Friend of Julie

It's been a year that I've been on Julie's weight loss program and this week I've been thinking about the ways my life has changed since the last week of January 2011....

I am no longer consumed by thoughts of when I'll begin a diet or feeling like a failure because I started a diet and gave up after a few days or a few weeks - or I never started at all. I no longer think about the infamous "tomorrow" when I'll begin to eat right and exercise. Eating right and exercising are now part of my lifestyle. I'm not sure when those all consuming thoughts left me, but I'm happy they are silenced.

I am confident that I will reach my ideal size. I've never felt this way before. I don't know how long it's going to take me, but I don't need to focus on that anymore either. Last January I thought I would have lost a hundred pounds by now. I'm really okay with the fact that I haven't lost a hundred pounds. The weight has come off at a pace that feels natural. Some days I don't feel like I've lost over fifty pounds, because it has come off slowly. I only need to look into my huge closet full of clothes that are too big to realize how much smaller my body is than it used to be. This week I'm wearing a coat my friend Aime gave to wear in Alaska in June. At that time I could zip it up, but I couldn't move for fear it would rip open. It's my new favorite coat and there's room inside for a heavy sweater inside. Time to sell off my favorite red coat that I had altered in October--it's too big.

I used to think "If I lose x amount of weight per week, then by such and such a date, I will weigh XXX." In fact, last night I heard myself trying to work this equation aloud with a friend. "I'm this size now and if I keep going as I have been going, by my vacation in April I'll be a size.... Wait! This formula doesn't work any more!" In April, I'll be whatever size I am and there isn't a formula that's going to project what size I'll be by then.

At my recent refresh class, I was reminded that plateaus are not only a part of the process, but that we should embrace them. When we're in a plateau, our body locks in our weight so that it becomes our new high, which helps us in the end to maintain our weight. At the same time, I need to assess if I'm in a rut vs a plateau. A rut is when I'm eating the same foods with no variety. A rut is when I am sliding, eating too much cheese, an imbalance of protein to veggies, or anything else that I "allow" that is a slippery slope and if I keep it up the plateau will turn into a weight gain. Although some weight gain is also part of this process, I need to be aware if I'm doing something to cause that or if it's just part of the ebb and flow.

I've learned that the longer I'm on this program, the stronger my resolve is to stay the course. Exercise helps take the weight off faster, which is the reason I began to exercise, but I didn't start exercising until October. I love how I feel when I exercise, which makes me happy to have this be a part of my lifestyle.

Like many of you, I often struggle staying off the scale. However, I really get how knowing numbers can mess with my head, so I continue to stay away from knowing how much I weigh. In a recent blog post, I commented on my thoughts about the scale:

Think about the scale as old technology: outdated an obsolete.
It no longer fits our needs.
It does not measures our success.
It does not define who we are.
Using the scale sets us back.
We are more than the sum on the scale.

I've learned to measure my weight loss success in new ways. I have more energy than I did a year ago. I'm five sizes smaller than I was a year ago. I can run a 5k in under 45 minutes. I bought binoculars so I can take up birding this year. My creative juices are flowing once again.

When I put together my year of photos, I realized I hadn't taken that many photos of myself over the past year. Most of the photos I found were from previous times I had started a diet and wanted before and after photos. I didn't take a before photo in January 2011. My first photo on this program was in April when I was on vacation. All the photos I took last year were from vacations with the exception of Aug. 2011 and my Jan. 2012 photos. The one in August was when I was in a store and tried on a new outfit and wanted a second opinion, I took a photo and sent it to a friend. I bought the top, but took it back a few days later. I took the January photo so I could have something to compare to the older photos. In taking that photo and adding it to all the others - I was then able to really see how much weight I've dropped.

It is because I am not consumed by this program/diet that I haven't taken photos along the way. Photos are a good way to measure success, so I'm committed to taking a photo at least once a month until I reach my goal size. This is a good way to measure success.

What about you? How has your life changed since you began Julie's program? How do you measure success? And what about a clothing exchange - how would this work?

January 25, 2012

I'm happy to say weight is coming off once again. It felt like I was maintaining for a couple of months, although my clothes indicate otherwise. I understand plateaus are a good thing and that they are part of the process, but still it's nice to be dropping weight again. I contribute the weight drop to my refresh class last week. I'm back to working the core of this program: lots of meat, equal portions of meat to veggies, and mixing up my menu plan.

I didn't realize I was stuck on the same foods week after week until I heard Julie ask someone in the group if they were eating the same foods all the time. I realized this was something I was doing; I had a few favorites that I made week after week. This week I broke out of the mold by eating shrimp, chicken, bacon, sausage, beef, and a wider variety of veggies. Variety is a good thing and I encourage each of you to work on varying your menus too. Boredom with food is never a good thing, as it can lead us to places we don't want to go and it can stump our weight loss progress. This is part of our journey too - keeping things from being boring. How are all of you doing with variety in your menus?

For me to mix things up, I started exploring new foods, such as Trader Joe's filet Mignon roast, shrimp stir-fry, and barbecued ribs. I don't recommend the shrimp stir-fry, as it was bland. It did inspire me to buy frozen uncooked shrimp and ingredients to make my own shrimp recipes. I haven't had the ribs yet, but the roast was full of wonderful flavors and I highly recommend treating yourself. Here's how I cooked the roast:

Cooking the Filet Mignon Roast

If you have a grill, well when it isn't snowing out, that's the best way to cook it, but you may also cook it on top of the stove or in the oven. However you cook it, sear it first and then turn the heat down and let it cook. See Wikipedia for more details on searing meat.

I cooked my roast on top of the stove. When the meat was almost done, I sliced it into smaller pieces so I could cook it all the way through; I don't like to see any red in my meat. At the same time, I tossed in onion slices.

When the meat was halfway cooked, I cut the meat in half, seared the newly sliced edges, and then pulled one of the pieces from the pan for another meal. This allowed me to warm it up the next day without overcooking the meat. When I cooked it the second time, I sliced all the meat and placed it on a hot (Teflon) pan with more sliced onions.

This roast was well worth the price (about $20). My only regret is that I didn't take a photo when I plated it to add to this blog! I'm sure I'll have this dish again and when I do, I'll add photos.

BTW, I'm sorry I wasn't able to blog recently. I'm in week four of a cold that just won't let go!

January 24, 2012

I am re-posting this for anonymous. This was posted as a reply to my post of strange compliment. I am re-posting this because I feel this needs addressing and we all know what it is like to need encouragement.

Also, I don't see those replies a lot of times inside the posts. Please don't be afraid to post a main topic. Those are easier to find, than those replies.

Anyway, here is her post:

Anonymous - Jan 24, 2011

Can someone please reassure me that the plateau that I am on is normal. I know it is and everything Julie said is coming back to me about your body loosing and then healing, but enough already! My body is plenty healed! I don't seem to have moved since Christmas and I have been following the program to the T. Just some words of reassurance and comfort would help. I don't feel that I need a refresher because I am doing all the right things. Help!

January 24, 2012

I received the oddest compliment yesterday! Not like one I have ever received before. But, it was a compliment, so I will take it.

A dear friend of mine, (who by the way lurks around on this blog :-), told me that someone commented to her that I was loosing weight. They asked her if I had had the stomach banding surgery. LOL!! I hope that means I lost a lot of weight fast. If that is what it means, I sure hope this plateau ends soon so I can continue on!!!

So I guess people are noticing. I am still chuckling over this one!!!

January 18, 2012

Meatloaf is another staple for me. It's quick to make and cooks in 30-40 minutes. I like meatballs more, but meatloaf is a lot less work and cooking time.

If I'm really hungry and I don't feel like waiting 45 minutes for dinner, sometimes I pull enough of the beef to make a hamburger while the meatloaf is cooking and then I have the meatloaf for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

one pound of beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian)
spices you like (garlic, salt, pepper. etc.)

Process

Mix all ingredients with your hands in a bowl until well blended.
Place into a baking pan (I use a standard size bread pan)
Flatten top of meatloaf with the tines of a fork (optional)
Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes until cooked as desired.

Optional: Serve with catsup or add your favorite tomato sauce to the top and bottom before cooking the meatloaf.

I also have small loaf pans that I sometimes use to make single servings, this way they are ready to fit into my lunch container.

Meatloaf makes about 4 servings

January 16, 2012

Meatballs are a good choice when eating lunch at a deli or when friends order take-out pizza, but I love my homemade meatballs. I used to say I never met a meatball I didn't like, but a few years ago that changed when I had a friend's mother's meatballs with a secret ingredient: jelly. Jelly? Why would anyone put jelly in meatballs? They were the worse meatballs I ever had. Here's my version of my mother's meatball recipe, which never had and never will include jelly...

Mom's Meatballs made Key-friendly

10/24/16 Update
The Key Weight Loss Program has evolved since I started my journey in January 2011. So I've adapted recipes like this, which I used to add breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, but are are no longer allowed. I updated this meatball recipe to make it key-friendly and guess what, I don't even notice the lack of breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 pound sausage (sometimes I use Jimmy Dean's Sage Sausage. You can mix the sausage in with the ground beef or put whole sausage links in the sauce.)
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
6 -8 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano*
1/4 cup chopped parsley*
1/4 cup chopped basil*
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 whole bell pepper, red, yellow, or both (optional)
1 (24 oz size) jar or can of your favorite tomato sauce

*Herb options: substitute all spices with fresh herbs or a package of Italian Seasoning.

Note: for ready-to-go meals to take to work, make a double batch of this recipe and freeze them in one-serving size containers.

Directions

Cover the bottom of the crock pot with a thin layer of sauce.

Beat the eggs and add all ingredients, except the peppers and tomato sauce, in a large bow, use your hands to mix all ingredients.

Shape mixture into meatballs and drop each ball into the crock pot. Add a small amount of sauce to each layer of meatballs.

Tips for rolling meatballs

To help make them consistent in size, use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop the meat from the bowl.
If you prefer bite size meatballs (as I do) take half of the meat mixture from the measuring cup, roll it into a firm ball and the repeat with the other half in the spoon. Bite size meatballs take longer to roll, but they cook quicker, so you may want to be at home when cooking these unless you have a crock pot with a timer.

Add any remaining sauce to the crock pot.

Cut the peppers into large pieces and add to the crock pot.

Once all the meatballs are all in the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you're home while they're cooking, you can turn the temperature up higher to cook them faster.

Do not stir meatballs until they are almost done or you will risk breaking the meatballs.

Quicker Meatballs

If you don't want to wait all day for meatballs to cook in the crock pot, bake them in the oven instead. I ate these meatballs hot from the oven without sauce. If you make a double batch you can freeze them without sauce and add your favorite sauce when you reheat them. Another option, which a key-friend told me about, is to buy Angus meatballs from the freezer department at the grocery store.

Hungry? Bake your meatballs for quicker a meal.

Baked Meatballs

Sauce Recommendations

Capa di Roma - the owner of Roma Restaurant in East Hartford, Connecticut, is a one of our key-friends who followed the key program many many years ago and has kept her weight off. Roma sauces can be found in your local grocery store.
Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce
Francesco Rinaldi Hearty Tomato & Basil - last year I made a triple batch of meatballs with this inexpensive sauce. I added added tons of garlic and the sauce was delicious.
Your homemade sauce - of course!

Related Recipes

meatballs tomato sauce

January 16, 2012

Yesterday I made some eggs and sausage for breakfast, a nice weekend treat. I made a video along the way. It's not perfect, but neither were the eggs. I figure I'll start with this video and I'll improve over time. I've a lot to learn, but I have to start somewhere.

I stopped the video a couple of times, only to discover I accidentally switched to camera mode instead of video, so I lost some of what I hoped to include. You might have appreciated seeing the egg drop into the water. I've never done that before, but it still tasted wonderful.

A few months ago when I made the meat crust pizza with my friend Aime, we made a video with the intent of putting it up on this blog. Part I is missing, so that video may not make it onto this blog. We also made a mean vodka tonic video. If these missing videos show up, I will post them.

I hope this will be a fun process for me and I that it's fun for you to watch as well.

In the Kitchen with Theresa: Sausage and Eggs

Ingredients: (adjust to the number of eggs and sausage you want)

3 round sausage patties (I used the Johnsonville brand)
3 eggs - poach or cook them over easy on the stove
Coffee

Process:

Get your coffee brewing first, so it's ready when everything else is.
If you froth your milk, you should do this now as well.
Cooks eggs in poacher on top of the stove until desired firmness.
At the same time, cook 3 sausage patties in a separate pan.
Optional: make a Hollandaise sauce from a package mix while the above items are cooking; add fresh squeezed lemon juice to mix even if recipe does not call for it.
When the eggs are done, plate them and then top with sausage and optional Hollandaise.
Pour coffee and enjoy your breakfast.
Move over DnD, my coffee and sausage with eggs is far better than yours!

January 16, 2012

Jan. 2011

Later this month it will be a full year since I started working with Julie to lose weight. I still have a long way to go, but I want to pause and acknowledge how far I have come this year.

Last January, I wore a size 32 and now I'm a size 22. I follow the rule of not weighing myself, but last week I asked my doctor if I've lost more than 50 pounds and she said yes.

In July I went to Alaska and hiked trails I could not have imagined just a few months earlier. I continued hiking the rest of the summer. In October, I started jogging and in December I ran a 5k in under 45 minutes. Today, I feel great. I'm full of energy and I'm looking for my next race, a 5k in Carlsbad, CA in April 2012.

Here's a collection of photos of my weight loss journey...