nothing the rest of the day so there's nothing in my stomach to weigh me down. That just seems extreme. So frustrated with myself right now.

What's for lunch?

Here's a pic of what I plan to have for "lunch" today. Since I'm still unemployed I have a little more freedom to eat whenever I want so this will probably be spread out over the next few hours.

I know it looks like an odd combo but it's only 420 calories for everything and I get fruit, veggies & fiber. Plus, I need to eat what we have on hand...no more money spending right now.

I was supposed to be back on the health wagon Saturday but until today I've been way off track. :( Gotta focus!

Starting Over...Again!

Today, I start over as I try to lose this weight. Starting weight is back up to 274. Not good but it can only go down from here.

Diet Food Review - Lean Cuisine - Chicken Enchilada Suiza

I know these are high in sodium and really not all that great for you but they are cheap and easy and that is what I'm looking for right now. Moving on...

I really like the flavor of the sauce that comes with this variety, although the rice is really bland. If you mix the sauce into the rice, it helps tremendously. The enchilada is decent and the entire meal can be eaten with a plastic fork, meaning it's not too hard and chewy to cut through.

At only 290 calories, it's a great quick lunch and I will most likely keep this one on the list of keepers. I also added a side of dole tropical fruit in juice for a total of 360 calories for lunch. Not too bad and I'm not hungry.

Note: This item is cooked at 50% power, unlike most of the Lean Cuisines which are cooked on high power.

Recipe-Cornbread Salad w/picture

There are many variations of a cornbread salad recipe but I've got to say I like this one the best. My mom has been making this recipe for some time and I love it. The ingredients sound like an unlikely combination but it is fantastic. We've made this for several get togethers and people always talk about how good and unusual it is.

Ingredients:
1 box jiffy cornbread mix, prepared, crumbled
8 strips of bacon, cooked, drained, chopped (can use pre-cooked)

1 green pepper
1 purple/red onion
3-4 tomatoes (I take the seeds/middle out if they are really juicy)
1/2 cup sweet pickles
> Chop veggies and combine in a bowl.

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
2 tbsp sugar
> Mix these 3 ingredients til well blended
> Add dressing to veggies and toss til combined

Assembly:
> Layer half the cornbread crumbles in a dish
> Layer half veggie/dressing mixture
- Repeat

Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight if desired.

Red Robin - Fail

Been seeing the commercials for the Prime Chophouse Burger and wanted to try it. Today, we went at 11:30, they weren't busy, and we got right in. Order the burger and waited in anticipation for its' arrival. Unfortunately, it left some things to be desired.

The onion straws were excessive and soggy. The combination of smells made it hard to eat because it was so overpowering. The burger patty was actually pretty small and didn't have much flavor.

I ate 1/2 and left the rest on the table. Thank goodness I did because when I got home to log it into MFP I found out the whole sandwich was over 1200 calories. Yikes!

With the donut I ate this morning I've got almost no calories left for dinner. Guess I'll be breaking out some hard core Turbo Jam later this afternoon to make room for dinner! :)

Here are more details about this particular burger:
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is featuring their Prime Chophouse Burger for just $6.99. Layered with horseradish, sauteed mushrooms, gourmet steak sauce, melted Provolone cheese, and crispy onion straws. Served with Red Robin’s famous Bottomless Steak Fries. The $6.99 Prime Chophouse Burger is available through March 31, 2011 at participating Red Robin Gourmet Burgers locations.

This isn't exactly what mine looked like. My burger was alot more messy and the onion straws in this picture appear to be unbreaded. At any rate, I wouldn't suggest this as a good food option because of the calories, taste and texture.

Trigger Foods

I stole this guide from a friend on Facebook.  I'm going to try to see if I can accurately categorize my food triggers. My triggers are in orange below each category.

Green Light foods: These foods can be handled easily and generally do not trigger overeating. Make sure your fridge and pantry is stocked with these foods.
- fruits, veggies, applesauce


Yellow Light foods: These foods can be controlled in some circumstances. (I will only eat one brownie at a friend's house, but may eat them all if at home) Know what will work for you and steer clear of an abundance of yellow light foods at home.
- cookies, muffins, cupcakes, crackers

Red Light foods: Generally means "Don't go there" as they cannot be controlled. (yet!) It is best to avoid these foods until you can learn how to manage them.
- cheese, pizza, chocolate

Identifying which foods trigger you to eat inappropriately can help you manage them better.