#52weeksofRoarke

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Day 27 and Im starting to get anxious about my weigh-in on Saturday morning.  Im really hoping to drop that next 2.5 lbs to be down a total of 20 lbs in my first month.  I havent gone off the diet or given myself any reason to believe that my weight loss would slow down but the human body is a funny thing.  Ive been on other diets where they start off strong and then I end up in a plateau for weeks at a time... so I guess Im just hoping that doesnt happen yet. 

I forgot to go to the Medi-Weightloss Clinic last night for my B12 injection so Ill be going tonight after work.  Last night I just got all turned around because I took a side trip to WalMart to buy nicotine patches (Ive been using them to try to quit smoking since January 2nd) and the WalMart didnt have the ones I needed so then I had to go to the nearest Walgreens instead.  Youd think that their prices would be similar, considering they have the same parent company, but theyre MUCH more expensive at the pharmacy (like $10+ more). 

But I did get my patches and I had a good breakfast today (a scrambled egg, 2 slices of turkey bacon & half a grapefruit) so I have a good start to the day.  Now if I could only clone myself to get some help with my projects at work, Id be all set!

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Well, here we are...WE DID IT!  Im so proud of both my husband and I.  We stayed with the plan all month and we made it.  Together, we have lost 37 pounds in 28 days!!!  We didnt count a single calorie, we worked out less than we used to, we didnt cheat and we held each other accountable.  It really shows that hard work, determination and will-power really pays off.  If you put your mind to it and set a goal, you WILL get there.  It took a LOT of focus (and some complaining) to get to this day and we did it.  Im truly happy that I had my partner by my side the whole time - Im not sure I could have done it without him! 

Week 4 Weight Loss:
Kiana: 3.0 lbs
Anthony: 3.6 lbs

FINAL WEIGH IN:

Kiana:  148.6 lbs,  14.6 lbs lost or 8.9% in just 28 days!

Anthony: 238.6 lbs; 22.4 lbs lost or 8.6% in just 28 days!

 
There were so many more topics I could have discussed in this blog but didnt always have the time to write about.  If you want to know more or have specific questions, I am more than willing to chat about it with you.  This was a great experience for us and it can be a life-changing experience for you as well.  I highly recommend the book The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy - there are so many more details about why you eat the types of foods that you do on this diet and how the order in which you eat it affects your body.

Ive learned so much these last 4 weeks, such as, my amazing will-power and my ability to cook healthy meals even with a busy schedule. I feel that I now have a different perspective on what healthy eating really is. I look forward to our continuous progress on making healthier decisions for ourselves and for our family.

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Week 27... the week of my vacation.  I canceled my weigh-in appointment Saturday morning because I knew I had been eating like I was on vacation pretty much all week.  So I rescheduled for the same time this Saturday coming up and Im hoping to balance out my bad eating last week with being good this week.  I honestly feel like I used vacation as an excuse to eat badly but I also feel like I needed a vacation from this diet for a week - not just work.  Sometimes its really hard to focus on long term goals and overall health when youre feeling deprived.  And during vacation I immediately started to feel deprived because we had a "staycation" and were hanging around locally all week.  It theoretically should have been easier to follow my plan since I hadnt gone anywhere but having that much free time in a familiar place is a recipe for dieting disaster.

So today Im back on track and ready to share another recipe with you all:  Mashed Cauliflower!

I recently got a recipe from the Medi-Weightloss Clinic for mashed cauliflower BUT I was not impressed with the recipe and vowed to try it later because the recipe I had already was so good.  I hope you like it too!

MASHED CAULIFLOWER

1 large head of cauliflower, florets only
1 3/4 cups fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp light butter (such as Land O Lakes or Smart Balance with Canola Oil)
2 Tbsp fat free sour cream
2 oz fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese blend
salt & pepper to taste

Place cauliflower florets and chicken broth in a large saucepan/dutch oven and heat on high uncovered until boiling.  Cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid and continue to cook on high for 12-14 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and a very light brown.  All of the broth should be gone, if not then drain cauliflower in a colander and return it to the hot pan and saute until all moisture dissolves.  Add cauliflower and all remaining ingredients to a food processor and process on lowest setting (or pulse) until cauliflower reaches a potato-like consistency.  Serve immediately or reheat just before serving. 

Makes about 6 servings, 1/2 cup each.  Approximate nutrition information (including 1 dash of salt & 1/2 tsp black pepper) per serving is as follows: 

Calories		90.0
Total Fat		3.6 g
	Saturated Fat	0.8 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g
Cholesterol		13.9 mg
Sodium		380.0 mg
Potassium		449.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate		9.8 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.7 g
	Sugars	0.8 g
Protein		6.2 g

  And some photos of the cooking process because I was bored! 

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Itll look like there isnt enough broth in the pan but believe me, there is!

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As you can see, I used 1/3 Less Fat Philly cream cheese instead of fat free but it was all I had.  And thats what 2 oz of cream cheese looks like... I actually weighed it!  :)

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Plain Jane food processor with all of the uncooked ingredients waiting for the cauliflower to finish cooking

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Birds Eye View of the uncooked ingredients in the food processor, I literally just throw it all in there any which way

Cauliflower and broth almost done cooking... be careful of steam, it builds up quite a bit!

The finished product should look like this in your food processor

And this is 1 serving (1/2 cup) with 4 oz of steak (for dinner!)

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#52weeksofRoarke

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Yeah!  I made it to the 140s!  Im super excited - I havent been here since last year, just before our vacation.  Now, to get down just another 10 would be fantastic!  As I go back through our weight loss chart and stats, I notice that we lose more weight in the phase 3 part of the week, which I find interesting since we dont really work out during that time period.  But, it supports our plan for "whats next" - eating a modified phase 3 diet everyday, starting up a cycle of P90X and having a cheat meal or snack in moderation - not a whole day of cheat meals.  And, by a "modified phase 3 diet", I mean, eat a fruit for breakfast and lunch (any fruit), eat a grain for breakfast and dinner (any grain), and get protein, veggies and healthy fats in at all meals and snacks.  I am so looking forward to it!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 149.8 lbs
Anthony: 240.0 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7:30am:
Steel cut oats with blueberries, egg and peppers

Snack @ 11am:
Carrots and sunflower seeds

Lunch @ 3pm:
Filet mignon and veggie kabobs

Snack @ 6:30pm:
Sunflower seeds

Dinner - none, fell asleep early

Workout:
Just a massage - yeah me!

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