Lose It! is working for me!

This is my 2nd week of using the Lose It! app on my iphone (did I mention that I luv my phone?! lol). What a great tool it is turning out to be for me. I can already tell a difference in the way it helps me track food, keep myself honest, and follow a calorie budget.

It has also helped me think smarter by considering whether I might want to eat a small orange at 25 calories vs. "spending" 100 calories on something else that might not be as filling.

Lose it!

I bought an iPhone (luv, luv, luv it!) this week! Woo hoo! That was my first big purchase since paying off my car last month. I spent a day getting it charged and all my contact numbers & e-mails added in and then spent the next day playing and adding apps (definition: a computer application). A great one that we found was called Lose it! http://www.loseit.com/

You begin by entering your current weight and your target weight goal. Then you decide whether you want to lose 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, or 2 lbs. a week. Lose it! responds by giving you a target date and how many calories you can have per day in order to reach your target date.

Kari and I both are using it. We've found it easy and very user-friendly. I think this is just what I need to give me a framework and tracking device to lose 100 more lbs. (Kari wants to lose 20 lbs.).

Check it out...it's a FREE app download!

Another day of 100 calorie recipes!

Kari started our St. Patrick's Day with Smoked Salmon Scramble--another 100 calorie recipe. She lightly broiled tomato halves and scrambled eggs with a bit of crumbled smoked salmon, chopped green onions, the few leftover roasted potatoes from last night, and a tiny pinch of cilantro. Delicious!

For supper Kari fixed a mild bbq grilled chicken from the recipe book. Her sauce was:

1 shallot or green onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 c. tomato sauce or 1 T. tomato paste blended with 2/3 c. water

2 T. red wine vinegar (I don't know if she added this or not)

1 T. prepared mustard

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

I fixed Esther's oven roasted veggies---always yummy! You can use any variety of veggies you like and eat just about as much as you want. For today I used sweet potatoes (peeled and cut like french fries), asparagus, grape tomatoes, purple onion, red bell pepper, garlic cloves, zucchini, and shredded carrots. [I like to add mushrooms, but Warren doesn't like them.] Toss with some salt, pepper, dill weed, and olive oil to coat. Roast in oven at 375 degrees till desired doneness--stir occasionally to prevent sticking/burning.

Tomorrow night we are having Salsa Tilapia (you can also use sole) which is rolled up with a filling of chopped onion, tomato, feta cheese, and jalapeno, and grated orange rind. Cover with foil and cook about 15-20 min. at 350 degrees. Uncover and sprinkle with paprika and pepper and cook for another 5-7 minutes. I'm going to make fresh guacamole to go with it.

100 calorie recipes! Yummy!!

I told Kari before I came down that I needed to eat a lot of fruits, veggies, and protein this week to help me get back on track. I've been gradually getting more out of control since Christmas. We did a lot of walking today---in Walmart, in the mall, at DSW, and at Kohl's. :)

I brought Kari a little cookbook called Just 100 Calories: Delicious and Simple 100 Calorie Recipes by Parragon Books (c) 2007.

We had taco salad last night for supper. This morning Kari made Wake-up Kabobs which were apples, canteloupe, strawberries, and bananas drizzled with cinnamon and honey and broiled for about 5 minutes. Then she put the fruit in a bowl and topped with a little granola and bit of yogurt. We loved the bananas like that! The apples and canteloupe were pretty good, too. We didn't care for the strawberries as much.

This evening Kari made filo wrapped asparagus spears and I helped her make fish & mango kabobs. Kari made kabobs with shrimp, mango, and tuna steak and marinated it with a pomegranite & mango chipotle sauce (got it at Walmart)---it was delicious! She roasted some cubed potatoes seasoned with dill and garlic. We had very filling, yet very low-calorie YUMMY meals today.

Trying to change doctors...

Little did I know that when I made my last post that the bariatric clinic and hospital where I've been a patient was making an announcement that day they were closing due to bankruptcy! Lisa called and told me about it a few days later--rightly assuming that I had not heard about it. The clinic is completely closed and all the patient files have been moved to the Ft. Worth office of a group of doctors. There is only a small skeleton crew at the hospital. I called and requested my medical records from the hospital and from the clinic. Then I called the bariatric doctor's office in Denison and requested to be a patient. Whoever answers the phone (office mgr?) told me that he doesn't take patients from other doctors. I told her that the hospital was closed and I was NOT going to drive to Ft. Worth to see a doctor...and that if he wouldn't take me I'd find a doctor in McKinney, Sherman, Paris, somewhere that is closer than Ft. Worth. I don't know who this woman is, but she gets on my nerves already!! This is the 2nd phone conversation I've had with her in my attempt to change doctors. I have a difficult time believing that as professional courtesy a doctor would really consider it "stealing" a patient when the other doctor is 2 hrs. away...maybe I'm wrong, tho. Maybe she is married to him and is trying to regulate how many patients he has. It is quite frustrating, I can tell you that!