Day 1

Day 1

Weight: 274

Today is the "first" day of my journey. Technically I started yesterday, the first day of the week I work. Although, I wanted to officially start on a Monday. 

I will be weighing in again on April 2nd , I also want to let you know how my blood sugars are as well because in the end that is the whole purpose to this, but I have some how misplaced my meter. I had two now I can't find either... go figure! I will ask my doctor for a new one once I see him again, until then I will be "borrowing" my mom's but with that I am not able to monitor my sugars as much as I would like, but at least I am able to check them when I get up and before I go to bed.

I have found a recipe for a Tuna Salad that is very easy to make, healthy, and deceptively delicious!  Here it is: 

Crisp Tuna-Cabbage Salad

Makes 2 1-cup servings

• One 5-ounce can tuna, drained
• 2 cups finely chopped green or red cabbage, from about 4 ounces or 1/4 of a small head of cabbage
• 1/4 cup minced chives, from about 1/4 ounce chives
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shred the tuna with a fork and mix thoroughly with the cabbage. Stir in the chives, mayonnaise, and yogurt. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately or else refrigerate for up to two days.

Per serving, based on 2 servings. (% daily value)

• Calories 89
• Fat 7.1 g (11%)
• Saturated
• 0 g (0.1%)
• Carbs 4.3 g (1.4%)
• Fiber 1.5 g (6%)
• Sugars 2.8 g
• Protein 2.8 g (5.6%)
• Cholesterol 6.4 mg (2.1%)
• Sodium 65 mg (2.7%)

I doubled the recipe and I have been bringing it with me to work for the past couple of days, along with a hand full of baby carrots, and 3 Tbs of hummus for a snack, and to help with my sweet tooth I have been bringing some kind of fruit, yesterday I brought a cup of sliced strawberries, and today I have a 1/2 a cup of blue berries. 

For breakfast I made some scrambled eggs for my mom and I with some cut up smoked sausage that we had left over with a half of an onion. It is  a meal like this that solidifies my belief that you don't have to sacrifice taste, and the foods you love. A lot of it has to do with portion control, of course there are some foods and things that will have to be omitted that's a given, fortunately I don't drink soda maybe one every so often but that is only when there isn't anything else is being offered. (now days that is very rare). 

At work I mainly drink water, every so often I may get myself some unsweetened Iced Tea, but now I am even going to try to avoid that. I do drink coffee from time to time but I like it with the flavored cream, and lots of sweet and low, so I try not to drink it on a daily basis, other wise at home I drink the non-name-brand of "Crystal Light" which is sweetened by Splenda and for each cup is very minimal calories. 

I use the website SparkPeople.com  to help track what I've eaten and it helps keep the total of calories, carbs and other things that needs to be monitored. Including dinner I have 850 calories marked for today so far, so first day I'm actually under in my calorie budget! YAY!!  

I don't know how many of you like hummus or chick peas for that matter, I myself I LOVE IT! I found a recipe that calls for both, and I am totally excited to try it out.  Here is the recipe I found: 

Mashed Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup or so hummus or tahini (any vegan mayo works too)*
• 1 – 2 tablespoons mustard (stoneground or dijon)
• sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste
• dash of garlic powder
• juice of 1 lemon, optional
• small handful pepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
• paprika/smoked paprika, garnish

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, place in medium size bowl and roughly mash with a fork, potato masher or pastry blender. Add the remaining ingredients and combine. Add more hummus if you like it creamier and taste for seasoning.

Serve however you like…make a sandwich, serve on a bed of leafy greens or scoop up with crackers or sliced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, celery sticks, etc.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes:

If you find your hummus is a bit thick, thin it out with a tablespoon or two of water. This will make for a perfect consistency to use as a binder without being overly thick and/or drying as well.

Try using diced red onion for a little different color.

On the website I found it on (I really should have notated which website when I saved this recipe sorry!) they suggest putting it on a sandwich with whole grain bread with a little avocado spread on it. I myself I think I'm going to eat it with out the bread, or may just have it on crackers, but I'm counting carbs so if I can save my carbs for something better I will! 

Anywho, I am on the right path, and I believe taking baby steps and just taking it one thing at a time is lot less discouraging than doing it full throttle. Thank you for your continued support!