It was a great group discussion at our Friday meeting... we tackled questions ranging from the "need for sweet" just after eating dinner to how do we prevent craving. Also, I demonstrated how to make the Protein Power Pudding (chocolate banana flavored) and sampled Pink Protein Goober.
Now as we begin to look toward Week 3 and the changes it brings ... lets reflect on all that we have experienced and accomplished in just 14 days. The Crackers have depleted all of the energy stored in the muscle fiber and liver and then have proceeded to make incredibly focused and pronounced choices with regard to our nutritional intake to bring the carbohydrates back in to a minimum threshold. All of this in an effort to re-teach our bodies how and where to go for energy. For us, the conversion of using excess simple carbohydrates to using body fat for energy, is one that takes time... and since we are still "new" at this~ once your body understands and gets the rhythm for the process~ we will realize that we can manipulate our intake and change our physique to what we want it to be! Pretty Monumental Stuff, I must say!!So with all of the changes that are happening~ remember where you came from and how you fueled your body just 2 weeks ago . Don't ever lose sight of that comparison especially when you start "fretting" over the fact that you want an apple but you cannot or you want a glass of milk. Yes you can have it and do have it... in complete moderation! Realize that it is not a box of Russell Stover Chocolates or a gallon of Roady Road, it is something from your old way of eating that you need to allow yourself to enjoy with this modified plan. They are the "healthy" foods that may not be in the Wendy plan enough to suit you but your body longs for
. Use t
hem in moderation and understand that where you started and where you have come to is like crossing the ocean in a row boat and if having your favorite dairy or fruit once or twice a week keeps you "in the boat" then by all means go ahead and enjoy! Like I always say, "you have to live life! and completely eliminating something you truly enjoy reduces your quality of life and you are less likely to adhere to this type of lifestyle." Now to quantify that statement... I don't mean, if you love marshmallows that you can down a bag every week cuz that is what your body needs~ Not Quite The Idea I Had In Mind:-) So if you need more advice on this, simply email me but in the meantime~Look to remain in control during Week 3.... this includes preparing your meat bucket this weekend, journaling and setting your strategies for what life may throw at you so that you can make it through each day with success. Continue to talk to me and each other in the Cracker Community via the blog and let us share in the successes ... contribute to the blog~ publish a recipe, send me a photo that I can post or share a strategy that helps you stay on track... and I will see you on Friday at 11:45am in the Main Post Library.
Always,
Tracey
Recipe for Protein Power Pudding~
Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavor:
1-2 scoops of Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 tsp of creamy peanut butter
sprinkle chocolate Jell-O to your own taste preference
Chocolate Banana Flavor:
1-2 scoops of Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder
sprinkle banana cream flavor sugar free fat free Jell-O and
sprinkle chocolate sugar free fat free Jell-O to your own taste preference
For any flavor of pudding:
Just drizzle a tiny bit of water in the cup and stir.., add only a drizzle of water and while stirring add a bit more... as you stir the powder will begin to form a paste... a few more drops of water and it will turn to a smooth, almost frosting like consistency. If it turns to liquid~ you added too much water but don't start over, just add a bit more protein powder to thicken it back up to the smooth texture you want. Also if it is a carb up day and you are having that evening meal... try tossing a tsp or two of of Kashi/Grape Nut mix into your pudding. The texture makes it taste like a heath bar crunch
Other Flavor Options:
Cherry Cheesecake
Use SF-FF Cheescake Flavored Jell-O and then cherry flavored SF-FF Cherry
Chocolate Raspberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Almond (using almond extract)...
try and share your flavor combinations.
Special Request for Donna W... HEY DONNA!! CAN YOU SEARCH OUT AND BRING HOME SOME CHEESECAKE JELL-O FOR THE CRACKERS TO TRY??) My Mom ships it to me since our Commissary doesn't carry it! If you can that would be fantastic!!
25 comments:
I made the pudding for Kitty today for her snack and it was sooo yummy!!! No egg whites at the com....boo hoo,but there is cottage cheese!!!
I have to tell you, I had 1 frito today and it was gross...had a mini twix, it was just ok, not as awesome as I used to think and just one was fine. Tasted wine at the mini mart and didnt care for it...My mom had a vodka and sprite last night and I didnt give in and have one....We are going to the Navy Club for dinner...we'll see what happens then....GO CRACKERS!!!!
Kristi,
Like we were talking about yesterday... you will find that once your body begins to adapt to all of the benefits of clean eating~ you will find that reintroducing foods from your former intake program will sometimes make you feel bad. The old food will cause your body to react to the toxins and bad mojo in the fritos and twix and in Viviana's case, pop tarts. All of this is such a lesson on how we poison our system with all of this gunk and once we clean up and start treating our body correctly... it is amazingly noticeable when we go back if only for a moment. Nice work in taking note of the differences and being sure to listen to your body:-)
So how did you do at the Navy Club?? Dave and I took the kids to Reggie's and it was nice to have an Angus Burger and actually eat half the roll that it came on. I thoroughly enjoyed the catsup and pickle on top:>) and asked for a to-go box to take the other half home with me for later~ Yummm!
TT
Determined Donita submitted a recentcomment under an older posting of mine so I have taken the liberty to copy and enter her comment here in our "almost" 3rd week so we can see it in its correct context....
Determined Donita said...
Hi Ladies,
I just wanted to share my Italy trip success with you. Dr. King's long weekend found me in Italy with my husband and sick with flu/cold for 4 of the 5 days. Normally, when I am in Italy, there is the typcial eat feast. Breakfast begins with cappucino, cornetti (injected with creme and cherry), lunch the usual 2-3 courses beginning with a pasta dish and ending with way tooooooo much food after. Dinner is pretty much the same as lunch with the difference of going straight to bed 2-3 hours after the meal.
Since I already had 6 days under my belt of protein, vegetables, smaller portions and more often
AND most importantly, the desire not to see all the food in my body. So, here are the lessons I learned week 1. Thanks for your support and encouragement, Ladies! Forge onward.
Lessons I am walking away with this trip in ITALY and eating:
~ My stomach/body doesn't need all that food
~ I do need to eat smaller meals throughout the day
~ I can eat out if I stay focused
~ I DO NOT NEED the sweet carbs
~ It was better to eat the small amount of fruit instead of the other types of carbs (cornetti, italian sweets, etc, bread)
~ I didn't beat myself up with the "failure discussion". I chose to eat the foods because I wanted to, thought about what was better for me and enjoyed the eating with Salvatore and other friends.
~ I am strong and can focus
~ I will continue this week as week 1 until Sunday then begin week 2
~ I tried to at least walk a little bit even though I was in bed for 3 days. Thank goodness for the 2 stories in our house.
That's about it for me. I just wanted to share my successes in Bell' Italia!
Oh my..that picture is most unflattering. Just another reason to press on :(.
Karen,
I hear your words of dislike and I have empathy ~ I do understand all about comfort levels with respect to our self-image. You are talking to the gal who at 190 pounds would never be seen in public so.... I would go out at 11pm at night to walk, shrouded in a huge sweatsuit just so no one would ever see me. I was never happy with my reflection in the mirror or the occasional photograph (they were rare indeed!) but I also realize that at that time in my life... I needed not to like the feedback~ it is what motivated me to seek change, as it is helping you to do the same...
So I will tell you that I think you are a beautiful and spectacular woman (which you are!!) but until you see it that way.... you will find that the photos, no matter how much you dislike them, are your motivator for change.
I think to myself, "There is 12 pounds less of Karen in that photo~ How cool is that!" and for that you must take pride and we will celebrate for you...
I am so glad that you are focused and will not be stopped until you achieve your "ideal photo reflection":-)
Just keep up the hard work and I will see you at 5am...
and yes Crackers.... Collier is open at 5am on Monday Lunar New Year Holiday!!
Always,
Tracey
Ladies,
Please let me add to my comments Tracey copied for this week:
I began to state that I had the 6 days of empowerment to not want to eat extra food AND I had programed myself during the week to eat what was necessary.
The most important lesson I am learning is I am in control of myself, food consumption and exercising this gorgeous body.
Have a successful week, Ladies!
Tracey, would you be able to send me the recipes you have shared with the ladies during the last meeting? Thanks so much, Sis!
Tracey,
You make me cry..that is a good thing. I know that you have stood in our shoes..so I take sincerely to heart your very kind words. Even a month ago, a poor picture would have been permission to eat. Not today! I am in control of this train. It is motivation to press on..because I like the way I feel right now..mentally and physically much better.
I will see you at the gym. And Yippe for me..I am not toting those 12 pounds along with me:)!
Hang in there fellow Crakers..and thank you again, Tracey!
Karen,
I looked at the picture and thought everyone looked great. I thought how nice it is that there is a group of people helping each other do something that is so good for them. There are 12 lbs less of you. That is amazing. Even if you don't see it I guarantee everyone else does. Let me please share with you and all of the other crackers some quotes I just can't let go of:
From Wendy Chant - Protein ingestion burns 36% more energy than carbs or fat. So for every 500 calories of protein you take in you expend 125 calories through protein's thermic effect. Carbs and fat each burn a mere 30 calories per 500 calories taken in. I hang on to that thought when I get tired of eating protein.
From Tosca Reno (The Eat Clean Diet (and cookbook)):
Each pound of muscle in your body burns approx 50 cals a day
Each pound of fat in your body burns approx 2 calories a day.
Fat takes up at least 3 times the volume of muscle.
That is an overwhelmingly motivating reason to go to the gym and build muscle and I think about those stats when I think about blowing off the gym.
I am envious that you are all in a group where you can see each other and the dynamic changes. I can't wait to see more pictures. It was great to see you all.
Laurie
Donita,
I would be more than happy to share the recipes with you and also I love your insight to how you are seeing these changes in your life... we do have the control to change the direction our lives are going in with respect to how we nourish our body and our spirit. Once you and ladies everywhere realize that it takes energy and effort but it is so worth our time, how powerful ladies of the world will be. Giving back to ourselves (if only a little bit) makes us better spouses, parents, friends and work associates. All in all we are so much better for all that we invest in ourselves...
Love Ya,
TT
morning crackers!!!
I am sorry I haven't written but time seems to be flying by and haven't been sitting much (that's a good thing!)
I cannot describe how I have been feeling lately except for grand. Why? Well, not only is my body changing, I now have a whole different attitude towards food. I REALLY REALLY enjoy everything I put into my body ( Aundrea and I are now calling it the "cracker o")
Well, WE think it's cute!)but when I do not feel hungry I do not eat! That is a big deal for me, especially since I am around old friends and as I see them it seems there is always food. So, I said no to-- wine, beer( even at my FAVE place here in DC!), melted brie and crackers, etc, and THIS is only day3 of being here! So my friends, you can see why I am beaming from this side of the world!
I saw the shout out for the jello, I am going to Ft Myer gym and then the commissary today so I will hunt it down!
Miss you guys but reading the blogs helps me stay connected!
Aundrea and I will get a pic of us on here today or tomorrow!
keep up the great work and I'll see you the first week of feb.
hugs,
D
Donna and Aundrea,
I love it!!! Our new mantra... The "Cracker-O" ~ almost as good as the real thing!!
Gals will be shouting it from the roof tops or at least from the first floor balconies:-)
Thanks for making me smile ladies and for sharing the fact that you love the results of your new lifestyle and what a wonderful outlook it is ~ for as long as you choose to live in control of you... the benefits to your overall quality of life are exponential.
No one can make you consume the way you have in the past. Bottom line: you are the boss of what goes in and what doesn't.
The continual practice of choosing quality macronutrients is what is giving you such a sense of mental strength and the high caliber food you are putting in is lending physical strength to the powerhouses called Donna and Aundrea. Stay die-hard and determined and we will see you both in early February
Love,
TT
PS: Donna, email me a photo and I will gladly post if for you:-)
TT
6 boxes of ff/sf cheesecake flavor jello coming in my bag and about to make my own right here right NOW!!!!!
DW,
I hope you are adding a dash of strawberry or cherry to make it "authentic LadyLifter Cherry/Strawberry Cheesecake Pro Pudding?"
:-) thank for grabbing it and hopefully we can make a batch at our next Cracker meeting...
~TT
morning crackers!
I sure hope that everyone is feeling as good as I am right now! I LOVE feeling "tight" in my tummy area and having energy again. I hit my old gym at Ft Myer and it was fun to see all the "senior " population there working out..and I AM talking senior! (lots of retirees here)Seeing them just reinforces what I am going to be like 20 years from now...except I WILL not be wearing knee hi white socks as part of my gym outfit!
We attended a reception last night and it was so not healthy.(and no exciting cracker-o's..) I ended up eating a bit of turkey and raw veggies and I was starving when I got back to my room. So, I made up the pro pudding for my snack and it did the trick!
Off to have my oatmeal and then Aundrea and I will hit starbucks before the day starts.
Can't wait to see all of you!!!
CRACKERS!!!
A little humor for your day....
Wish They All Could Be Carbohydrate-Free”
(A parody of the classic “California Girls” by The Beach Boys) Well, Dunkin has its donuts
That will just melt in your mouth
And the pecan pie and the sweet potatoes too,
Make me fat when I’m down South.
That loaded baked potato,
And those crispy hot French fries
They might taste yummy going into my tummy
But they stick right to my thighs.
Well, Orville has his popcorn
And Mr. Newton has his Fig
And I’d love to spend some time with them
But they just make my butt big.
I’ve been all around this great big world,
and I’ve seen all kinds of food
Yeah, but I can’t wait to get back to my plate,
It has the lowest carbs in the world.
I wish they all could be carbohydrate-free
I wish they all could be carbohydrate-free
My plate has a juicy burger
Loaded up with cheese
And lots of low-carb vegetables
Cuz you really should eat these
Protein shakes and ribeye steaks
How can this be a diet?
Got my chicken legs and my bacon and eggs
You know you might just wanna try it!
My friends all think I’m crazy
When they see what’s on my plate
They all eat their Lean Cuisines
But I’m the only one losing weight!
I’ve been all around this great big world
And I’ve seen all kind of food
But eating protein and that fat
Is what puts me in the mood!
I’m glad my life can be carbohydrate-free
I’m glad my life can be carbohydrate-fr
Donna,
What a great re-write... did you do the lyrics?? If so, you must perform it Karaoke style for us when you return:-)
We miss you so hurry home!!
TT
hello Crackers!
Why isn't everybody blogging??
I want to know how everyone is doing on our quest to
CRACK THE FAT LOSS CODE!
please blog so we know you're out there!
I'll be home next week and at the gym on wednesday!!!!
just had a great workout and now hitting the shower and going downtown to check out my old "haunts!"
Hope everyone is well!
ooohhhh!
Just put lemon jello and cheesecake jello in my pudding....
YUM!!! Geez, at the rate I am going I'll need to buy more boxes of the cheesecake...
off to do the town!
Hello Everyone:
The last tree days has been very down for me. I don't feel well, I can't run because I'm couhging and the worse of the worse I weigh myself monday and I'm not loose any more. And my portion and my food I been follow it like a book. I know tracy says don't weigh youself soo often but one week later and is the same :( I'll try to keep myself focus on my diet, but is just make feel very disappointed. I hope next monday I'll see at list one Lb less and I'll be happy with that.
Donna: Great writting I love it.
Viv,
Please keep a positive focus on what you are trying to accomplish... you are not only, as a short term goal, trying to change your body but you are also trying to change the way you consume food for the rest of your life. If things are not moving in the right direction, just be patient and willing to let the chemical processes work. There are strategies we have to make an impact if you find that you are not achieving what you want. For now, concentrate on getting better and sticking to your plan and using your gauge pants and the mirror to provide your feedback. All to often, Ladies will use the scale and when it doesn't tell them what they expect,if it fluctuates or doesn't continue to go down exclusively... they become disheartened and quit!
We will not quit! Promise to only weigh once a week and no matter what that number is... continue on with your program with gusto!!
I hope to see you tomorrow at the library... at 11:45am. I have a 1 pm appt again this week so we will be starting promptly at 11:45am since I must leave in 1 hour and 15mins.
Come on out and share!!
Always,
TT
Kristi,
How are you doing with your folks here in Korea??
Bring your Mom to our meeting tomorrow ~ she is more than welcome to join us:-)
~TT
Vivi,
I feel the same way but I knew it was coming. So often when I have slacked for awhile and then I hit the gym hard - I gain weight first. I know it is because muscle weighs more. For me it seems to take longer for my fat to disappear and let the muscle appear. Clothes are feeling loser though, so I know there is some transformation taking place.
I look at this as 8 weeks of really watching what goes in my mouth while trying to rev up my workouts. I have some workout days when I am tired and don't feel as good as I know I want to, but I am just patiently trying to get through them. I am frustrated by some of the errors/discrepancies in the book, but I know in the long run this is going to work and make a change. You can't keep up such a rapid weight loss as what we experienced the first week - but we got the ball rolling. I think Wendy's approach is to teach the body where to go to get the fat. This is going to take time.
I was frustrated yesterday and luckily talked to Desiree for awhile. I wanted chocolate BAD and settled on a tiny fudgesicle. I have decided that when I do stray from the plan I only stray with clean eating options, because I now this will get me toward my goal. I even made a squash and flax soup on my carb-up day because I really wanted some soup and I knew my homemade squash and flax soup was good for me while giving me some extra carbs.
This is all going to take time and probably no one is more impatient than me (I credit that to growing up in the Northeast and marrying someone from Boston). The most important thing is that you are thinking about what you are doing, you have momentum to do it, and you surround yourself with positive people to help get you there. (Also, when I first saw you coming to the gym last year you were not running the amount of miles you are now - you are truly making progress!)
Laurie
VERY well said Laurie!!!
Thank you so much fo make me feel much, much better. Today we had our crackers meeting in the librarie and was really good to know I'm not the only one feeling that way. But something is for sure I'm not going to quick this thing. I see difference now and I like the people is around me, see it too.
Thanks Lourie and you are rigth this is not fast change and we are going to get there sooner or later but we have to give the 8 week shot.
I hope the rest of the Kopiers they are follow the book please don't be discourge because you don't see weigh change. This is a journal what we are doing is change our life style and nobody said is going to be easy. We have to keep going until the end.
See you all my sis crackers.
Again Thanks Tracy for all the good information and Lourie and Donna for been there like always.
Post a Comment