Our Tickers

Julie and Avery | December 31, 2009

Next Weigh-In: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Avery’s Ticker

Julie’s Ticker

Summer’s Here: An Update

It’s Saturday of Memorial Day weekend which means that summer is here, so I feel an update is in order.

In April, I moved, changed jobs, and went on a ten-day vacation with my family. (I’m a lucky girl, I know.) So May has consisted of me getting used to a new roommate, a new commute, and trying to get back into the swing of things.

First, the good news: I have lost about 10 pounds in the past three months. What’s even more unbelievable is that pretty much all the weight loss took place between February 26th (when Avery and I started DTG) and April 16th (the day that I left for my cruise). Give or take a few pounds, I’ve been able to keep that weight off. And I’ve gone down a pants size!!!

Now, for the bad news: I realize now that an integral part of my weight loss was not only the Diet To Go food but also going to the gym on a regular basis. The exercise provided a much-needed buffer when I needed/wanted to stray a bit from the diet. And I haven’t stepped foot in the gym since I left from my cruise a month and a half ago.

And finally, the good news: I’ve had time to settle into my new routine and to reflect on the past few months. I feel like there’s no reason that my weight loss can’t continue if I recommit to the Diet To Go plan and working out. My ultimate goal was to lose my 30 pounds by my 25th birthday (in mid-September) and I certainly think that’s still doable if I’m diligent. The hardest part will of course be fitting in gym time into a summer schedule… In any case, I think I will set a mini-goal for myself of losing 6 pounds by July 4th, which is about five weeks away. Wish me luck!!

Adding Calorie Counts to Menus

I just read an article I thought I’d share with our readers -

Apparently there is a provision in the health reform bill that will require restaurants with 20 or more locations to include calorie information right on the menu. This is good news for those of us that are tracking our intake but certainly not so good for those of that believe in the ‘ignorance is bliss’ theory.

Read the full article.

(Not) Looking Forward to the Weekend

The Diet To Go plan, coupled with actually going to the gym, seems to be working (8.4 pounds down in four weeks!!) but a big test will be this weekend, when I go home to visit friends and family.

I’m pretty anxious about not only choosing healthy meal options but also about keeping my portion sizes manageable. I hope I don’t undo all the hard work I’ve put in over the last month! Eek!

PS We went out this weekend and a big payoff of this journey was being able to wear a dress I haven’t thought appropriate to wear in quite a while!

DietToGo – Pros and Cons

I’ve had a really stressful week, getting home at about 8 each night. (Avery and I haven’t even seen each other since Sunday which is very unusual for us!) I have been so grateful this week to be on DietToGo. It has been great to not worry about have time to grocery shop and then time to prepare the food. This, coupled with the fact that I know as long as  I just eat “what’s put in front of me” I’ll been successful, has been a load off my shoulders! And each day I wake up to a lighter and lighter number on the scale. It’s actually unbelievable. Who knew it was this easy?! (The answer is, of course, that it’s not so easy when you’re the one trying to figure out what and how much to eat.) From the perspective, DietToGo has been great.

Now for the cons – I have to say that I’ve thought the food has been great for the most part, but unfortunately, my last three meals have just really been not so good. Yesterday I had a Salmon Burger for lunch, which not only wasn’t very appetizing but then I kept burping it up the rest of the day. Today’s Hummus was simply too small and tonight’s Ravioli Ratatouille was filled with mushrooms (I food I hadn’t eaten for twenty years before eating it two weeks ago as part of the DietToGo plan!) and just didn’t taste fresh. I’m know these are sort of flukes since the majority of the meals have been really delicious. I’m ready to get back to those meals!

Happy Hour and The Cheesecake Factory

So, one of my main goals of this healthy lifestyle change is not to actually have to change my life very much — outside of eating. Therefore, last night when my office had a big happy hour followed by a trip to the Cheesecake Factory with close friends I don’t see often, I really put myself to the test.

At happy hour, I did indulge in a glass of white wine as well as salmon skewers and pita bread with hummus and some artichoke dip. I stayed away from the fried eggrolls and sugary cocktails so overall I think I did pretty well at the happy hour. Then, on to my favorite restaurant in the world — the ultimate manufacturing company known as the The Cheesecake Factory. Because we didn’t get seated until almost 9 and I had been filling up at the happy hour I actually didn’t get a dish. I can’t believe it! I was satisfied with just one Avocado Eggroll out of the six that came in the appetizer everyone ordered (although I did munch a bit on those white stringy, airy things they use to decorate their dishes). Yes, I was that girl that also picked out the stuffing of the eggrolls and didn’t eat all of the fried shell. I also snuck in one piece of their warm, gooey whole wheat bread.

So, my overall point is that:

1. My stomach has definitely shrunk in this diet. So much so that I was actualy filled up by the small amount I ate at the happy hour.

2. It is possible to avoid temptation at the Cheesecake Factory (but not easy!)

3. Even though I didn’t lose weight this morning from yesterday, I didn’t gain, and I would say that is a win in my book considering I had such a fun and still tasty evening!

Don’t worry, I’ll be eating my leftover dinner from last night tomorrow night for dinner to stay on track.

Amazing Dinner on DTG!

Last night was “Red Snapper” on the label, but oh, so much more than that in my mouth. The snapper was a fairly large portion, probably about the size of my hand sprawled out with fingers stretching. It was thin and flaky, covered in a perfect blend of bread crumbs and seasoning. The fish in and of itself was delicious, but when paired with the soft grits it was atop, I felt like I was back home in Charleston, SC at a fancy restaurant. The grits (although I’m sure they weren’t filled butter) were delicious and healthy tasting at the same time. Thumbs up for the Red Snapper! I can’t wait for this one to come up again.

Just Another Day at the Office

Just wanted to mention that on today’s typical Friday menu at the office we have:

- the usual box of munchkins
- 2 Cheesecake Sampler Trays
- 2 Dozen Mini Cartons of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

That is all.

“I’ll have a bagel and Shmear…”

One of the hardest things for me to give up during this lifestyle change (besides french fries, chocolate and burgers) is the short trip to the bagel shop downstairs on a Saturday or Sunday morning with my boyfriend. Our routine was to split two bagels — an everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion and a cinnamon raisin bagel with lite regular cream cheese. It was definitely a highlight of my past couple years to kick start my weekends with such a delicious treat, but as we know, the scrumptious bagels did not love me back.

So, missing that special weekend tradition, I was so excited to find that my DTG breakfast this morning was a Cinnamon Raisin bagel with a small packet of the Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you know what I’m talking about). Just to take a few moments for myself to enjoy the sweet and chewy goodness of a cinnamon raisin bagel was a wonderful start to my day. Thanks DTG for allowing me drop 6 ounces from yesterday and still enjoy one of my faves!

My Own Tea Party

When I was a little girl, I used to get together with my friends and have a tea party. Of course there was never real tea but there was plenty of beautiful fake china and lots of pretend pretentious clothes and postures.

As I grew up, though, tea never became a part of my lifestyle. I, thankfully, never became addicted to Southern sweetened iced tea, but I never liked the hot stuff either. Now, I’m proud to say that I believe tea has became a part of my morning ritual. For the past two weeks, I’ve had a cup of decaffeinated fruity tea (with no sugar or cream) with my breakfast and it has been great. I’ve been doing some research and here is a quick and very unscientific recap of teas health benefits:

1. Antioxidants – More than Vitamin C and E, tea replenishes the body with needed vitality and youth.

2. Dental Health – Tea has 70% of the fluoride your teeth need to stay healthy and some say tea helps to ward off bacteria that can cause plaque.

3. Weight Loss – With virtually zero calories, tea is a great flavorful drink with vitamins to keep you hydrated and feeling full. Also, drinking hot tea helps burn extra calories because your body needs energy to cool itself back down after drinking the hot beverage.

4. Practical – Tea is inexpensive and comes in a variety of flavors.

I think I’m sold on the benefits of tea! We’ll see if it actually helps me lose weight!

Office Hazard

As I’ve mentioned a couple of times already the biggest potential hazards at my office are the baked goods. Just today, I open up the fridge to put my healthy DTG meal away only to find the remains of someone’s chocolate icing on chocolate cake birthday cake. I then continue to the counter to get a cup of tea when I see an entire flaky apple pie — that’s right, the kind with the lattice dough on top. I quickly turned away and made a beeline for my desk and decided that I’ll print to the printer on the other side of the office for the day.