Weekly Check in: Week 4: Cheese and Stroganoff!

Four weeks down. I lost another pound this week, so that puts me at 4.5 lbs lost in 2012. On one hand, that's YAY! on another, I'm feeling a little UGH. It's been two months since I got back on the wagon, and I'm down a total of 14.5 lbs. I'm working out. I'm more fit than I was. These are all good things, and yet, today I'm feeling very impatient. I know that when you lose weight in healthy ways it doesn't happen overnight. I know this is going to take a long time. As much as I like the changes in my body, and the changes I see in the mirror, I wish it were happening faster. I feel like after two months, I should be a little farther along than I am.

10 years ago, I hopped myself up on Metabolife (before they removed the ephedra) and for three months I was on an uber strict diet and hit the gym 5-6 times a week, doing an hour of cardio plus weights every day. I dropped 30 lbs in 90 days, going from about 275 lbs to 245 lbs. I looked fantastic. I was also cracked out and crazy bitchy.

I know I should know better, but there's a part of me that feels like I should be losing as fast as I did that time around. Nevermind that I was working out more, eating less, taking what amounted to legal speed, and let's face it, I was ten years younger than I am now. (*sniffle*)

I also burned out, stopped taking the pills, and eventually the weight crept back on. I KNOW BETTER than to expect overnight results. It doesn't work that way, but that's where I am right now. I'm staying on program, going to the gym (three times this week, like a good monkey) and keeping up with my commitments to myself regarding this blog, healthy weekly recipes, and sleeping more. I have every intention of continuing to do those things. I'm just feeling crabby about the pace of my progress. I know that realisticly, I can expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week. I just REALLY want to keep it closer to 2. I don't want the 52 lbs to take all year. I plan to stick with it either way... blah. I'll stop complaining now.

In other news, two different people this week on two different days commented on how great my butt is looking. The words "exceptionally perky" were used.

If that isn't a great incentive to keep pounding out the high incline on the treadmill, I don't know what is!

In this week's culinary adventures, I went out for Korean BBQ with friends, and it was fantastic. I'd only had Korean once before, and I have to ask myself why the hell I waited so long to go back. I need more meat in my life. <3 We had so many tasty things, and I couldn't tell you what they were. Lots of sides and kimchee. There was some kind of soup with tofu, crab stuffed leeks, short ribs, steak, and marinated pork. Lots of spice. (I'm waiting for my Beef Stroganoff to finish cooking as I write this, and my mouth is watering! LOL!)

More of this, please!

I also travelled to the great city of Beaver, Utah to meet up with my mom and return her parrot to her. Beaver is a tiny town of 6,000 that has three things going for it: the best tasting tap water in the rural United States (2006),

An unfortunate name that brings LOTS of revenue in souvenir merchandise to an enterprising gas station owner: 

Best of all, in my expert opinion: they're home to a Cache Valley Cheese dairy and distribution center.  



That means fresh curds at the Chevron.

Squeeky Cheese!!!!



And then there was this.

The cheese of my people.

I had a cheese-gasm.

Now, I should tell you a little bit about why this is special. See, I was born in Cache Valley, which is about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City, and spent most of my summers in the country there as a kid. Beaver is their most southern distribution point. I can't get this stuff in Vegas. Even as a kid, I remember stopping in Beaver with my mom to pick up cheese curds at the gas station on the way back to Vegas. I remember going to Gossner's Dairy in Logan with my grandma as a kid for cheese and fresh ice cream. So for me, this is like a little piece of cheesy, homespun, food nostalgia.

 I'm on a diet after all, and I was a good monkey. I came out of there with just one bag of cheese curd, a block of bacon cheddar, and a small jar of chokecherry jelly. I'm really looking forward to cracking the jelly open. It reminds me of Saturday morning pancakes as a kid at my grandparents house. Mickey mouse shaped pancakes served by my papa hot off the griddle, smothered in homemade chokecherry syrup: my favorite breakfast. Mmmmm... memories. =)

As for my culinary exploits closer to home this week, I prepared a Beef Stroganoff which I adapted from a recipe found in "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery" by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. It's a great little cookbook full of low fat/high protein recipes.

*Please note, I am not a chef. That being said, I love to cook, and more often than not, my food tastes pretty awesome. Do what works for you.  =)

Beef Stroganoff

Cooking spray

1 head of garlic, minced

2 1/2 lb lean eye of round roast, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes.

3 6 oz cans of Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 cup dry, red wine

5 cups sliced mushrooms

4 bay leaves

1 1/4 cup fat free sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Spray a large non stick skillet (with lid) with Pam or other cooking spray. Sautee garlic about 1 minute, then add meat,  and cook about three minutes on medium high heat, stirring frequently.

Remember, you're not trying to cook these through, just brown them a bit.
They'll be simmering for about 90 minutes.

2. Add tomato sauce, wine, mushrooms, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Cover pan with lid and simmer on low heat for about 90 minutes. (The longer you let it simmer, the more tender your beef will become.)

Aren't the colors pretty?

3. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Season with additional salt or pepper as needed.

Serving suggestion, aprox. 12 points.

Makes about 8 cups.

Aprox 6-7 points per cup

Serve over No-Yolks egg noodles 

(2 oz dry noodles= 5 points)

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Notes: I'd made this recipe once about three years ago, and loved it. This was tasty but not exactly what I expected. The original recipe called for 1 lb of lean eye round, and the only cut I could find was a 2.5 lb roast, so I upped my proportions about 2.5x. It was a little soupier than I expected, but had a wonderful flavor. I used a fat free sour cream from Trader Joe's. The flavor was okay, but it was a little grainy in the pan, and never integrated the way a higher fat cream would have. I think next time I will use a low fat version instead of fat free. I also may use a little flour to thicken up the sauce next time. Still, it was YUMMY,very hearty, and there will definitely be a next time.

And yes, I used an entire head of garlic. It was scrumptious.

Based on the nutrition data in the original recipe, this recipe would be about 4 points per serving.

With the modifications I made, I'm estimating my version at about 6 or 7 points per cup, plus the egg noodles.

As always, if you try one of my recipes let me know what you think, what works for you, and what doesn't.

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So, that's about it for this week. I got my car back from the shop Wednesday morning, and I'm working to get back in the swing of things with my gym routine. I've been making a point of eating dinner after work, but before going to the gym. That means I run the risk of slacking off and not going with my belly full of dinner, but I think it's a better choice than working out first, then eating a huge dinner close to bedtime. I'm still working to find a balance with it.

My goal this week is to keep on keeping on. I've got this. Just have to keep at it, slow progress or no.

Weeks down: 4

Weeks to go: 48

Starting weight: 271.5 lbs

Current weight: 267 lbs

This week's loss: 1 lbs

2012 weight loss: 4.5 lb

2012 goal: 219.5 lbs

Starting BMI 40.00

Current BMI 39.4

Started WW on 11/28, @ 281.5 lbs 

Total loss: 14.5 lbs