Tag Archives: diet to go

I’m 28! Birthday Thoughts

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Hello! Today is the first time I’m writing to you as a 28 year old. Birthdays are weird as you get older, because as you get older they become less exciting and more like, “Oh, it’s my birthday.” This morning I completely forgot it even was my birthday until I opened Facebook on my phone after I pressed the “snooze” button. My adult responsibilities got in the way of me anticipating my birthday – I worked close to 50 hours last week, finished thesis changes, had house guests and doctor appointments. What a whirlwind! Needless to say, I had an amazing day today filled with delicious food (Hubby took me to Cheesecake Factory. Mmmm. We shared a piece of peanut butter cheesecake and half of it is sitting in our fridge softly singing “Alysssaaaaa. Alyssssssaaaaaa. Birthday calories don’t count.”), wonderful people and all of the warm, fuzzy feelings I get seeing so many of you wishing me a happy day. You’re all quite lovely!

In thinking about what I want 28 to be like, I want to claim my health. I’m fortunate that my blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels are fantastic, but this year I want to shed my excess weight and reveal the slimmer, slender Lyssa. I’m not going to put a number on how much I want to lose, because that sets me up for disappointment if I don’t make it, but I need to get closer. I’m in the process of doing some fact-finding that I’ll share more about later, but it might be a little clue as to why I’ve struggled so much the past few months. (For the last time… No, I’m not pregnant. Ha!)

Here are some health related things I want to do this year:

  • Run a 5k with April. We’ve been discussing doing a Double Chin Diary Sister Run, and I’m trying to figure out which 5k will be our first to hit up. Any suggestions?
  • Keep drinking water. Did y’all know I’ve been OFF DIET COKE for over a month now??!?!?! Unbelievable. The only thing I miss is the convenience of grabbing a cold coke when I want something different than water. I feel like my skin has cleared up a lot! I’ve been guzzling unsweetened iced tea like crazy!
  • Focus on strength training in addition to cardio. Too often when I’m trying to lose weight (aka my whole life) I just focus on sweaty, messy cardio. However, this spring’s bootcamp session reminded me that great results come from mixing it up. Plus, nothing makes you feel more badass than pushing a sled filled with weights across a park.
  • Work on changing the negative self talk to a voice of compassion. This means calling out my friends and family when they diss themselves. Life is too short to hate yourself… so I want to make sure I live every day grateful for this body I have, as imperfect as it may be. It is perfect because it is mine, and it works, which is a gift some people don’t have.

That’s all I got for now. Here’s some exciting news: The Double Chin Diary has been listed in Diet To Go’s top 100 inspiring weight loss blogs!!! There are days when I’m too tired, too lazy, or too meh to write, but for the most part, I love coming back here and checking in. Writing has always been my sanctuary, and to know that there are real live people out there reading my rambling warms my heart. When I reach my goal, know that you have played a part in it. THANK YOU.

I hope you have a wonderful day. :)

Diet to Go Week Three!

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Hello everybody! Let’s start off with some good news – Elisabeth G. won the KalorieBox Giveaway! Congrats, Elisabeth – watch for an e-mail!

I wish I could start this week’s post with another awesome weigh in like last week (Remember, 3.7 pounds?!), but unfortunately, it’s one of those times of the month *cringe, I know, this is awkward* and evidently my body is acting like a camel (ie so much water floating around my body I could hydrate an army). So we’re just going to skip the weigh in this week to give myself a couple days to um… dry out. (I weighed in and I’m up a couple pounds from last week – but I’m staying optimistic and know that I’ve done the work I need to do, and as KJPugs says, you always get the week you deserve eventually!) But on the positive side, I am still absolutely loving this week’s Diet to Go meals! This week was a mess of meetings, appointments and deadlines – so I was happy to see that the meals are truly “to go”, especially when I scarfed a smoked chicken sandwich in between stop lights as I drove to an offsite meeting. You can see photographic proof of that, here.

Diet to Go Omelet Pomodoro

Diet to Go Omelet Pomodoro

I had a lot of favorites, food wise, this week. Let’s talk about breakfast. Several years ago before I started this whole get healthier thing, I never ate breakfast. But now, it’s like “Whee! I get to eat!” when I wake up. Diet to Go has mastered the use of cheese and tomatoes when it applies to eggs. Today, I had this amazing omelet pomodoro (220 cals) – a basil spiced omelet with cheese oozing out of the middle and sicilian flavored asparagus tips. This breakfast was amazing – I even forced my husband to taste it as he was walking out the door to go to work.

Yummy Grilled Cheese French Toast from Diet to Go. Note the Fitbloggin post-its!

Yummy Grilled Cheese French Toast from Diet to Go. Note the Fitbloggin post-its!

Here’s one of my fav lunches from the week – a french toast style grilled turkey cheese sandwich with apricot pudding and a mushroom artichoke salad (560 cals). The apricot pudding was more like ice cream, and the bite I had of my mushroom artichoke salad was refreshing and tasty.. but then I couldn’t eat the rest because my cat licked the bowl and stole a mushroom out of it. Since I’m not a fan of sharing my meals with cat-breath (do you KNOW where they lick?!), I disposed of the artichoke mushroom salad but happily nommed on the rest.

Black Bean Soup and Pretzel from Diet to Go

Black Bean Soup and Pretzel from Diet to Go

This lunch is easily another one of my favorites- see that little pretzel there? I would like to raid the pretzel factory that makes me, because I’m pretty sure I could just lay in my bed and eat soft pretzels all day and be perfectly content. Add an iced cold raspberry lambic and I’m in heaven. Booze, carbs and bed… what could be better?! Anyways, I’m off topic. This lunch was super yummy because it’s something I wouldn’t normally pick for myself but I really enjoyed it. The black bean soup had a nice spicy touch, with lots of smokiness (probably from cumin), some juicy strips of bell peppers, and a lightly salty broth. I dipped the pretzel in it and enjoyed a peach pudding for my dessert. This meals comes in at 700 calories but includes a string cheese which is not shown here since I saved that for a snack. The thing is, when you look at some of the calorie counts for the meals, your instinct might be “My god! That’s a lot of calories!” but when you factor in the portion sizes and the fact that you’re pretty much full all day long, it all equals out. I’ve actually ended up coming under calories a lot in myFitnessPal, simply because I’m too full to eat the “extra” like the string cheese or yogurt that comes with the meals.

Diet to Go Turkey Dinner

Diet to Go Turkey Dinner

This meal does not photograph beautifully, but it was delish! Has anyone ever tried the SmartOnes Turkey and Gravy Dinner? It used to be a favorite of mine, but now that I’ve had this one I can see that was a weak favorite, for sure. These mashed potatoes were REAL – no instant junk here – and the turkey was lightly seasoned with a simple brown gravy. This was truly a comfort food meal.

If you’re interested in trying Diet to Go for yourself, check out their website here. You can use coupon code FEB15PERCENT to save 15% off any meal plan, and you can also enter next week for your chance to win a week worth of free meals!  /

Does anybody have any questions about Diet to Go? Have at it! :)

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

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Hi everyone! I missed my nightly blogging, so today’s post is a quick one with a few pix of what’s been going on. I’ll be back tomorrow with a more meaty update for ya! If you want to see these fascinating photos of cats and food LIVE, follow me on instagram @lyssacurran !

This week has been crazy - Diet to Go is truly a DIET TO GO as I ate my smoked chicken sandwich enroute to an offsite meeting! Don't worry, I was parked when I took this pic!

This week has been crazy – Diet to Go is truly a DIET TO GO as I ate my smoked chicken sandwich enroute to an offsite meeting! Don’t worry, I was parked when I took this pic!

Oliver is getting bigger every day! Here he is sitting in my "Recycle" basket.

Oliver is getting bigger every day! Here he is sitting in my “Recycle” basket.

I'm not usually a veggies for breakfast type of person, but this egg and mushroom omelet with brussels sprouts was off the hook. NOM NOM. Yay for Diet to Go!

I’m not usually a veggies for breakfast type of person, but this egg and mushroom omelet with brussels sprouts was off the hook. NOM NOM. Yay for Diet to Go!

PROGRESS! Oliver and Lucia decided warmth was more important than pride, and decided to snuggle up together in bed.

PROGRESS! Oliver and Lucia decided warmth was more important than pride, and decided to snuggle up together in bed.

 

 

 

 

Diet to Go Week Two Review: Food that makes me go Nom Nom

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Hey everybody! I’m near the end of two weeks with Diet To Go, so I have to share my thoughts! It’s not my official weekly weigh-in day yet, so watch for that post on Monday to see how I’m doing. So far with Diet To Go I’m down 6.8 pounds. WOW.

I’m still really enjoying the Diet-to-Go food! I’ve only had one meals that I didn’t love, but I’ll talk about that in a minute. First let’s look at some yummy meals that rocked my socks!

Diet To Go Tomato Basil Soup

Diet to Go Tomato Basil Soup

This was a fire-roasted tomato basil soup. I’m not a huge fan of anything described as “fire roasted” because usually it’s just a bad euphemism for “burnt”. However, this soup blew away that stereotype of mine – because it was rich, beautifully flavored, and packed with charred bits of tomato and savory basil. Served with a warm wheat roll, this was a tasty treat of a lunch.

Diet to go egg quesadilla

Diet To Go Egg Quesadilla

First of all, look at the size of this meal! It’s HUGE, right?! This was an egg quesadilla with a side of citrus and a potato cake. The quesadilla was fresh and fluffy, and after two pieces and the fruit I was stuffed! This breakfast had all the components of a winner – starch, protein, carb and dairy with fruit. YUM!

Diet To Go Turkey Penne Pasta

Diet to Go Turkey Penne Pasta

Ok, I know I’m like a broken record, but again, look at this serving size. One of my big concerns about trying a pre-packaged food plan was that I’d be starving all the time. Not so with Diet To Go, as this is a generous pasta serving (maybe even bigger than is suggested. I hope my dietitian isn’t reading this! lol!). I’m all about volume, so a hearty pasta dish that gives you an ample serving feels nice and comforting. It had a tangy tomato turkey sauce that gave the pasta some nice flavor.

Diet to Go Chicken Pizza

Diet to Go Chicken Pizza

Last but not least is the Chicken Pizza! On Friday night I was feeling a little bit pouty as my husband had a smoked pork sandwich and a beer – so I picked out the Chicken Pizza. I cooked it in the oven and got the bubbly, brown cheese effect I was after. It’s nice to feel like you’re having junk food on weekends, so this pizza scored big with me.

Ok – so there has only been meals I didn’t love – an Indian chicken curry salad sandwich. I blame this on myself, mostly, because I’m a bit of a culinary snob and believe curry should only be served over fresh, fluffy rice or scooped onto a steaming hot tandoori naan. I couldn’t get into a cold curry salad, so this meal just didn’t do it for me, but the quality of the food was excellent with a fresh roll and big juicy chunks of white meat chicken. So, week two is a wrap! I’m really pleased so far with the results and am looking forward to my next week of meals. I even got to go in and pick out what to substitute for sea-food (I am anti-fish!) and I got to pick some intriguing things that I wouldn’t normally try (like Black Bean soup!).

Do any of these meals look yummy to you? Would you like a curry chicken sandwich? Don’t forget, at the end of my reviews, Diet-to-go is offering one of my readers a FREE WEEK of meals! Pretty awesome, right?! Have a great day!

* In coordination with the honest bloggers act, I am being compensated and provided complimentary meals for these posts. But don’t worry – my opinions are always my own!

Diet To Go Review & Weigh In – Week 1

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Hi guys! Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was busy, busy, busy. Seems like the first couple of weeks after you get back from a trip is just full of catch-up. Remember how last week I told you that Diet to Go is generously allowing me to review their food this month? Well, I’ve finished my first week and I have some feedback for you all. And before I get ahead of myself, I’d like you to know that I don’t like to do reviews without offering something in exchange for YOU – so at the end of the month, you’ll have a chance to win a whole week’s worth of Diet to Go meals for free. Pretty sweet, right?! Because I like instant gratification and you should too, here’s what my weigh in results were for this week:

down 2.8 pounds

 

I’m thrilled about this, because jet lag and the remnants of the cold I got in Thailand were screwing up my exercise regimen all week. WooHOO!!!!! Excited to see what happens next week. Anyways, on to the food! When I first found out about Diet to Go, my initial (and unfounded) judgements were not positive. I assumed it was like Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig, and would be a frankenfood solution to losing weight, full of powdered mystery meats and gelatinous juices and gravies. What actually arrived to my house via overnight mail was completely different – fresh foods with actual FRESH, WHOLE PIECES OF FRUIT and tender, juicy pieces of meat that were actually MEAT – premium meat, not the gross pressed meat you find in frozen meals. (You all know I’m a picky meateater, so nothing turns me off more than a flat, flabby little piece of pressed meat.) Even cooler – the ingredients list is just FOOD. No freaky chemicals, no weird long names… just real, unprocessed food. I’ll take a pic next time to show you. The first meal I had was a Waldorf chicken salad, crunchy chick pea snacks and a can of v-8. After my first bite I was like, “Whoa. hey. These are real cherries in here. And this is real chicken. not bad.. nom nom nom nom.” And then before I knew it, my meal was over before I could capture a beautiful picture. And then the rest of the week went kind of exactly like that – I’d start chowing down and then think “Crap! I was supposed to take a picture.” I did, however, remember to photograph two of my favorites.

Diet to Go Montecristo with Raspberry Maple Syrup

Diet to Go Montecristo with Raspberry Maple Syrup

This ham and cheese montecristo was OFF THE HOOK. As in, I took one bite and wanted  10 more. The raspberry maple syrup on top of it was fresh and sweet, and the ham was the perfect salty bite to the yummy sweetened bread. As a side I had the yogurt citrus salad – juicy pieces of ruby red grapefruit in a non-fat yogurt dressing. This is an example of a breakfast I would never cook for myself in a million years (laziness, folks. it’s not for lack of desire.), so this felt like a real treat in the morning.

Diet to Go Chicken BBQ Burger with Pear

Diet to Go Chicken BBQ Burger with Pear

This chicken burger was an example of a meal that was perfect for a filling yet quick lunch. I was having a busy day at work and had missed lunch (yes – it happens even when you work from home!). When I finally realized the rumbling in my stomach was not helping me write any faster, or better, I nuked this in the micro for a couple minutes and sliced up the pear. This burger was seasoned well and had pieces of potato or turnip in it (I forgot to look) that gave it a nice texture. It came with BBQ sauce but I decided to just have it sans sauce because I felt the cheese was enough. This also felt like a “special” lunch, because I can’t think of the last time in my life I got to eat a cheeseburger at lunch!

The only meal I had this week that I didn’t love was the Turkey Meatloaf. It wasn’t gross, it just needed seasoning. I’m a salt lover, so it’s safe to say I like bold flavors. I doctored it up with some zatarains creole seasoning and it was good to go. I’m very pleasantly surprised about the taste of the food. One of my biggest fears was it would be gross and I’d miss cooking. Awesomely, I’m enjoying having my food made for me. I could get used to this….

Since I kind of went right into the food and no other details (big surprise, right!?), here’s a couple facts about Diet to Go.

  • There are three choices of meal plans. Traditional low-fat (which I’m on) comes in either 1,200 calories or 1,600 calories. There are also low-carb and vegetarian options.
  • The meals come to your house once a week on dry ice, or you can pick them up if you live in Baltimore, San Francisco, Philadelphia or Washington D.C.
  • The plans range in price from $76.79 for 10 meals per 5 days, up to $142 for a full week (3 meals a day) of food. Seems pricey, but if you compare what it costs to grocery shop and then prepare your food, it can come out equal or less. (AKA Check my last Whole Foods receipt. Ugh.)

I’ll have another post next week, but for now, I’m lovin’ Diet to Go.

So – would you ever try a prepared meal plan? Have you? (I lasted on Jenny Craig for one week a couple years ago. I hated the taste of the food and my checkbook couldn’t handle it!)

 

Wednesday Updates – Food, DietBet and Ch-ch-ch-chaaaaanges

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Happy Wednesday, readers! I hope you’ve had a great week so far. Today I have a couple updates for you that will influence a lot of what you read the next few weeks- lots of exciting things are happening!

Diet to Go Waldorf Chicken Salad with yummy crunchy chickpea sncks and cucumber slices!

Diet to Go Waldorf Chicken Salad with yummy crunchy chickpea sncks and cucumber slices!

1) I am now a Diet to Go member! My meals are being provided in exchange for review, and I’m truly excited to give this yummy plan a try. I’ve often wondered about Pre-portioned meal plans, but was too scared to take that step. You all know I love to cook, so at first I was like “eeek! I won’t be able to cook!”, but I’m doing Diet to Go five days a week and plan on cooking healthy meals on the weekends. I’m really excited to see how diet to go works out for me. My first meal was a Waldorf chicken salad- with juicy chunks of chicken breast, real cherries and fruit in it- a can of v8, and some yummy crunchy chickpea snacks. It was important to me that the food I eat be as wholesome as possible, and so far I’ve been impressed with all of the meals I’ve seen. There’s no scary chemicals in the ingredients list, no freezedried blobs, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. No frankenfood here! So that’s what’s happening with my food – stay tuned here for weekly updates.

I'm losing 4% of my weight and contributing my DietBet winnings to No Hungry Kid.

I’m losing 4% of my weight and contributing my DietBet winnings to No Hungry Kid.

2) I’ve joined kjpugs DietBet! Have you heard of DietBet? It’s a social dieting website where each person contributes to a pot, and those who lose 4% of their total weight in a month score a portion of the pot! I’m going to be hardcore about this for the month, because I’m playing for charity! My winnings will go to No Hungry Kid. The starting period is over for this DietBet, but April and I would like to host a DietBet in February, so stay tuned for our weekly updates here!

3) I am absolutely thrilled with the opportunitScreen Shot 2013-01-09 at 8.34.38 AMies that my Double Chin Diary has provided me, and this year, I’m taking it to the next level! You’ll start noticing some changes in the design and layout of this blog over the next few months- but don’t worry, it’s all for a better reading experience :) Soon, I’ll be conducting a survey about this blog and would love for you to chime in about what you’d like to see (other than me losing the weight- that’s a given this year!).

So there are my updates! After an amazing vacation with a few eye-opening experiences, I am more motivated than ever to lose weight and get healthy. I only have one life to live, and the time is now- not tomorrow, not next year, not in an hour. It’s NOW. I hope you have a wonderful and productive day.

PS – Don’t forget to enter the Chike Protein Powder giveaway! This stuff is way yummy and the perfect way to amp up your weight loss and fitness efforts this new year!