Recipe Time! - Gyro loaf and Tzatziki sauce

Alrighty! It's recipe Monday!

Today we are making Greek gyro loaf and tzatziki sauce.

For those who might not be able to read this, the ingredients are:

Gyro loaf

1 lb lean beef (I like 90/10)
1 lb ground lamb
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 medium onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper

Tzatziki sauce

1 cup greek yogurt
1/3 cup cucumber, grated and squeezed til dry
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon dill
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt & pepper

Gyro Directions

Mix olive oil and breadcrumbs together and allow to soak for 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, put all ingredients and mix until well-combined and reaches pate-like consistency.

Once desired texture is reached, spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and spread mixture evenly inside pan.  Make sure to press into the corners and spread evenly - its gotta cook evenly!

Bake at 350F degrees for one hour or until internal temperature reaches 180F.

Let rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Slice and enjoy with tzatziki sauce:

Directions:
Mix it all together. season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

Really...its not that hard.

This is what the wife and I are having for lunches this week - a wrap with 4 oz meat, tzat sauce, onion, tomato and spinach.  Delicious delicious stuff!

Keep on walkin!

Walkin strong

So! Things are going well.

I am cutting back a bit on blog posts because I want to post quality over quantity.  Plus, if I were to keep doing the day-to-day posts, I would quickly run out of interesting things to talk about.  So there it is.

I have been doing well with my water challenge! Friday went well and I successfully spread out the drinking of the gallon throughout my workday, leading to a less-urgent arrival at home.  Yesterday - Sunday - I did the same thing, and though it was condensed a little in the evening I got my gallon in.  Hooray for hydration!

What else happened? I went to my support group again.  I now think of it as "my" support group because I really feel at home there and know that there are people that understand what it is to be addicted.

It is an addiction.  When I see a food that I want, I will gorge myself on it until I am stuffed beyond comfort, beyond full - to the point of which I am in physical pain and discomfort.  Its not just  *one thing* though, but multiple...anything that strikes my fancy in the moment.  I have had bouts where I will literally buy a large jar of pickles and go to town on them.  I recall a specific incident where I purchased a container of habanero-stuffed olives and ate them while my stomach was hurting, just because I had no self control. I am a compulsive overeater.

It is an issue of self-control too.  I need to focus hardcore on this aspect of my life.  But along with that, I need to start looking into the causes and reasons for my eating this way.

As I mentioned before, I thought initially that I am a big guy (I HATE the f-word, along with the o-word) because I like food.  But it really is attached to an emotion so much so that it goes along with whatever I am feeling.  

Happy? Let's celebrate with food.

Sad? Let's eat our sadness.

Angry? Take it out on a meal.

Bored? Food to the rescue!

Food is not a solution, it is a substitute for underlying issues.  Maybe a big part of that is how I am insecure with my looks.  My wife constantly tells me that I am handsome and, while I believe she thinks it, I feel far from it.  Is that maybe attached to anxiety? Fear of judgement? Is it easier to berate myself and get down on myself so that my expectations are already in the basement before someone else has a chance to put it there?

Wow, writing is fascinating.  It gives me a chance to plow through a thought stream uninterrupted and my mind is led to things I had not considered before.  

ON TO OTHER THINGS!

Today I did some awesome cooking for the week - I will be starting to do "Recipe Mondays" where I try to post a recipe for the week along with the cooking process! 

I am doing well on meal planning for this weekend, keeping on track with healthy options as opposed to unhealthy ones...so things continue to remain on track!

Have a fantastic Memorial Day and safe weekend.

Keep on walkin'

Water

I started by water challenge yesterday.

Or rather, I completely forgot until the last possible moments.

I went to work in the morning, worked all day, and then as I was leaving the office, I remembered!

"OH CRAP! I forgot to do my water challenge! Well...I can pick up a gallon at the gas station and chug it on the way home - that will be easy."

Stupid move, Matt.

See, there were a few flaws in my plan.

My number 1 flaw (get it? HA!) was to account for the distance I drive.  On an average, it takes me around 70 minutes to get home. Yesterday, though, took around an hour and a half.  When I got home, I ran in, pecked my wife on the cheek and ran for the bathroom.

After returning to the living room, I informed my wife of my plan and she laughed. Then made a bet that I would get up twice during the night.  She lost, I got up three times.  After the 5 - count them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - bathroom runs I had in the three hours between arrival at home and bedtime.

It will take some time to get my body into some kind of equilibrium with this whole water thing.

Second flaw, and much less traumatic, was accounting for how I would feel.  I am a camel when it comes to water. I can put away a large amount.  After chugging a gallon though, I could literally hear the water sloshing around in my stomach.  In addition, at dinner last night, I was walking a fine line.  As fast as my body was processing the water, I was putting a spoonful of delicious food in my mouth.  It was a risky dance, and at some times I crossed the line and nearly lost my dinner, but I got through it.

SO! Notes to self: Check traffic before chugging water on the ride home.
Secondly, though more importantly, DONT CHUG A GALLON OF WATER ALL AT ONCE.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Keep on walkin'

Check-in

Alrighty! We have our first check-in of my little blog.

Drumroll please.......

I LOST! How much?

17.6 pounds.

So, cue the "holy crap!"

I am excited.  

Now, I am keeping myself grounded too.  Referring back to my post a few days ago, weight can fluctuate.  I know it is *around* there, but on my week-to-week count, I am taking that as the "official" number.

I am proud of the decisions I have made and continue to make.  I am proud of my progress and I know that I will continue to move in the right direction.

This post will be abnormally brief, but not without some advice and a reminder to myself.

With a step in the right direction, I must remain vigilant else I will take two steps back.

Challenge for the coming week: I am going to drink a gallon of water a day.

Keep on walkin'

Temptation

I had some temptation today.  It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last, but I want to get it off my chest.

Today on the way home from work, I decided to stop for a drink at the gas station.  

Let me say that I went into the gas station and the situation with the knowledge that I could be facing some tough mental predicaments inside, but also preparing myself to have some strength.  And to my credit, I did show strength.

As planned, I walked to the cooler, picked up a zero-calorie beverage and proceeded to walk out.  On the way out, I thought "hey, I have like...100 calories in reserve for the day, lets see if we can get some jerky."

Jerky, for your information, is actually a pretty good snack.  While it can be high in sodium, it is also high in protein and low in calories.

I picked up a single-sized portion of jerky.  Then I eyed the bigger size intended for a few people.

The conversation within my mind went as such:

"This is a good snack AND I can have more of it!"
"But Matt, I don't think you have the calories in your budget for it."
"Oh shut up - you knowingly underestimate your calorie budget.  Plus, they have CHOLULA flavored jerky."
"You know...I DO underestimate my calorie budget..."
"Yeah you do! Plus, you would only go over by like...100 calories."
"Yeah...I guess so...WAIT. NO. THIS IS HOW IT STARTS. F*CK OFF."

And I proceeded to get the single-size portion and patted myself on the back for making the correct call, mentally both noting my good choice AND remembering the tough call in the future.

It really does start with that.  The slight bending of the rule to accommodate something that I think I really want.  Then it snowballs.

I was really proud of myself for getting past the temptation and making the right call.  It wasn't easy - I like jerky and I love cholula hot sauce (seriously, ask my wife).  

Life is gonna have the temptations.  Just this Thursday my coworkers are throwing a pot-luck food day in honor of my forthcoming birthday, and I will be expected to eat there.  Will I? No.  I am preparing myself ahead of time to go nowhere near the food table.  I will treat myself with the delicious food that my wife and I made lovingly for lunches! And maybe a zero-cal drink on the way home.  Gotta celebrate success and birthdays somehow, ya know?

My point is, preparing yourself for sticky situations ahead of time really does help, but sometimes you can't even trust that and have to rely on what you really know is right.  Honestly, one of the things that helped me in the back of my mind was "One way or another, I am going to be writing about this on my blog. Lets make this a good post."

So thats my post for today.  And it was a good one.  I faced the challenge and overcame.  

With delicious jerky.

Keep on walkin'

Lunchtime thoughts

I saw on Facebook this morning that tomorrow Sonic is going to be offering $.50 corn dogs.  Lord, as I walk through the valley of fried cornbread and hotdogs, I shall eat no food-on-a-stick, for my will is strong.

Today as I am eating my lunch, I decided to look up some of the benefits of what I am eating.  For this week I am enjoying a Mediterranean wrap with baked chicken breast, tabbouleh and babaganoush, plus a banana and some strawberries! Lets break this down:

Chicken breast is a lean source of protein.  Good stuff.  Plus, I chose to bake it, so zero added oil there, seasoned with some salt, paprika and oregano.  (450f 10 minutes on each side makes the PERFECTLY cooked chicken, if you want to try it. If you use a thicker piece of chicken, though, be sure to check the internal temperature and make sure it gets to 165f.)

Tabbouleh is a salad of parsley, mint, tomato, bulgur wheat and onion, with the main component being the parsley.  According to this website, the benefits of parsley are: 

• Parsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C,  B 12, K and A. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones and heals the nervous system, too.
• 
  
• It helps flush out excess fluid from the body, thus supporting kidney function. However, the herb contains oxalates, which can cause problems for those with existing kidney and gall bladder problems.
• 
  
• Regular use of parsley can help control your blood pressure. The folic acid in this herb is like a tonic for your heart.

among many others.  Good stuff there! Plus, the bulgur is a good source of fiber and protein.  My dear wife makes this using this recipe and it is AWESOME.

Babaganoush is an eggplant "dip," though in this instance I use it as a spread for my wrap...akin to mayo, kinda, but I use about a half a cup.  According to this site, "Eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and copper. It is a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. Eggplant also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid."

Awesome awesome stuff there.  Recipe for babaganoush is here. I don't, however, use the olive oil and parsley.  Tips for roasting eggplant whole: prick holes in the eggplant with a fork, put it on a pan in a 350f preheated oven for one hour.  Peel skin and go nuts.

This, combined with the aforementioned fruit, makes for a very filling lunch that keeps me going.

Thoughts for the future: block Sonic's ads from popping up on Facebook, investigate healthier versions of corn dogs.

By the way, welcome to the new people reading my blog! Have something you want to say? A question? Please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Keep on walkin'

Mental and week prep

Ah Sunday. Day of rest? Not so much.  Day before the battle starts, more like. A time to prepare myself mentally and emotionally and.....foodally? ITS A WORD, DAMMIT.

We all know the familiar feeling of the day before you have to go back to work.  The dread, the mourning of another weekend come and gone.

Today I will be making my shopping list for the week and planning out what I will be eating for the days to come.  This helps my wife and I not only save money, but sets me on a path that I know I can follow.

I plan out our lunches, plan out our dinners and do a few things associated with those.  After recipes are compiled, I make sure that it fits within my calorie allotment for the day.  In this case, the lunch will be the same thing I have had for lunch the past few weeks because it is so damned good and it fits nicely within my meal plan. I will post a recipe this week on just what it is.

Lists for shopping is important to me, as is shopping with my wife.  Both of those things keep me on track and away from dangerous spot purchases that I feel that I need and will never really use.  I also like to see just how much fresh produce we buy because it makes me feel like I am doing something else right.

After we get home from the grocery store, we will be cooking portions of our meal for the week.  This also helps me out by getting my mind right.  "This is what I am going to eat. I will not be going out, I will not be ordering in.  This is lunch."

Meal prep is a powerful tool for me.  Thankfully both my wife and I are very simple people and don't mind eating the same thing for a week straight.  Every day I have the same breakfast (and have for the past year or so - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on 100% whole wheat toast and two cups of coffee), plus lunches and dinners tend to be the same thing a week at a time.  Not many people can do this, but we see it as being easy, not something we have to fret about and not difficult to cook or clean up.

This is only half the fight though.

I will be preparing myself mentally for what I will NOT be doing this week: getting something else to eat.

I have a long daily drive to and from work.  On good days, only an hour and ten minutes.  On bad days, nearly two hours.  For me it was tradition and comforting to get something on the way home from work from the gas station or from a fast food place.  Anything ranging from a bag of chips and a coke to-get this-20 piece chicken mcnugget with 2 spicy mcchicken sandwiches and/or 2 double cheeseburgers, fries and a coke.  For me only.  And after that I would eat when I got home.  

I wasn't hungry when I got there, I just did it because it was there.

I ain't doing that anymore.  Every time I ordered I felt ashamed. I felt ashamed because of wondering what the order taker and staff people thought but also because I know I shouldn't be eating it.

Also - this is the first time I have copped to ordering that massive amount of food to ANYONE.  That order is unhealthy.  I am saying it out loud.  That is unhealthy, but admitting that is a step in the right direction.

Today I am mentally preparing myself, analyzing what I can do to avoid the feeding frenzy that happened along the freeway, preparing my tools and getting ready to take care of business for my health and myself.

I am not going to feel ashamed this week because I am not going to be doing it.  The vicious cycle is stopping.  Boredom doesn't equal hunger, Matt.  Frustration at my job isn't hunger. Food won't fix it.  ITS JUST F*CKING FOOD.

This is going to be a successful week. I am going to eat along with my meal plan, I am going to drive home sans-unhealthy attitude and snack and I will come home to a wonderful home-cooked meal.  I have a weigh-in and progress check on Wednesday, my group meeting to look forward to on Saturday and a fantastic 3-day weekend on the other side of this week.

Have a great week, people, and as always
Keep on walkin'

A new approach

I tried something new today.  Something that I haven't done ever.

I went to a support group for my eating.It really gave me a glimpse into what my inner issue could be.

Here's how it all went down:

I showed up a little late for the meeting.  Theres a sort of lobby just outside of the meeting room and I waited around in there while the meeting was starting.  Some kind soul at the door then noticed me and encouraged me to come in and have a seat. 

What I thought was going to be a room full of overweight people in straining chairs (mine included) was really a room full of people from all walks of life and all sizes.  Thinking back on it, it is a bit shocking, but also comforting.  Overeating/unhealthy eating is an addiction that can happen to anyone.  While my current...umm...lets call it health situation is a reflection of that, it is still going to be with me even when I am healthier.  

The resulting thought process really stresses the point that a) I am not alone in this and b) it is okay to ask for help.

Throughout the meeting, people shared their stories and struggles that they are facing.  I'll hand it to them - the group really is very supportive and doesn't judge at all.

Towards the end of the meeting, the leader asked if anyone wanted to step forward and make a step by stating your desire to get better.  I didn't know what I supposed to do, so I remained seated, worrying about what the other people would think about me. That part passed without me saying a word.

The meeting finished and I hung around to try to get a grip on just what everything was about.  A friendly guy came up to me, thanked me for coming and offered to answer any questions I had.  I mentioned about me being worried about saying I had a desire to change in the meeting.  
"Well, do you?"
"Yeah of course I do...I just didn't know what everyone would think."
"That's part of the issue you will have to face, and can face it here.  That's part of the reason a lot of us do what we do."

It was a mind opening thing.  I don't know if that is coming across in my words, but it was strange...so long I have thought man, I am just eating because I am a fat guy and I like food and blah blah blah. 

What is my real issue though? What is the thing that is making me seek food as an escape?  When I am healthy, or rather, while I am on the road to being healthy what inner demons am I going to have to confront?

I will be going back to the meeting next week I am going to do the whole desire to change thing. I am me and I love me and I will recover from all of this mess. 

Inner demons: you are on notice. I am here to kick ass and chew bubblegum.

Keep on walkin'

Weight is just a number

So last night I was thinking to myself.  Not the best start to things, but there it is.  I was thinking about making a post about how weight is just a number and on top of that, kind of an unreliable one from day to day and even week to week.

I decided to check my weight.  Knowing that the number could go up or down depending on a varying number of factors, I steeled myself in my decision to make this post.  Lo and behold, the number had changed.  Remember the number that I told you before? 539 something? Last night it was 530. 

I did it again this morning. 526.  

Now I have decided to only track my weight in myfitnesspal once a week - on Wednesdays, so I won't be updating that.  Also, while I don't always expect the weight to drop that fast over the coming weeks/months, it will go fast because of the calorie intake I have and, well, the fact that I know my body.  In the past I have been known to drop (at most) 15 pounds in a week.  Crazy, I know, but before you get mad at me for how my body works, realize JUST how much I have to lose.  Proportionally, we are the same and it doesn't happen every week.

What am I trying to say with all of this?

The number on the scale is a combination of a lot of things.  Mostly how much ice cream I have eaten over the years. budumtss.

Salt can influence how much water you retain, and consequentially, your weight. Other factors: muscle gain, food still in your system and time of day.

Also, let me dump this one you: It sounds like a joke, but if you haven't "dropped the kids off at the pool" recently, that can have an influence.  Kinda crappy. (for those who are counting, thats 2 poo puns for this paragraph...three if you count me using the number 2 a few words ago.)

Alone, scales suck.  Combined with other factors though, they can tell you quite a lot.  

For example: Weigh more but, say, your waistline is smaller? Guess what?! You've lost fat, but gained muscle! 

When you weigh yourself, do it by your actions. You are not the number, you are an amazing person.  You are the person that successfully ate within your meal plan even if it is just for one meal.  You are the wonderful human that decided to have a banana instead of a doughnut.  You are the beautiful being that chose to walk instead of sit on your couch.  You are loved for who you are, not the effects of your mass under gravity.  Weight is just a damn number.

Tomorrow: Selfie Saturday!

Keep on walkin!

Tests

Faced a bit of a trial this morning.

First off, while I was getting ready for work, packing my lunch, making breakfast and the like, I spotted something...an orange pumpkin.

Why is there an orange pumpkin in my house?

Because the wife put it there. Last October.

What is in the pumpkin?

CANDY.

Halloween candy is one of my kryptonites. It is something that I have a hard time resisting, even if it is 7 months old.  But I was all like

And I passed it by!

Secondly, we are out of iced coffee, so I decided to go to the gas station on the way to work and grab an energy drink.  Now, I know they aren't the best for me, but I choose the low carb/zero calorie ones so...ya know...not so bad.  

In the process I also decide to get a protein bar for my afternoon snack instead of the delicious pork rinds that were my sodium downfall yesterday.  Searching for them in the convenience store and where do they put those protein thingies? Right directly across from MORE CANDY.  Those sumbitches. 

Regardless, feeling the empowerment of Gandalf facing the balrog, I passed them by without second notice.

Hey, gotta celebrate those non-scale victories, right?

Keep on walkin'.

Note to self: throw out pumpkin candy when I get home. Or better yet, get the wife to do it before I get home.

First steps

I doubt that I will be able to come up with a whole lot of references to walking for my blog posts, so savor them while you can.

539.4.  Thats the number that I have to beat and that I will never see again.

First days can go many ways, but this one wasn't too bad.  I dutifully stuck to my eating plan (below) and avoided unnecessary and unhealthy foods.  Thats the first step and will be the big ones until I feel like I have that under control.

Here's what my meals consisted of:

Breakfast - 375 calories

2 slices 100% Whole wheat bread 120

1 T Strawberry Preserves 30

1 T Peanut butter 90

2 cups coffee with 6 T Sugar free creamer (3 T per)

1 cup iced coffee with 3 T same creamer Total 135

Lunch - 681 calories

Mission burrito wrap jalapeno cheddar - 210

4 oz chicken breast - 187

1/2 c babaganoush - 50

1/2 c tabbouleh - 56

1 medium banana - 124

1 c strawberries - 54

Dinner - 520

2 c lean turkey chili 440

4 T light sour cream 80

Snack - 400

Bag hot and spicy pork rinds - 400

All of that adds up to a neat 1976 calories, plenty of protein and next to no hunger throughout the day.

Now, if any nutritionists are reading that, yes I know...thats not ALL that it is about.  There are plenty of vitamins and my "macros" are off, but lets focus on the first part which is getting the calories under control.  

As far as the overall protein, fat, etc, according to myfitnesspal, I was...

56g under on carbs for the day (a good thing)

6g over on fat (not too shabby)

37g over on protein (definitely not a bad thing)

aaaaand (gasp) 1,773 over on sodium (thank you, pork rinds).

Really, thats not a bad start.  Protein is a good thing, and I wasn't too over on fat.  If I can keep that sodium under control with some lower-salt snack, that will be all good.

Okay, so theres day 1.  I dont know if I will do daily or weekly or whatever schedule for posts, but I will keep you posted.

Keep on walkin!

Start walking.

Don't stop believing.

My walk has been long and for a while I have gone in the wrong direction.  Every once in a while I turn around, but sometime the familiar way that I am going is easier than the way that I know I need to go.

Time to head in the right direction. 

My name is Matt and I am going to lose weight get healthier.

I scratch out the lose weight because, well, that indicates a destination. What happens then? That is a terminus. An end. This is a walk that will never end.

I am a foodoholic.  

When do I eat? When DONT I eat.  At a weight watchers meeting, the leader once posed a question: "What emotions do we try to rectify or associate with eating?"  

My smartass answer was "Awake."

While it got a round of laughter from my peers, who I hope are fairing better on their walks than I am, there is truth to the statement.  People in my situation often associate EVERYTHING with eating.  It is an addiction.

What's different though is that, with enough will power, other addicts can take themselves out of a position in which they are facing the things that tempt them.  I have to not only face my demons every day but I have to consume them.  

So. theres that.

I recently got married.  A few weeks later I got the pictures in.  My wife was absolutely gorgeous.  Pretty beyond compare.  Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe her.  But me? I hated the way I looked.  The only pictures that I like are ones where you can't see my body.  The single greatest moment in my life is marred by the fact that I was a blimp.  I have since told my wife that when I am healthier, we are going to retake those photos.

Healthy living is a journey. Countless times I have heard that said and drilled into my head, but I have a hard time grasping it.  I have to get that. I need to understand that completely and take it to heart.  I need to wrap my snacking, cooking, food-loving mind around that.  I also need to come to grips with my true emotions when I am "hungry."

I need to start walking in the right direction.

So the purpose of this blog is to serve as my own journal.  I will delve deeper into where I learned that this helps as the posts go on, but for now just take it as fact that this really does help.  

Next post will be an official weight declaration as well as a recount of my meals.

So here we go. 

Start walking.