Hitting Turbulence As I Approach My Weight Loss Goal

Despite the fact that I haven’t gone over my 1400 calorie daily limit and I have increased my working outs from 3-4 to 4-5 days per week, my weight has been bouncing. On June 1, I weighed 162.75, 3.75 pounds from my 159 pound target. Three days later I was down to 161.5, and two days after that, back to 162.75. I traveled last week to a workshop, but while I was on the road, I ate well (grilled salmon, steamed vegetables, boneless skinless chicken breast, fresh fruit instead of cheesecake, egg white omelet). I asked for no oil, and no salt, and I am pretty sure the calorie count was accurate. I even spent an extra 31 minutes on the treadmill at the Hilton. They had individual flat screen televisions in front of each treadmill so I got a little carried away watching the early morning news.

Possible Explanations

I may have taken in more sodium than my 1500 mg daily maximum and I could have temporarily gained some water weight. I may be adding more muscle because of my workouts. It may also be that as I approach my target, unknown forces conspire to impede my forward progress. Whatever the explanation, I am only two pounds from my target weight (pending verification by skinfold testing) and should be there at the end of another week.

Here are my recaps for the last few days. I am leaving out the estimates from the travel days.

Daily Dietary Recap-6/11/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1361.06	68.66 g	230.34 g	906.92 mg	15.70 g	10.04%

Daily Dietary Recap-6/10/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1179.93	65.65 g	175.35 g	1024.51 mg	14.14 g	10.79%

Daily Dietary Recap-6/9/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1254.9	70.98 g	195.85 g	1194.3 mg	14.8 g	10.61%

Daily Dietary Recap-6/8/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1314	69.83 g	238.49 g	1059 mg	16.42 g	11.25%

Two Aromatic Low-sodium, Low-fat Recipes: Garbanzos with Tomato Curry (Garam Masala) Sauce, and Joel’s Warm Honey-Wilted Cole Slaw

I need to catch up on recipes, so I offer here a duo of warm recipes that both have wonderful fragrances. As all my recipes, these are low in sodium and low in fat.

Garbanzos with Tomato Curry (Garam Masala) Sauce

Ingredients

2 C cooked, or salt-free canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 medium sweet onion-diced
2 cloves garlic-peeled and mashed with side of a heavy knife (or pressed)
1 Can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)-no salt added
3 oz. tomato paste- no salt added
½ C water
1 t. good quality garam masala (Indian Curry)
1/2 t. Szechwan seasoning (containing chili peppers, ginger, red pepper, and garlic)
3-4 T apple cider vinegar
Cavender’s Greek seasoning to taste

Cook or warm garbanzos and set aside. In a skillet sprayed with olive oil pan spray, sauté onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and vinegar. Stir the mixture well and heat to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture is heated through and is smooth, about 10 minutes. During the last minute add the garam masala and the Szechwan seasoning. Taste, and add Cavender’s is desired. This recipe makes about 2 and ½ cups and can be served over the garbanzo beans as a side dish, but it is also delicious with a wide range of meats from lamb, and fish to poultry, pork, and beef. It is delicious on Joel’s Low-Sodium, Low-Fat, Turkey Meatloaf. Nutrition information per ¼ C tomato curry, and ½ C garbanzo beans: 90.18 calories, 4.23 g protein, 19.97 g carbohydrates, 7.8 g fiber, .69 g fat, 34.71 mg sodium.

Joel’s Warm Wilted Cole Slaw

I love cabbage, and this easy recipe makes a warm and tasty change from cole slaw. In fact, it works alongside the beans and burgers where you would normally find cole slaw, and also fits nicely on the dinner table. Wilting the cabbage in the skillet releases some of the inherent sweetness of this noble crucifer.

Ingredients

16 oz. cole slaw mix (cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)
½ medium sweet onion (like Vidalia), finely chopped
1 t. dry mustard
1 T honey
¼ C apple cider vinegar
¼ t. ground black pepper
½ t. caraway seed

Spray a large skillet with olive oil pan spray, add the onions and dry mustard, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Set the onion aside and add the slaw mixture to the skillet and stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes. Combine the onions with the slaw in a large bowl. Add the honey and apple cider vinegar back to the skillet and stir while the honey dissolves and the mixture becomes foamy. Pour the honey mixture over the warm slaw and stir with the pepper and caraway seeds. Serve immediately while warm. This recipe makes about 4 cups. Nutrition information per a generous 1 cup serving: 56.5 calories, 1.89 g protein, 13.84 g carbohydrates, 3.75 g fiber, 0 g fat, 38.25 mg sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-6/4/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1142.16	47.65 g	210.55 g	534.71 mg	14.55 g	9.45%

Joel’s Low-Sodium, Low-Fat, Turkey Meatloaf

Since I’ve been working on my series on dieting and metabolism, I’ve neglected posting some of my new recipes. This turkey meatloaf has good flavor by itself, and is good with salsa, low-sodium catsup, or mustard. I like to put a slice inside a whole wheat pita with some thinly sliced onions and mustard for lunch. Two slices make a good entrée for dinner accompanied by vegetables, a salad, and either a baked potato or baked sweet potato with non-fat sour cream. I boosted the protein and kept the sodium very low by using soy bread crumbs; if these aren’t available, you can substitute bread crumbs. This recipe makes 12 slices. Each slice contains 68.58 calories, 13.14 g protein, 3.29 g carbohydrates, .78 g fiber, .41 g fat, and 67.17 mg sodium.

Ingredients

19.2 oz. white ground turkey breast (I used Honeysuckle White)
1/3 C soy bread crumbs
3 T egg whites
½ C chopped sweet onion
1 T chili powder
2 T prepared mustard
3 T sodium free catsup
Cavender’s salt free all purpose Greek seasoning-to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the catsup, mix remaining ingredients, and form into a loaf. Place loaf into a shallow pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, remove foil and spread 2 tablespoons of catsup over the top of the load. Return the loaf to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Here is my recap for the last two days.

Daily Dietary Recap-6/2/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1227.62	83.63 g	204.13 g	1150.72 mg	13.55 g	8.79%

Daily Dietary Recap-6/3/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1080.31	57.79 g	215.17 g	705.91 mg	13.97 g	10.04%

Seven More Sample Menus for a 1400 Calorie Diet

Seven More Sample Menus for a 1400 Calorie Diet

About two months, and 14 pounds ago, I published a week’s worth of sample menus for my 1400 calorie, low-sodium, and low-fat diet. I am now 3.35 pounds away from my goal, 159 pounds. When I reach it, I will have lost a total of 51.25 pounds since I started this project January 3, 2007. My blood pressure is consistently low normal without medication and I have made working out at the fitness center a normal part of my life. My sample menus are not carefully prepared and balanced by a dietitian; they are literally what I ate on a given day to meet the requirements of my less than 1400 calorie, less than 20 % of calories from fat, less than 1500 mg of sodium, diet.

Since then, aside from the main page, the page with my sample menus has become the most popular on my blog. I wondered how my diet had changed, I’ve come up with a number of new recipes, and thought some might find an update of more sample menus useful. My low sodium chili, Joel’s chili 3, remains a staple in my weekly menus but I don’t need to serve it over brown rice or pasta as much as I did at first. Eating 4-7 times per day was something I did right, right from the beginning. I have learned that it keeps my metabolism up. Chocolate or strawberry low fat frozen yogurt has become something I eat regularly and something I look forward to as a reward for making smart choices during the day.

A lot of dieters talk about reaching a plateau where they keep doing the same things but their weight loss stops. I have never had that happen on my diet and I attribute that to my 3-4 day a week habit at the fitness center, and the fact that I eat throughout the day.

I am not a trained nutritionist, and my only criteria for selecting these foods for my own diet are those of calorie, sodium, and reduced fat. My personal goals in addition those previously-mentioned are: 78-158 g protein, 30-38 g fiber, and less than 300 mg cholesterol. Your recommended diet may be very different. I only offer these menus to share what I have eaten on given days while staying loyal to my diet.

Monday

Breakfast: ¼ pound extra lean ground beef (96/4) in ½ whole wheat pita with 1 t. mustard (left over from the night before, I was in a hurry)

Snack: 10 white seedless grapes

Lunch: 1 cup Joel’s chili 3,

Snack: 25 white seedless grapes

Dinner: 4 fish tacos, including 4 oz. wild salmon, 4 small corn tortillas heated in dry skillet, 1 thin slice of Swiss cheese (mozzarella or non-fat cheddar is better), lemon juice, and green taco sauce; 2/3 C steamed corn, 9 Brussels sprouts, and a garden salad with 2 C mixed greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, and 3 T Joel’s salad dressing .

Dessert: 1 cup low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: 1 small bag 94% fat-free popcorn

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1348.79, Protein: 64.77, Carbohydrates: 216.22 g, Fiber: 35.42 g, Fat: 27.38 g, Percent calories from fat: 18.27%, Saturated fat: 11.17 g, Cholesterol: 166.48 g, Sodium: 1026.42 mg.

Tuesday

Breakfast: 1.5 cup old-fashioned oatmeal with 1 T brown sugar, .5 oz. raisins, 1 T flax seed meal, and 1 t. cinnamon.

Snack: small banana

Lunch: tuna salad, very low sodium tuna, non-fat mayonnaise, onions, pickles relish, in ½ whole wheat pita

Snack: small banana

Dinner: Chicken tenders and tofu in sweet sour stir fry with.25 C pineapple, ¾ C broccoli stir fry, .1 package light firm tofu-baked, 1 T sweet-sour sauce. ½ C brown rice, 2 C grilled summer squash and sweet onions, 1 serving steamed spinach (about 4 C raw).

Dessert: ¾ C low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: 1 Ry-Krisp sesame cracker

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1284, Protein: 58.21, Carbohydrates: 230.9 g, Fiber: 34.37 g, Fat: 19.13 g, Percent calories from fat: 12.8%, Saturated fat: 25.62 g, Cholesterol: 122.5 g, Sodium: 589.72 mg.

Wednesday

Breakfast: 4 oz blueberry all-natural yogurt

Snack: small banana

Lunch: 1.5 C Joel’s chili 3

Snack: 4 oz blueberry all-natural yogurt

Dinner: Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish dinner, 9 Brussels sprouts, 3 Ry-Krisp sesame crackers and a garden salad with 2 C mixed greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, sweet onion, and 2 T Vidalia onion fat-free dressing.

Dessert: 1 cup low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: ½ whole wheat pita with 1 T low-fat mozzarella cheese

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1345.04, Protein: 54.74, Carbohydrates: 260.88 g, Fiber: 40.74 g, Fat: 18.01 g, Percent calories from fat: 12.05%, Saturated fat: 59 g, Cholesterol: 88.13 g, Sodium: 1319.72 mg.

Thursday

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with .5 C Egg Beaters, steamed spinach, sweet onion, 1 T non-fat cheddar cheese, and 3 T red bell pepper.

Snack: None

Lunch: ¾ C Joel’s Chili 3

Snack: 4 oz strawberry all-natural yogurt

Dinner: 1 serving (4 oz. chicken) stuffed chicken breasts, 1 C baked sweet potato, 2/3 C steamed mixed vegetables, and a garden salad with 2 C mixed greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, sweet onion, and 2 T Vidalia onion fat-free dressing

Dessert: 1 cup low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: none

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1276.85, Protein: 86.88, Carbohydrates: 195.52 g, Fiber: 29.16 g, Fat: 18.62 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.12%, Saturated fat: 74.19 g, Cholesterol: 119.7 g, Sodium: 1168.62 mg.

Friday

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with 1/3 C egg whites, 3 mushrooms-chopped, sweet onion, 1 T non-fat cheddar cheese, and 3 T red bell pepper.

Snack: 4 oz strawberry all-natural yogurt

Lunch: 1/2 whole wheat pita with ¼ pound extra lean ground beef (96/4) and mustard

Snack: 1 medium orange

Dinner: 1.5 cups no-yolks noodles, 1.5 cups chicken cacciatore, and 1 serving steamed spinach (about 4 C raw).

Dessert: 1.5 C low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: 1 medium orange

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1371.3, Protein: 75.7, Carbohydrates: 216.45 g, Fiber: 35.43 g, Fat: 20.64 g, Percent calories from fat: 11%, Saturated fat: 6.22 g, Cholesterol: 183.75 g, Sodium: 729.35 mg.

Saturday

Breakfast: ½ C GoLean Crunch cereal, 1/3 C skim milk, ¼ C wild blueberries.

Snack: None

Lunch: 1 C lima bean, portobello mushroom, barley soup, 1/8 pound extra lean ground beef (96/4) in ½ whole wheat pita

Snack: ¼ cantaloupe

Dinner: 1 serving baked salmon in dill sauce on steamed spinach, with 4 corn tortillas, and 2/3 C steamed corn.

Dessert: 1 C low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: ¼ cantaloupe and 1 small bag 94% fat-free popcorn

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1310.17, Protein: 61.15, Carbohydrates: 238.94 g, Fiber: 49.47 g, Fat: 21.55 g, Percent calories from fat: 14.81%, Saturated fat: 6.5 g, Cholesterol: 102.5 g, Sodium: 906.92 mg.

Sunday

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with 1/3 C egg whites, 3 shiitake mushrooms-chopped, sweet onion, 1 T non-fat cheddar cheese, 3 T red bell pepper, and 1 T mild salsa.

Snack: 4 oz strawberry all-natural yogurt

Lunch: 2 Joel’s healthy enchiladas, 1/3 C Joel’s chili 3,

Snack: 3 oz. baby carrots, ¾ C GoLean Crunch

Dinner: 3 oz. roasted skinless boneless chicken breast in ½ whole wheat pita with secret sauce, 1 C steamed corn.

Dessert: 1 cup low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack: 1 medium orange, 5 Ritz low sodium crackers

Dietary Summary: Calories: 1349.82, Protein: 74.99, Carbohydrates: 216.57 g, Fiber: 28.6 g, Fat: 20.99 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.83%, Saturated fat: 6.58 g, Cholesterol: 135.8 g, Sodium: 1078.01 mg.

As you can see, I eat a lot for someone on a calorie, fat, and sodium restricted diet. But, I lose weight consistently, I have good energy, and I am seldom hungry.

Here is my recap for the last two days.

Daily Dietary Recap-6/1/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1349.68	90.86 g	228.62 g	957 mg	11.55 g	7.55%

Daily Dietary Recap-5/31/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1389.53	92.68 g	234.55 g	718.14 mg	12.43 g	7.51%