Beach Challenge Food Pics Day 10

It's been a rough weekend.  I stayed under my 1800 calorie limit yesterday, but I was so sick that I didn't get up and take any pics.  I spent the majority of the day on the sofa and just let Dwayne feed me and give me medicine....bless his heart.  That's one thing he's really good about...when I'm sick, he wants to be right beside me, taking care of everything I need.  I'm very blessed to have him.

I've just about decided that I have a severe head cold AND allergies, given that our pollen count has been in the 5000+ range.  Today's the 4th day since everything hit me and I'm finally starting to feel almost human again.  I took pics of all my food today, but it wasn't very balanced foods.  I ate mostly sandwiches because they were easy, but I did manage to get some veggies cooked up and put in the frig for the coming week.

I also managed to get out of the house and at the park before 9am to get in some exercise, since Friday and Saturday were my 2 rest days for the week.  I took my sister Amy with me and she wasn't up for 4 miles, so we walked 3 miles instead.  As crappy as I felt, 3 miles still seems like I made a solid effort.

I'm doing my best to get myself into a positive mindframe for the next couple of weeks.  I mentioned at the beginning of the challenge that I have 2 bad weeks out of every month, due to my cycle and my PCOS.  Those 2 weeks start now.  I can already tell I'm bloated...but I'm just reminding myself that there's nothing I can do about it....I'm just going to control the part that I can control with the food, water and exercise, and do my absolute best to reach my 16 lb. goal for this challenge.  I started a week ago at 241 lbs., and I want to end the challenge at 225 lbs.  I still think I can do it, and I'm going to give it everything I've got!! 

I totally forgot to eat breakfast this morning, so when I got home from the park I made my version of a lower calorie meatball sub.  I've made these before and they're delicious!  I used 4 pre-cooked italian turkey meatballs that I browned in a pan in some Pam olive oil spray.  1/4 c. of marinara sauce, a wheat hot dog bun, and 1/4 c. of 2% shredded mozzarella cheese.  I browned the meatballs first, then added in the sauce, sliced them up and put them on the bun, sprinkled on the cheese, and then put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get it melty.  Delish!

Calories:  480

I had to take my sister to an appointment today, so lunch was Larry's Subs.  I've found that if I eat out for convenience sake, sandwiches from places like Larry's and Subway don't give me a sodium gain like a restaurant meal in a sit-down restaurant does.  That's a good thing!  I got the 8" ham & turkey on wheat w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, lite mayo & spicy mustard.

Calories:  589

I made a wrap this afternoon with some avocado spread that I mixed up using a recipe I found in a Cooking Light magazine.  I used one avocado, 1/2 block of reduced fat cream cheese, a little horseradish and lemon juice, and some dill.  I spread 1 Tbsp on a 90 calorie wrap w/ 5 oz. baked chicken, roma tomatoes & red onion.

Here's the mixture before I added the dill & mixed it all together.

Calories:  320

I called Pam and asked for a recipe for a dijon sauce to put on pork chops.  I used 1/4 c. of dijon mustard, 1/4 c. of extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar & some red pepper flakes.  It was a little more bitter than I was wanting, so I added 2 Tbsp of honey & it turned out perfectly.  It was just enough to take the bite out, without leaning to the sweet side.  I poured it over 4 pork chops, covered with foil and baked.  I forgot how much liquid cooks out of the chops though, so it thinned out the sauce a great deal.  I think the next time I make this, I'll pour the liquid off about halfway through cooking, add the sauce, and finish baking.  I had one porkchop w/ 1/2 c. of brown rice & 1 c. of steamed broccoli.

Calories:  380

Total Calories:  1769

Water Intake:  (5) 32 oz. glasses

Exercise:  Walked 3 miles at the park

I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend and is going into the 2nd week of the challenge feeling strong!!  Keep your eyes on the goal, do what you know is right, and the rewards will follow, friends!  :)