1200 And Below

I need to do this. 

By this I mean loose these pesky 10-15lbs that I’ve gained in the past 8 months. I kept saying that as soon as I got back from the honeymoon I’d get back on track, but I haven’t and we’ve been back for nearly 2 months! 

I’ve been good at making excuses:

• I don’t have healthy snacks. 
• I make dinner for Thomas which is definitely not calorie friendly for me. 
• The ice cream tastes so good. I’ll start counting when I’m done with this pint. 
• I haven’t had In-N-Out for a long time! 
• It’s much easier to just make a quesadilla for dinner. 
• I don’t have my food scale! 

The list can probably go on for ages. What I have found most difficult this time around is making food for Thomas and then finding something for me to eat. By the time I’m done cooking for him I don’t want to make myself something or if I do I’d rather it be something quick like a quesadilla or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

Every work morning when I try to fit into my work slacks and they don’t fit I vow to myself that today will be the day that I start and go a whole day staying under my calorie goal. So far it has happened a couple of days but then the next day I’m back to the usual. 

Since Thomas left yesterday for his trip to Maryland (for the 3^rd time in 2 months) I thought that this week would be a good week to try to keep it in gear. While I made some yummy meatballs (I only tried 2) on Sunday for him to eat with spaghetti I did have leftovers from 3 different nights in the fridge for him to eat.  This made it easier since I didn’t have to cook for him for the two nights he was here and so I could focus on myself. 

I have a go to meal for low calories at home. Trader Joe’s carries this Grilled Teriyaki Chicken which is delicious WITHOUT the teriyaki sauce. With the sauce the per serving calories is about 190, without the sauce I can only imagine it being closer to 150 (still I count the whole amount even though I don’t use the sauce). I make some couscous (measured out) with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray (0 calories!) and add some soy sauce (10 calories!) and I have myself a meal for under 250 calories. Sometimes, when I feel like it, I’ll add some veggies from Green Giant that are under 50 calories per serving as well. 

So far I haven’t really done this. At first my scale (to weigh the chicken and the couscous) was out of battery and it uses a watch battery which I didn’t have. Then I took it to my mom’s house and she gave me a battery but then I forgot the scale at her house. It’s finally back at my place! 

I have other meals that I generally ate when counting calories but I haven’t made them because they don’t seem to interest Thomas. I would make a lot of sautéed chicken breast (no olive oil!) or grilled pork chops both with veggies and mushrooms on the side. 

I can also always stick to Lean Cuisine’s (my normal lunch meal) for dinner as well, but I try not to have them for dinner so I don’t wear myself out. 

This weekend I bought myself some peaches, pears, and cherries to have at work. I also bought some 100 calories popcorn bags and seasoning to put on it for afternoon munching. I will stick 100% to water (except for the alcoholic beverage once in a while) and ignore the sugary juices in the fridge. 

Wish me luck!