Breakfast.. the next step.

Okay.. so I said the next installment would be all about Breakfast..
Ahhh Breakfast.  My least favorite meal of the day, and the most important meal of the day according to those pesky nutritionists and experts..

I have managed to eat breakfast two days in a row now.. This is a good start for me.

For me.. Breakfast has to be EASY.. and it has to taste good.

I tend to be lazy in the morning and I am usually running behind.  I still have not made the effort to get things ready the night before,  which I know is what is suggested by most people, and some even practice this lovely skill of organization.  Part of the reason I am fat, is because I am lazy. 

So step one is just getting out the door with something to eat that fits my healthy eating criteria... around 250 to 300 calories, is quick and easy and tastes good.

I will give you my favorite that I have eaten in the past and ate yesterday.

It is an Orowheat double fiber English muffin with peanut butter and a Christmas orange ( Clementine)
The muffin is 110 calories, the Peanut butter is 190 calories and the orange is 40 calories.
I know this brings the total up to 340, but if you used better peanut butter than I did, it would take it down a notch.  I used Skippy full fat Creamy.. hmmmm..

The other Breakfast I had, today, I liked as well.
 This consisted of 1 cup of Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt with a half of a cup of Kashi Go lean Crunch Cereal and one of those Christmas oranges.
My calories on this Breakfast were closer to where I wanted to be
310.. and I don't think it is going to keep me as full as long.

So for some other LOW cal and really easy and really tasty Breakfast ideas??

Smoothies.. Not sure how these will work out, but I have them on the menu for all next week.. with some Soy milk and Protein powder.  I will let you know how those go.

Make ahead Breakfast Muffins - These are also on the menu for next week.. I will post the recipes of the two I choose to make

Low Fat, Low Cal Egg Mc Muffin Subs.. Ohhhh these could be dangerous.. but they do fall within the calories when using Egg Subsitute, Canadian Bacon or Turkey Sausage, and Non Fat Sliced Cheese.. I will post the verdict after sourcing the ingredients.

Yogurt and Kashi.. I do like this

Another one I may Try is A recipe I found HERE

Scrambled Egg Wrapper

2 eggs - discard one of the yolks OR store for later use

salt & pepper (as desired)

1/2 slice of Mozzarella cheese (60 calories per slice)

1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 slice of crumbled microwaved bacon

1 flour tortilla (80 calories)

butter flavored cooking spray (or your favorite variety)

Begin by cooking tortilla in pan on stove using cooking spray. Cook tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side so that it remains easy to roll. Remove. Add eggs, salt, pepper and mushrooms to the pan that you have whisked together. Cook until eggs are set, then remove and place on one end of the tortilla. Crumble on bacon, then top with cheese; roll up burrito style.

Serves one for about 230 calories.

This is from Fitness Magazine online.. and is right up my alley.. under 300 calories and has pecans, bananas and WAFFLES!  Toaster kind even.

Banana Pecan Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 frozen low-fat whole-grain waffles
• 1/2 banana, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Toast the Waffles, Top with the Banana and Pecans.  YUMMMM

Here is another one from Fitness Magazine online.. and I love me some beans.. so this sounds pretty easy and filling.. and it is under 300 calories!

 

Black Bean Breakfast Burrito

• 1  egg and 2 egg whites
• 1/4  cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2  tablespoons salsa
• 2  tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1  small whole-wheat tortilla

Directions

Make it: Scramble eggs, beans, salsa and cheese. Fill tortilla with egg mixture.

  So there are some ideas that I am going to try in the next week.  BABY STEPS right?  The next installment will be on the challenges of Hydration and drinking the recommended amounts of water.. as I dislike drinking large amounts of plain blahhh water.. so I have an idea I will share with you.  It is called Sassy Water!  I am a sassy person, so Sassy Water it is!

It is time to eat snack and lunch now.. that is a Whole other post!

Step one.. plan for my success

The first step I have decided to take is to make a plan.

Making a plan for me is one way I hope to ensure success.

So I am getting honest with myself and making a plan to tackle my challenge areas.

I love to eat.  I know that it is the single biggest issue for me... FOOD!  I love food.  I love cheesy, starchy, fatty food.  I am not a big sweets eater, but I love me some bread and cheese and some nasty fatty bacon cheeseburgers.

I also love salad, with good dressing.. of course.. and I love veggies.  I love fruit, and I love whole grains.. sooo part of my plan is to look at all of the foods I love to eat and figure out how I can make them a part of my lifestyle without sacrificing being healthy.

There are a million weight loss "plans" out there.  South Beach, Weight Watchers, Biggest Loser, Atkins, Grapefruit diet, Belly Fat diet.. but they all have one thing in common...

Consume less calories in a day, and less fat in a day and exercise to lose the weight.

There are also a gazillion tools out there.  I like SparkPeople the best.. why?  It is Free, and you can track everything.  It has meal plans available, exercise plans, message boards, blogs, articles and recipes.  I will be using Spark People to track everything, but I am going to use my own meal plans based on a variety of information I have gathered from books, the internet, and common sense.

Changing how I eat, is one part, but I want to make sure that I can follow this lifestyle from now on.. forever.. and that is a long time.  So I don't want to completely cut out cheese, bread, pasta, or chocolate.. just shift the types and make better portion control choices.

Click HERE for the my pyramid portion sizes that we Should be eating.. it is an eye opener!


My biggest challenge with eating healthy and losing weight.. is how I eat throughout the day.  I am NOT a breakfast eater.  It is very difficult for me to think of food in the morning.  I also notice that when I eat breakfast, I become hungry faster and that of course leads to poor food choices.. when I am not prepared..so I am getting prepared.  Eating small meals throughout the day is the mantra of most fitness and health experts.. protein, healthy carbs and low fat are the way to go, 5 to 6 times a day.. hmmmm so What does that look like?  Well, I am are aiming for 1500 calories a day to start and that would be ideal to spread out over 5 to 6 meals a day.

I am not really a grazer by nature.  I am more of a stuff my face a couple times a day..and then feel like crap.




The first step to my plan is to decide how many meals I will eat a day, and what those meals will look like.

Here is the first phase of my plan:

Breakfast.. 200 to 250 calories  Eat by 9:00 AM every day.. no matter what.. NON negotiable

Snack:  200 Calories  Between 11am and noon

Lunch:  350 Calories  Between 1 and 3pm

Dinner:  400 Calories  Between 6 and 7pm

Snack:  200 Calories  Between 8 and 9pm

This is what works for me.. It may not work for anyone else.. but this is what is realistic for me.  It gives me a buffer of 150 calories a day.

So The next installment will be all about Breakfast.. including some 250 calorie choices.

I am now off to eat that breakfast.

First Post

Welcome to my weight loss/exercise/nutrition blog.  This is the first post.. and read on if you would like to join in or find out how I am planning on accomplishing my goals!

I do have another Blog..  and if you like horses, dogs, familys and such, you can check it out HERE.. but I figured I would put all of my "getting healthy" posts over here.  This blog is all about my journey to finally getting rid of the Fat and becoming a bit more FABULOUS in my britches!

Women and Weight loss have had a very volatile relationship from the creation of the world really.    Kind of like my relationship with bread, cheese, Big Macs, Chocolate, and Macaroni and Cheese.  Macaroni and Cheese is my nemesis.. and there will be more on that in the first nutrition post.

I could write that I just want to get fit, and healthy and be all Politically correct, and love my shape.. but really, who am I kidding?  I want to look hot.  I want to be a 40 year old HOT chick.  I want to be able to wear a REAL bathing suit.  The kind that comes with .. TWO pieces.

But really, my true motivation for this.. is my horse.  He is tired of carrying my fat ass around and I am tired of the extra effort it takes for me to balance and ride.  I would love to look good in my britches.. and seriously, that is what it is all about for me.. looking good in my britches and boots and in my saddle..Now.. before I go any farther.  There are people who are heavy that are very good riders and look good in their britches.  I am not one of those lucky bit.  wonderful people. I have much better balance when I am fit and thin, and right now, I look atrocius in britches.... Uggghh I can't believe I am showing this picture.. . but here goes...

This is at a Morgan Show.. our first training level test.. It just makes me shudder...

So to accomplish this.. I will need a plan.. a solid plan.. That will include exercise and nutrition.. eeeeeeeek...
I love certain kinds of exercise.. but I hate the kind that actually requires time and effort.. and I am going to have to just get over that.

Does anyone watch the Biggest loser?  Does anyone watch it like I have in the past?  In my recliner, with a bowl of buttered popcorn, a coke, some Ferraro Roche and a couple of oranges???



Oh.. well Okay.. I am not going to watch it that way anymore.. NOPE.. I am not.  The new season starts on January 5th, and I have decided, that will be my official start date as well. That is the date I am starting this adventure with exercise and nutrition.  I want to make sure that I plan and prepare and actually have a plan.. so the next post will be just that.. how to have a plan.  Because come January 5th, I am going to start saying goodbye to couch potato girl and hello to fabulous fit Dressage Queen!

These are a couple of my inspiration photos I found online..  One is Dressage based, and the other is just britches in general.

So these are my inspiration photos  The goal is that by September of next year.. that is what I look like in britches!.. and next post will be the plan.. stay tuned for more!

I am off to lunch!