Day 19 - Well, I screwed up today.

My intentions were good. I even started my morning off great with a egg with Texas Pete on it (2 pts) but when my wife and I got in the car and she asked where we were eating I told her Wendy's to get another grilled chicken and small chilli she instantly replied "How about Mexican?".  For those that know me personally, Mexican or Tex-Mex is my weakness. I simply CAN NOT pass it up so that is what we did. I had 3/4 basket of chips with salsa, one cup of the Caldo de pollo and then for the main event I had this:















So, yeah. I blew it. I gotta tell ya I think I deserved it and it's not a bad thing I did if I get back on the train by tomorrow morning! I weighed myself this morning and found myself looking at 228 pounds. That's 16.5 pound weight loss from day 1 and it's been only 19 days! I had trouble for about a week were it kept nearly stead around 231 and I think it is because I was drinking water like I had in the beginning. I was within my points each day but I drank only 1/4 the water I had the first 2 weeks. My normal hydration routine is a glass (equals 2 cups) of water before my meal, during my meal and after my meal. This is 9 glasses of water from the tap a day. 9 glasses is 1.125 gallons a day!

A drawback to what I ate (only half the main entree) meant a bad intense case of heartburn and acid reflux. It hit me while I was shopping for my son in Target. Luckily it didn't last long. Now, I'm not totally blowing it today. I'm still drinking a lot of water. It's 4pm and I'm on my 4th or 5th glass. It will help my liver and kidneys break down all that fatty food for me.

Would love to know how they make their Caldo de Pollo. I've seen recipes online but they just don't seem to be the same as the restaurants I go to.

Holding at 15 for a few days......

....give or take a 1/2 pound. I just haven't been drinking my water like I was and I have had less fruit. I also have had more sodium than usual. A couple of days ago my in-laws took care of my son for us and we went to Red Lobster. Believe it or not I ate plenty and stayed in within my points. I also hadn't eaten that day.  I learned something about myself too. I apparently love Shrimp Cocktail. I had no idea how good cold plain shrimp with a dab of cocktail sauce can be. I can even eat it without the sauce but the sauce was so good. Now I had tried it before and it was when I was a teen and I remember I didn't like it. It's amazing how much we can change as we age.

Bought myself a cast-iron skillet. I don't think I have ever had one and I've been looking at buying one for over a year now so I took the plunge and bought one.

So I decided to do another fish dinner done in foil. Instead of all the olives and artichokes and stuff from last time, I decided to simply top with pico de gallo. I found the taste good and so did my wife, but it just didn't have any texture. I just can't seem to get fish dinners down. I'd do shellfish but Jennifer is allergic so that's out the window.

The day after I decided to cook and make two meals from one dish. Here we have corn beef brisket again and instead of adding broth I simply added water and some veggies. The corned beef I sliced after it had cooled completely and am using it for sandwiches and for our meal tonight.

This was our meal tonight. One cup rice with those veggies on top and juices from the pan. Added 2 oz corned beef, generous portion of broccoli and a half cob of corn. It's quite a bit of carbs but not too much fat and plenty of fiber and protein. We both loved it and my wife cleaned her plate.








Tomorrow I am thinking turkey/beef meatballs on wheat spaghetti (for wife) / Spaghetti squash (for me and son)

!@#$%! you Caramel Coloring!

So last night I made pizza using Flatout bread. If I read the ingredients I wouldn't have bothered. This morning I wake up with issues and am trying to figure out what I ate and I went back and found out I had caramel coloring last night. So I've taken a dose of Imodium and will probably have to take it again 2 or 3 more times before my body is back to normal. Was that too much info? Tough! I've been having this problem ever since my accident in 93 and it wasn't until a year or so ago that I was able to isolate it to this single ingredient. It sounds like a pretty innocent ingredient doesn't it? Well I've done some reading and I'd like to post some things here for your viewing pleasure. 


Caramel Coloring is a soluble food coloring. It's that simple. Pretty much anything that you eat that is processed and is brown or has brown color marks has it. That cola you are drinking is loaded with it. That gravy in your Hungryman dinner is loaded with it! Those grill marks on the patty in your frozen TV dinner is made with it! Everywhere! 


Instead of links I'm just going to provide info source and post clippings. I'll try to keep it organized.


From Wikipedia:

Caramel color is one of the oldest and most widely-used food colorings, and is found in almost every kind of industrially produced food, including: batters, beer, brown bread, buns, chocolate, cookies, cough drops, dark liquor such as brandy, rum, and whisky, chocolate-flavored flour-based confectionery, coatings, custards, decorations, fillings and toppings, potato chips, dessert mixes, doughnuts, fish and shellfish spreads, frozen desserts, fruit preserves, glucose tablets, gravy browning, ice cream, pickles, sauces and dressings, soft drinks (especially colas), sweets, vinegar, and wines.

Production

Caramel color is made by controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates (nutritive sweeteners, which are the monomers glucose and fructoseor their polymers, e.g., glucose syrups, sucrose, invert syrups, and dextrose), generally in the presence of food-grade acids, alkalis, and salts, in a process called caramelization. Antifoaming agents may be used as processing aids during manufacture. Unlike caramel candy, it requires close to maximum oxidation of the sugar to produce a caramel concentrate that has an odor of burnt sugar and a somewhat bitter taste in its raw liquid form. Its color ranges from pale yellow to amber to dark brown.

Caramel color molecules carry either a positive or negative charge depending upon the reactants used in their manufacture. Problems such as precipitation,flocculation or migration can be eliminated with the use of a properly charged caramel color for the intended application. A crude form of caramel color can be made by strongly heating sucrose.

Toxicology

Internationally, JECFA has set the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of Class I caramel color as "not specified"; that of Class II as 0-160 mg/kg body weight; that of Class III as 0-200 mg/kg body weight; and that of Class IV as 0-200 mg/kg body weight.

The United States Food and Drug Administration classifies and regulates caramel color in 21 CFR 73.85 (PDF) as a color additive exempt from certification. Unless a food has a standard of identity, caramel color may be safely used in foods generally at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice.

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) has concluded that commercially-produced caramel color has the same toxicological properties as caramel produced by cooking or heating sucrose, except for those prepared using ammonium (Class III and IV). The IPCS has not concluded that the caramel exhibits carcinogenicity or mutagenicity, based on its studies.^[5] However, the IPCS status report for the product includes says that "Side effects are manifested from the use of E150c and E150d, where intestinal problems may occur after ingestion of large amounts. Due to the complex nature of the mixtures, toxicology tests are still being carried out." California now lists one of its consituent chemicals in the state's list of chemicals known to the state to cause "cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm".^[6]

Caramel color has excellent microbiological stability. Since it is manufactured under very high temperature, high acidity, high pressure, and high specific gravity, it is essentially sterile as it will not support microbial growth unless in a dilute solution.

When reacted with sulfites, caramel color may retain traces of sulfite after processing. However, in finished food products, labeling is usually only required for sulfite levels above 10 ppm.

Food Allergies

Caramel coloring may be derived from a variety of source products that are themselves common allergens, such as lactose (from milk), dextrose (usually derived from corn), starch hydrolysates (from corn or wheat), or malt syrup (generally derived from barley). As such, persons with known sensitivities or allergies to food products are advised to avoid foods including generic caramel coloring or first determine the source for the caramel coloring before consuming the food.^[7][8]

Only thing here that can explain my reaction to it is some sort of allergy I guess.

From The Center for Science in the Public Interest:


WASHINGTON—The “caramel coloring” used in Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other foods is contaminated with two cancer-causing chemicals and should be banned, according to a regulatory petition filed today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.


In contrast to the caramel one might make at home by melting sugar in a saucepan, the artificial brown coloring in colas and some other products is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures. Chemical reactions result in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4 methylimidazole, which in government-conducted studies caused lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice or rats.


The National Toxicology Program, the division of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences that conducted the animal studies, said that there is “clear evidence” that both 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens. Chemicals that cause cancer in animals are considered to pose cancer threats to humans. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found significant levels of 4-MI in five brands of cola.


Federal regulations distinguish among four types of caramel coloring, two of which are produced with ammonia and two without it. CSPI wants the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the two made with ammonia. The type used in colas and other dark soft drinks is known as Caramel IV, or ammonia sulfite process caramel. Caramel III, which is produced with ammonia but not sulfites, is sometimes used in beer, soy sauce, and other foods.


Five prominent experts on animal carcinogenesis, including several who have worked at the National Toxicology Program, joined CSPI in calling on the FDA to bar the use of caramel colorings made with an ammonia process. “The American public should not be exposed to any cancer risk whatsoever as a result of consuming such chemicals, especially when they serve a non-essential, cosmetic purpose,” the scientists wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.


To put the risk from caramel coloring in context, CSPI says the ten teaspoons of obesity-causing sugars in a non-diet can of soda presents a greater health risk than the ammonia sulfite process caramel. But the levels of 4-MI in the tested colas still may be causing thousands of cancers in the U.S. population.


Junkscience.com response to the above information: (I can play both sides here I guess)


“CSPI's claim is based on studies in which laboratory rats were given extremely high doses of 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MI). But such studies are entirely unreliable indicators of cancer-causing affects in humans, simply because lab rats are not little people…. Moreover, even assuming for the sake of argument that the rat studies were relevant to cancer risk in humans, JunkScience.com calculates that a person would have to consume about 154,000 20-ounce bottles of cola per day to be exposed to the same dose of 4-MI as the lab rats. This is obviously impossible.”


Well, none of this explains why I have this reaction to it. Am I the only one? So I did a Google for people having diarrhea from this ingredient and here is an example:

.

Crystal
04/10/2011
9:58AM

Caramel Coloring is bad and does hurt people. I'm a prime example of it. Depending how much caramel coloring is in the product depends on how bad my reaction is and how sick I get. I can get bad nasty gas for a little caramel coloring, to diarrhea with a moderate amounts, to an asthmatic attack within minutes for large amounts. No wonder I would get sick since a child on certain foods. It was always hard to pinpoint the problem. I knew I have trouble with caffeine since I always got sick drinking cola, having coke syrup or taking medicines with high amounts of caffeine. But while on a food elimination diet to find my daughter's problems, I got sick on two items. The only key ingredient in both was caramel coloring. Since then, when I get sick, if I go back and check the labels, the item always have caramel coloring. We are checking labels since I got sick on vitamins with it in. I wish they would eliminate caramel coloring in items for consumption

I am so tired of going through this. At least I was finally able to narrow it down to one additive. The hard part is shopping with a 3 year old that wont give you the time to read ingredients! I'm just tired of it all.

On a high note, I and my wife had enough points to eat at McDonald's today and look at houses. Nice outing on a beautiful day.

Day 12 - 13.5 pounds lost

It might be more. The scale kept moving a half pound up and down. Today I had to put on a belt to hold my shorts on. Yup. That made me feel super good. Of course I am wearing a pair of shorts that I've had to wear a belt with in the past but not when I was 244 pounds! Basically I am at the same weight I was at when I was working and getting plenty of exercise but was eating like a pig each day at fast food places.

The family and I went out to Wal-mart today so I could pick up a few things and we stopped at Wendy's. Don't worry! I was good but looking at the small fries for my son while he was busy eating his nuggets was torture! I had a small chilli (4 pts) and a Ultimate Chicken Sandwich (9pts) and I had water in the car already. Jennifer and AJ went roaming the store while I was shopping and they ran into another mother and son about the same age. That other child told my boy that he was shopping and this was Mommy and Aj said back to him, "No, this is Mommy". The other mother did not seem amused from what I heard but I think it is funny.

I think I have mentioned that I like eggs and I'm good at cooking them. I made the omelet for my wife this morning and she really liked it. If I do it again I might make a video of it and post ingredients. It's worth sharing. Speaking of eggs, I read this at yahoo:

Nutrition "Scare" #8: Eggs are Cholesterol Bombs!

Perhaps the biggest nutrition myth is that eggs are bad for your heart, a fact attributed to the cholesterol in the yolk. But here's the truth: The dietary cholesterol found in eggs actually has little effect on the amount of cholesterol in your blood. When it comes to increasing LDL ("bad cholesterol"), trans and saturated fats are the real culprits. The incredible, edible egg is actually an excellent, affordable source of protein and B vitamins, and it may help you lose weight. A 2008 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that dieters who consumed two eggs for breakfast each day lost significantly more weight than those who consumed bagels.

Finally, start your day right. A great breakfast will jump start your metabolism and have you burning more calories throughout the day. The wrong one might fill you up with empty calories and an entire day’s worth of fat, sugar and/or salt. Make sure you steer clear of the breakfasts in this shocking list of the 20 Worst Breakfasts in America.

Interesting isn't it?

For dinner tonight I made pizza using Flatout bread, simple marinara sauce with pepperoni, mozzarella and fresh basil. It was very good but not very filling. I suppose I needed more toppings like mushrooms, onions and peppers. That would have helped. It got two thumbs up from my critics so I was happy either way.
Picture, we need a picture.

Taken with cellphone. I really need to keep a camera nearby. Leave me feedback folks.

WW post Day Whatever, down another 1.5 pounds!

Oh how I love sleeping late! I didn't roll out of bed till 8am and my son was still asleep.  Went through the usual routine and weighed myself. Down to 232.5 pounds!  My son was in a good mood. Yes all is right with the world. So I have been watching a show on TV called The Chew and I saw Mario Batalli make an omelet using olive oil. He burnt his just a bit but I got to thinking that I'd like to try it. Now let me tell you I am really good with eggs. Scrambled, omelet, poached, whatever! So I used some extra virgin olive oil in the pan, two eggs with a tablespoon of water well scrambled, table spoon of scallions and 2 ounces goat cheese. came out perfect.!


11 points perfect but I don't mind. I'm talking freaking party in my mouth!












Lunch was simply leftovers and by this time I had only had one glass of water. I still have some catching up to do and it is nearly 9pm now.

Dinner was unusual. How many people here have tried spaghetti squash?  Wow, not too many hands.  It really doesn't have much of a taste and there is a slight crisp to it. I think with a better choice of marinara recipe it would have been great. The other thing I did was smashed butternut squash and apples. 10 minutes in the microwave and it was done. Now everyone enjoyed that. Lemme find a link. OK. here ya go http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=143401

You know. I bet I can use the sauce from that meatballs dinner a few days ago on the squash and it would be perfect. S few more points but that's ok!


Anyone got some good spaghetti squash recipes? Share in the comment section!

WW Blog - Day 10

This morning's weigh-in shows a 1/2 pound loss. I'm OK with that! I was going to do eggs but decided on oatmeal again but instead of blueberries I microwaved a cup of diced apples with Splenda and cinnamon and poured it over my oatmeal. Oh that was good! Lunch was left-over spaghetti with meatballs. I made 45 Fiber One haystacks since my son was at daycare and for dinner I made Beef and Broccoli stir fry and served it over rice. This is the 3rd dish that my wife and I agree on and will make in the future.

Here's the link:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=225421


Didn't take any photos today. My bad. Tomorrow should be a better post. :0

WATER = My favorite diet drink!

So My wife and I are on the same diet and started the same time but I have lost double the weight. We are both pretty inactive and we eat the same points so what gives? OMG Lamar, you are a guy! Of course you lost more! That's what I hear all the time and it is true that men lose weight faster. But double? According to Weight Watchers "Men are biologically programmed to have higher amounts of lean body mass, or muscle, than women. Lean body mass is the key factor that determines the rate of one's metabolism, the body's calorie-burning system. Since men have more muscle, their metabolisms are higher, and they burn more calories even when they're resting, so the final result is a more rapid weight loss.

How much faster are men's metabolisms than women's? Research has found that on average the metabolism of a man is 5 to 10 percent higher than that of a woman of the same weight and height."

But hold on here. That's only 5 to 10% and I certainly don't have much muscle mass anymore. In fact I think my wife has more muscle than I do. The other statistic is that men are more active. Nope, not me. So what is it that I am doing differently from my most awesome wife? I think it has more to do with me eating more fruits instead of pre-packaged WW snack foods and drinking massive amounts of water. I'm keeping a lot of unnatural stuff out of my system too. But i'm not eating that much fruit. Maybe 2 apples a day worth. I've been reading some studies today and I think the secret ingredient is water and timing. Why timing? Basically put, someone that drinks two cups of water before each meal loses more weight than a person that drinks water during or after a meal. Why? Simple! Those two cups make your stomach fuller and you consume less calories during the meal. The other power punch of drinking water is it removes toxins and stuff from your body, help your kidney and liver function better to help burn fat! So I might be overdoing it but there is no harm from drinking water. Basically I drink 2 cups before meal, during meal and after meal. In a day I will have had 18 cups of water (that's measured cups). Yes I go to the bathroom a lot but losing weight is worth it.

Oh, btw. I lost half a pound from yesterday. Probably would have been more but I had some popcorn late in the night to zero out my points and I had seasoning on it which was loaded with sodium. Lesson learned.

Below is some links to studies about water and weight loss. Enjoy and comment. Become a follower!

Time for Fitness

Calories Per Hour

Discovery News

WW Update - Day 9

Back on track! Down another pound (234.5) and did very well today. Did not drink all the water I need, but I'm gonna catch up as soon as I post this!  Over slept this morning (thanks Nyquil!) but Arthur didn't seem to be in a hurry to get out of his room either so it's all good.

 For breakfast I had 1 cup cooked oatmeal with a little Splenda and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries. I show it to my wife and she said it looked unappetizing but really it was good and at 4 points it's a real winner! A cup of of this with fruit really will last you till lunch. Tomorrow I'll either do eggs (over easy) with some Texas Pete or I'll have this again but with apples and cinnamon.

For lunch I started to go through the leftovers. It was easy as we had only one leftover! Some corned beef brisket that was roasted in the oven. Took 4 ounces of that, two slices of Swiss cheese on Natures Own 9 grain bread with a dab of Dijon ground mustard. I threw it in a George Foreman grill and pressed on it for a couple of minutes till the cheese melted. OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS GOOD!  Would have been perfect if I had some sauerkraut! It was 11 points so I didn't want to have a second. My wife is taking what is left to work tomorrow.

For dinner I found a WW recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs. I found two but this one had better reviews. It was a bit bland so I added additional garlic, oregano and parsley to the sauce. I also did half turkey and half beef at the request of my wife. I used the leanest beef I could get and the points added up the same as the turkey. You get 2 ounces of spaghetti (weight when dry), 6 meatballs and sauce. It totals 10 points. Since I had 31 points going into this I had double portions since I didn't have any veggies fixed. My over all feeling on this is it's very mild. You really taste the crush tomatoes but with the seasonings added it became quite good and my wife said she would eat it again. (that makes 2 she said she'd eat again).


My wife questions if I am starving myself during the day to have so many points at dinner time but really all I am doing is eating fruits (zero points) in between meals to keep me satisfied so I am not going hungry. I am probably less hungry than she is for all I know (who do two people compare hunger anyway?).

Have I mentioned my goal weight? No? It's 150 to 170lbs. My high school weight was 143lbs. After boot camp (navy) weight was 168.

Subscribe why don't ya. It help motivates me!

Weight watchers - Day 8

I've decided to blog about my current issue of weight loss (and anything else). My wife and I started Weight Watchers (WW from now on) 8 days ago and I do all the cooking and preparing of meals. Since last Tuesday I lost 10 pounds, gained two back Sunday night and lost one by this morning. The two I gained back was after a day where I hardly drank any water. Every day, except that one, I have drank about 8 glasses of water or more. I use the same style glass and it holds 2 cups of water when full.  Also that day I didn't really make anything and we ate sandwiches.


So far we have a favorite WW recipe and we have found a few we didn't agree on and one we just didn't enjoy at all.  My wife normally grabs a WW snack or a snack of another brand for breakfast and her lunches vary according to her Boss (work spouse) desires or whatever she grabs. My mornings are usually a cup of cooked oatmeal with splenda and a fruit mixed in or 2 eggs scrambled or over easy. When scrambled I add a lot of veggies.


Here is what I made this morning. I sauteed some tomato, bell pepper, green onion and mushroom. I poured my 2 well-scrambled egg (with a dash of water for moist eggs) over it and added almost an ounce of           goat cheese.





For lunch I used a whole wheat sub roll with 2 ounces each of ham and turkey and one slice of WW cheese with a squirt of Dijon mustard.

Dinner I made Chicken with scallion sauce which is a WW recipe. This is the one that my wife and I agree on so far.  This with 1 cup rice is only 9 points. I doubled my chicken portion for 13 points total. I fixed up some canned green beans with some minced onion that I nuked for three minutes and let steep for same time. Taste just like KFC green beans.

Gotta tell ya, this is awesome.


For dessert I simply cut up some strawberries and added a FiberOne haystack on it. The strawberries are 0 points and the haystack is 2








I just finished my 8th glass of water so I expect good results tomorrow. I try to drink a full glass before meal, during meal and then a third one after a meal.

So how do I feel?  Crappy and good at the same time. I want a fast food meal and I know I can stay within points doing it, but afterwards I'm gonna want it again and again and that's how I got this big (244.5 last week was my heaviest!). I feel good knowing I can do this and every now and then I do plan on eating out, but because we are eating no prepackaged meals and a lot of fresh fruit and veggies I have noticed our food bill has gone up. Eating out is already expensive so doing both would just put us further in debt. I'm saving myself for Red Lobster next week when the in-laws come to visit and take our son out for dinner. What will I eat? Most likely broiled fish or something. I have to make a list of what I can have when we go.

I seem to be coming down with a cold or something so it's gonna be rough feeling well enough to cook, but I gotta do it!

Today's weight was 235.5 this morning (I always weigh in the morning before I eat).

Arthur's Big day at the Ark

The place is called Noah's Ark and instead of listing all they do you can click the link and read for your own. Tuesday my wife took off work to share int eh experience with my son since she works full time and never seems to take part in our outings. Arthur is 3 years old now and I really thought he'd be more interested int he animals but he seemed to be more interested in keeping up with a school group of children and jumping over rocks and tree roots! Our best Arthur/animal interaction came with the first exhibit of birds. A couple of the birds were quite talkative and Arthur and the birds carried on a fine conversation!

From ArthurNoahsArk

After this he seemed to not take much notice of any animals and instead wanted to stay near the other kids, yell loudly to passerby's "HI! I'M LOOKING AT ANIMALS!" and jumping over tree roots and rocks. This was also his normal nap time so I am sure it played a part so no harm done and we still had fun being together as a family. Enjoy the photos!

 Peacocks were everywhere!

 My favorite photo!

 Very sweet but tries to bite.

 There were three tigers in this area.

 Quack Quack

 These insects were everywhere and I had not seen them before.

 This bear shares the area with a lion and a tiger. They were all brought in as babies and have grown together. Right before this it was pawing the lions backside but the lion was lazy and only snarled at it. I think it wanted to play.

 Lots of ducks there. 1/3 where this breed and another 1/3were Pekin and the rest was an assortment. I did not see the ones I donated, at least I'm not sure. None looked like Jr, but a couple did look like Punky and Noname. There is another part where we aren't allowed and it has a pond and more ducks which is where i thought they were taken.

 Very blue when flashed.