Moment of truth: Weigh in Day. 51

1.  Jan 14   - 105kg/231 pounds ( starting weight)
2.  Feb 03   - 101 kg/222 pounds  ( loss 4kg/ 9 pounds )
3. March 02 -

Hippo Woman Food Account: Day 50 Wednesday March 2nd 2011

I made a pot of Mediterranean Rice this morning and I will have this during the day.

• Breakfast 

1x bowl of Mediterranean rice with sundried toms, olives and frozen veges mixed in the rice.

Hippo Woman Food Account: Day 49 Tuesday March 1st 2011

Virtually a repeat of yesterday lol  So a quick break down of the choices I made today.

• Brunch 

1 x bowl of Chicken soup - same recipe as previous day.

• Snack

I brought a packet of baby Snack cucumbers - they were lovely and crunchy. I will keep these in mind for when I get the crunchy munchies while I'm out and about. :)

• Dinner

Another bowl of the chicken soup

• Dessert 

An ice block popsicle.
Not hard to see that today was a good choices day food wise. Rose NZ

Hippo Woman Food Account: Day 48 Monday Feb 28 2011

I got cooking today and made a vegetable soup in the morning. I had this during the day in separate meals

• Brunch

1x bowl of Chicken soup: 1 x Drumstick ( cooked with soup then shredded)
4 baby potatoes, 1x cup of frozen corn kernels, 1x cup mixed frozen veges.  
1x half a cup of brown rice. Chicken stock, herbs and spices for flavour. Delicious!  :)

• Snack

1x fresh orange

• Dinner

fished off my delicious soup. A fab food day today 4x :) :) :) :)  Rose NZ

Hippo Woman Food Account: Day 47 Feb 27 2011

I got behind on my timing again and went back to the Subway brunch option.

• Brunch 

1x foot long Subway club - 6gm or less fat group as a great choice for a tasty meal. :)

• Afternoon Tea

2x Fresh Oranges  - no colds for me  :) :)

• Dinner

1x half a mushroom omelet with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. Added herbs and spices for flavor. Delicious and wonderful option that can be altered very easily depending on personal taste.

Hippo woman Food Account: day 46 Feb 26 2011

Another good and enjoyable Saturday as we went to the beach and I made great food choices too. :)

• Breakfast #1

2x small fresh oranges.  I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 6am - on a Saturday!! yeah - idiot.... :(
 So rather than cook or bother with any food prep fruit seemed the easiest and quietest option available.
No :) for eating healthy this time as waking up early was just plain dumb!

• Breakfast #2

4 baby potatoes and 2x sausages steamed. Adding sausages is a breeze as they steam too inside the bag!
The cooking method I use is so fab, delicious, and sooo no fuss - no mess brilliant that I want to share it with you.  Use this for any vegetable you choose. I also cook fish and chicken this way. Please try it.
Use microwave safe plastic bags only ( I always use 2 - 1 inside the other just in case ) Inside the bag place chopped potatoes, herbs, spices and seasoning then twist the top of the bag and lightly *seal it *
- I use a clothes peg for this as it's easy to remove later.
 ***NOTE: the bag is cooking inside the microwave - don't use a metal tie.
Place in the microwave and cook until done - usually about 6-7 minutes. The bag will go like a balloon and it will be extremely hot with steam trapped inside the bag - use caution when opening the bag.
I usually remove the peg then cut the bag to get at the contents. No fuss, no mess -- just throw the remains of the bag in the bin. Saves washing a pot, right... :)

• Lunch 

Half a cheese scone with butter spread on it.

• Afternoon Tea

Other half of the scone - buttered. Bet you guessed that one eh?  haha :)  Anyway it was a nice treat spread over 2 meal sittings. Good one :)

• Dinner 

Cheated and choose the steamed potatoe option again. Was a bit tired if the truth be known and took the shortest route to be fed and watered. lol  Still a healthy option gotta be happy about it. :)  Rose

Hippo woman Food Account: day 45 Feb 25 2011

Good day so far, in fact a really good day. :) Here is the breakdown

• Breakfast  

handful of fresh green grapes and a small packet of plain Brazil nuts

• Lunch 

Soup with one x chicken drumstick, 1x cabonesse (deli sausage), 1x onion, 0.5 cup of brown rice, 4x baby potatoes, herbs, spices.
1x bowl of this soup including the sausage.
2 slices of bread

• Dinner

Rest of lunchtime soup including chicken drumstick.
I have to say this soup was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be having it again in the near future. :) 

Hippo Woman Apology

This is a huge apology from me it has been weeks since my last entry and this has been due to a number of things. Firstly on the Feb 29 my computer had heart failure and had to go to the shop for a check up - it needed a full clean as it 'was running hot' and although they did a good job, I can only use it till it starts to get warm then it shuts off. So major pain but I can't afford to buy another computer at the moment so...there it is.
Now of course the earthquake has had a huge impact in fact it's a devastating blow to all New Zealanders.


GOOD NEWS THOUGH!  I have carried on with the eating plans i have been doing all this time and am very pleased to say I am loosing weight at a slow and steady rate. I will start the daily reports from today and will weigh-in on the last day of the month...easy to remember which day to do it then. Still on track, 3x :) :) :) Rose

Hippo Food Account: Day 28 Thursday 10 Feb 2011

Must really make the effort today to right a few wrongs.

• Breakfast 

1x 6" Subway 6grams or less fat - excellent !

• Lunch 

1x extra large Latte - really needed it and it was magnificent :)

• Dinner 

2 x pieces of friend chicken
4x potatoe pieces
delicious and not upset over the fried chicken as I was eaten at dinner and lunch. :)

• Dessert 

Got the crunchie munchies again so I had 5 ice cream cones .. Great choice for the crunch craving :)

Hippo Food Account: Day 27 Wednesday 9 Feb 2011

Just a quick write up today as it's late and I'm very tired. Here is it :

• Breakfast 

1x Subway footlong club 6gm or less fat :) wonderful start to the day.

• Lunch 

1x half a rockmelon with 1x tablespoon of brown sugar to sweeten. really nice on a hot day! :) :)

• Snack 

slipped up a bit and treated myself to a bag of candyfloss and I scoffed the whole bag - just couldn't stop :( I'm more disappointed that I couldn't stop eating it than anything else. Just have to be vigilant the next few days.

• Dinner

1x continental sausage - large
1x Camembert cheese 4 :( :( :( :(  cause i never should have eaten the whole thing - very bad mistake ! In fact a bad food day all round so going to bed Not a happy camper tonight. :( Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 26 Tuesday Feb 08/ 02/2011

Still playing catch up :) here is the break down for today:

• Brunch

Major time management issues today. It's just the way it is sometimes. :)
2x poached eggs
2x toast
1slice of bacon - poached with eggs

• Afternoon snack 

1x beetroot sandwich using 2x slices of bread

• Dinner 

1x bowl of pasta spirals flavored with herbs, spices and seasoned with salt and pepper. Healthy and delicious

Hippo Food Account Day 25 Monday Feb 07/ 02/2011

Still chasing after myself and playing catch-up :)

• Breakfast

2x slices of toast
2x poached eggs
1x slice of bacon poached with eggs
marg
Again a healthy, sustaining meal to start the day with. :)

• Lunch

2x slice bread
Marg
beetroot slices
Cut into 4 smaller sandwiches so I would pace the meal and eat them slower - a tip from a friend that makes a lot of sense. I will do this with all my sandwiches from now on. :)

• Afternoon tea

1x slice of bread
marg
apricot conserve
A sweet treat for the afternoon, delicious and moderately healthy. 2x :) :) for choosing a wiser sweet option.

• Dinner 

1.5 bowl of plain pasta spirals
2x tablespoons of grated cheese
sprinkle of Italian herbs, salt and pepper for added flavor.
Super YUM! and super HEALTHY TOO!   All in all a wonderful food choice day.  4x :) :) :) :)  Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 24 Sunday Feb 06/ 02/2011

This is a very late - as in 2 days late! report. No excuses, proper ones anyway, just got busy with stuff. I will do my best to rectify and catch up today. No more leaving it for days, it's just soo much harder that way. The only positive is that I've eaten the same stuff so memory not having too dance too much. Here we go:

• Breakfast

2x pieces of toast
marg
2x poached eggs
1x slice bacon poached with eggs
lettuce
Delicious and healthy and very sustaining which is very good. 3x :) :) :)

• Lunch

3x medium nectarines

• Dinner

1x half a pork chop - browned in canola spray.
lettuce, beetroot slices
2x eggs

Hippo Food Account Day 23 Saturday Feb 05/ 02/2011

Today tooth is still touchy but nowhere near as bad as yesterday but even so I am going to baby sit it for a while till I can get to the dentist in a few days. Good for the food choices eating tooth friendly meals so not all bad :)
Here is the account today:

• Breakfast/brunch 

2 slices of toast - extremely lightly toasted- tooth friendly style.
1x ripped up lettuce leaf
1x bacon slice - steamed/ poached
2x Poached eggs
I made a sort of my style eggs Benedict without the sauce element. The runny yolks not only served as my sauce they softened up the toast. It was delicious.I'm so impressed I'm thinking of having this for my dinner. :)

• Late afternoon tea 

I know i have timing issues with meals - again! sucks but there it is......
2x barely toasted slices topped with Marmite and lettuce.

• Dinner

Same as breakfast. I know this is only just staying in my 6x a day bread limit but it is within the limits and it is what I can eat at the moment. In otherwords - get over it because I am.......!

Hippo Food Account Day 22 Friday 4 Feb 2011

A positive day so far but I have a niggling tooth ache - you know the kind that come and go so you never quite know whether to bite the bullet and spend the dosh at the dentist or just stay the course and take a shit load of asprin and hope it settles down till the next scheduled visit. Anyway here is the food breakdown today:

• Brunch 

I figured rice was an easy option today so I made enough Mediterranean Rice for now and later.
1x bowl of rice with a 2 tablespoons of grated cheese

• Snack 

1x bowl of rice no cheese so good choice :)

• Dinner 

3x sausages chopped finely.  Tooth a bit niggle again so this was the easy soft option which will take me through till the morning. Not that good a choice but not too bad under the circumstances. Rose NZ

Moment Of Truth ....Weigh in Day 21

Jan 14 2011  Original starting weight  was        105kg  /  231 pounds

Feb 03 2011  First weigh in after starting blog  101kg  /   222  pounds    LOSS:   4kg /  9 pounds   :)

I know this is a very small loss - but it is a Loss so I am going to take it. And I did this with zero exercise!  :) :)
It's amazing I never thought it would work so fast without some form of exercise. Once I get back into the pool for some low impact water walking it will be ever better. But I am Very Happy Today!  Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 21 Thursday 3 Feb 2011

A really good start to today. I need it to be after last nights debacle!

• Breakfast 

1x medium fresh Banana

• Lunch

2x punnets of fresh blueberries
3x chubbachubs - hard sugar-free lolly pops with a variety of fruity flavors.

• Snack 

6 x ice cream cones.

• Dinner 

A very small piece of rump steak - hand size
lettuce, tomatoe, pickled baby gherkins
chopped in a salad
2x poached eggs
A very good day with food and weight loss. I don't expect this every weigh-in but loosing 4 kg is fab this time.

Hippo Food Account Day Wednesday 20 2 Feb 2011

A good start to the day but as you will see it all went to custard during dinner. But more on that later - here is the breakdown for the day.

• Breakfast 

1x foot long Subway club  within the 6grams of fat or less range so good choice :)

• Afternoon Snack 

2 low fat yoghurt tubs
3x fresh peaches
five ice cream cones for a crunchy finish. Again great choices :) :)

•  Dinner 

OK this it the where the big let down occurs. After business house bowls we got some fried chicken and potatoe pieces on the way home.
1x medium drum stick
2x potatoes
lettuce, half a tomatoe and 1x cube piece of feta cheese in a salad
Not the wisest choices and to make matters worse I didn't stop there with the silly food choices! :( :(

• Dessert 

1x large Melting moment biscuit  that is possibly the worst food option out of all the choices today. 4x :( :( :( :(
So all in all a sad end to what should have been a great day. I promised not to beat myself up
and I won't - but I will be making exceptionally wise food choices tomorrow - especially as it is weigh in day.
 I was fairly confident that I had lost a bit of weight, but not so much now. Still I will persevere with this - I owe it to myself to continue along this path no matter how hard or rocky it gets.Hugs to all, Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 19 Tuesday Feb 1 2011

Wow - OMG February already! And day 19 for me....that is a bit of an achievement for me in itself. Usually my quest to be a slimmer, healthier individual has waned by now. It has had some shaky moments and I am not going to pretend I wouldn't love to scoff down a packet of potatoe chips - I promised I would be honest here. I haven't been down the chip isle since I started this - I know I haven't got to the point that I can buy chips and stop after a handful. Truthfully I have serious doubts I will ever get to that point so my best defense if to play chicken and not go anywhere near there. Cowardly I know, but there it is...
These crunch cravings that are the weirdest things, and I make sure I only have good crunchy options on hand.

• Breakfast

1x 6" meatball subway on a honey oat roll. Yeah! still doing the great breakfast choice thing :)

• Lunch

2x cold poached eggs diced tossed through diced lettuce
6x baby pickled gherkins diced
4x diced sun-dried tomatoes diced
mix all together for a wonderful crunchy salad that tastes amazing. 4x :) :) :) :)   Wahoo!!

• Snack 

I got the munchies for the crunchies again so I went and brought some ice cream cones - they are definitely crunchy and they are next to nothing calorie wise so happy with these. I ate 10x cones with my coffee.

• Dinner 

I cooked prawns in a hot pan with canola spray and a small knob of butter and flavoured them with herbs, spices and a small knob of garlic butter. I know this sounds like a horrendous amount of butter for one dish - and normally I would agree with this, but this is a complete meal for 2 people and I am having a very small portion of these prawns. Here is my dinner breakdown:
6x prawns
2 x tablespoon of sauce 
salad:  lettuce, tomatoe, sun-dried tomatoes and a tablespoon of olive oil for dressing.
Overall I am very happy with this meal option and it was so delicious I will do it again. :)

• dessert 

1x cola popsicle   great no calorie choice and cooling on a hot night. 2x :) :)
very satisfied with today's effort and looking forward to tomorrow. Hugs to all Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 18 Monday Jan 31 2011

Today I am feeling positive about my choices last week. I have eaten a few bread slices and haven't monitored the amount as carefully as I should have but I think the count is well under the 6 x slice or less daily quota so it's all good. Truthfully I need to restrict this to 4 x slices per day and I will get to that point but just not yet. I'm careful with what I eat with the bread and it is making a big difference. Here is the Food Account so far today:

• Breakfast

3x slices of bread topped with margarine and Marmite. I folded each slice to create a three single sandwiches which I stuffed with lettuce. Good nutritional and tasty choice. :)

• Lunch 

Lunch is a bit late today and it is homemade vege and bacon soup so I am doing a bit extra and adding a single portion of spaghetti to bulk it up a bit - this will make it enough for the rest of the day.
1x bowl of Vege/Bacon soup with pasta

• Dinner  

Same as lunch - no brainer :) At least it's an easy meal ...got to love that, right!  :)
1x bowl of Vege/Bacon soup with pasta. It really is delicious when reheated :) so it's all good today, Rose

Hippo Food Account Day 17 Sunday Jan 30 2011

Well time management skills have let me down again - what's new, right?  Anyway It was a late breakfast again today but now quite late enough for brunch. Still it is the weekend so who cares, right... ok here it is so far:

• Breakfast/brunch

3x slices of toast
3x poached eggs
Happy with the choice so it's good so far food wise I just have to get my A into G with sorting my morning out.

• Lunch 

More of a snack really but here are the numbers:
6x crackers spread with margarine and Marmite   Happy and healthy option :)

• Dinner 

2x beef sausages browned slowly using canola spray
Lettuce, 1x tomatoe fresh, 4x sun-dried tomatoes  all tossed together to form a tasty salad. 4x :) :) :) :)  Yum!

• Dessert

1x chocolate paddle pop for a sweet chocky treat. Double Yum!  A very good day in all today... Rose NZ  

Hippo Food Account Day 16 Saturday Jan 29 2011

Another great start to the day with a delicious breakfast/brunch. I had a sort of deconstructed BLT without the dread factor. Bread is the thing that is a killer for me, it's not that I love it a lot because I can take it or leave it, but it the thing that puts the weight on me quicker than anything else...so while I'm not avoiding it totally. I am restricting the amount of bread I eat to 6x slices or less per day. Here is my breakfast breakdown:

• Breakfast/brunch

1x large lettuce leaf - whole
1.5 bacon slices cooked in microwave then diced and placed on lettuce
3x eggs poached firmly and placed on lettuce and bacon
2x flat mushrooms poached with the eggs sliced and added to plate.
4x diced sun dried tomatoes
this delicious meal will take me through to dinner with only fruit snacks needed in between it was really yum :)

• Snack

half a fresh watermelon
4x crackers with margarine and Marmite spread

• Dinner 

1.5 bowls of Mediterranean Rice with 1x diced lettuce leaf mixed in.
So far a very good day today food wise and I feel really good about the choices I made today. :) Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 15 Friday Jan 28 2011

Shitty day weather wise but it made for a easy choice food wise. It was a definite soup day today! :)

• Brunch

I put my vegetable and bacon slice soup on so it would cook in time for me to enjoy it for brunch - Delicious :)
I had 2 x bowls of this as I was really hungry and it was delicious.

• Afternoon light meal ( I needed a bit more than a snack) 

2x slices of toast topped with a freshly sliced tomatoe
1x bread folded and stuffed with half a lettuce leaf
half a lettuce leaf sliced thinly and tossed with 4x sundried tomatoes diced and a drizzle of flavoured oil .

• Crunch fix 

Yep I had a crunch craving again. 4x plain crackers. good option and certainly crunchy :) :)

•   Dinner

A real winner tonight :)  and tastes so good I will be doing it again very soon. 4 x :) :) :) :)
1x large browned then braised chicken drum stick - once cooked I removed the meat from the bone.
 2x large lettuce leaves torn into bite sized pieces.
1x firmly cooked poached egg chopped up and mixed in salad.
4x diced sun-dried tomatoes
4x diced stuffed olives
1x  tablespoon of flavoured olive oil for dressing.
Toss everything together add seasoning then enjoy - absolutely delicious. :)  Happy with myself today.

• Dessert 

1x Paddle pop chocolate ice-cream block. A treat for having a great food day... a sensible treat - that is the key to making this work. I'm getting it at last, Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 14 Thursday Jan 27 2011

What a day!!  Internet problems suck big time. It's nearly 3pm and I have only just got connected on line :( :( :(
Still a good day food wise so not a bad day, but I just hate it when my day starts off frustrating and the cause of it is something I have absolutely no control over. Anyway enough about that, here are the numbers.

• Breakfast 

Too frustrated to cook so it was a mercy dash to Subway for a 6" ham sub. In the 6gm of fat or less group so a fantastic choice considering the mood I was it at the time. 2 x :) :) for this.

• Lunch

Still no connection after turning; off modem, rebooting system usual stuff 3 times! So I wanted to chop up something - the technician at Telecom preferably. But made do with attacking vegetables to make soup.
1x bowl of soup
1x single serve of spaghetti
1x slice of bacon diced in the soup.
It was delicious and I have some left over for later on. Really good choice again, :)

• Dinner 

I was hungry so I decided to have dinner earlier rather than waiting for my husband to be ready. He was having a few beers on the deck and as I had soup left over from lunch I improvised.
1x pork chop cooked slowly in the simmering soup - I ate half of it but it was absolutely delicious.
1x bowl of vegetable soup which was really nice and the pork chop gave it added flavour. Great food option and far better cooking method than frying the pork chop. 3 :) :) :)
Hubby thinks I'm mad making soup in our summer - but I love soup so it's all good. He is frying his chop when he is ready. A man that knows his way around a kitchen is a definite keeper. Hugs to all, Rose NZ

• Dessert 

I wasn't going to have dessert but it was soo muggy tonight and I have been really good - and because I want to as well.  I'm going to have 1x paddle pop ice block. A good choice to cool down and yummy too. Rose :)

Hippo Food Account Day 13 Wednesday Jan 26 2011

A reasonable day so far today. I started off well and pulled back a bit at lunch. Anyway here is the breakdown thus far:

• Breakfast 

I bought a 6 pack of chicken sushi and ate three pieces as they were large pieces. Great choice and yum! :) 

• Snack

I finished off the other three sushi pieces so not too bad yet on the healthy food options. :) 

• Lunch

Here is where I come off the rails :(  I cooked a large piece of Steak and intended to save half for a sandwich later - but, as you may have guessed, I scoffed the whole thing. And...Yes I do feel upset - I'm more upset about my lack of will power than anything else. I haven't blown the whole day and I'm not going to beat myself up. But the memory of this 'uncontrolled episode ' will remain for quite some time. Next time I will only cook the amount I need to eat at one meal time. Lesson learned - pissed off but moving on... :( Rose NZ

• Supper 

this is far too late to be labeled dinner as we played outdoor bowls tonight - regular occurance for a few weeks to come until this years competition has ended. Here is what I had.
3x poached eggs on
3x pieces of toast  plus 1x mushroom poached with the eggs in the egg poacher. So happy with this :) Rose

Hippo Food Account Day 12 Tuesday Jan 25 2011

It is such a good day today so far and what it more this is starting to feel somewhat normal and not such a effort now. Subway has become my takeaway place of choice and I when I am out and about I make straight for there if I get hungry.

• Breakfast 

Surprise, surprise - I had a subway club 6" - within the 6gm of fat selection so extra :) for this. Wonderful start!
 I stocked up on easy fruit snack options this morning so healthy snacks are a breeze today. 2x :) :) for this.

• Snack time 

3 fresh apricots and a punnet of blueberries. All good foody choices and great for body too. Big plus! :)

• Lunch 

A bit later then I would have like but these things happen, right. Here is my lunch choice today.
1 cup of Mediterranean Rice with the olives and sun-dried toms added. Actually it was left over from dinner last night but it was a healthy choice and delicious too. :)

• Snack 

4x plain crackers just because I had a crunch craving again. When I get that only something crunchy will suffice and so I make sure I keep some crunchy options at hand. that crunch craving comes out of nowhere but it sure takes hold when it does. I hope I'm not the only one who has this crunch fixation...bit of a worry if I am. :( Rose NZ

I have been looking at the first message I wrote in this blog and it that I promised myself that exercise would be more that a thought. Well although the food side of things is progressing very nicely I have to say the exercise part has to date been a dismal zero. :( solely my fault - I refuse to blame the weather, time, or any of those old excuses that I kept in my lazy back pocket whenever the opportunity came about to do some 'dreaded' exercise. I know I have to get my lazy arse into gear and participating in business house outdoor bowls once a week is a start. Not enough but a start nonetheless !

Hippo Food Account Day 11 Monday Jan 24 2011

I have to say that today I was desperate for the taste of a Mac Donald's Big Mac. When I say desperate I know that sounds dramatic, but trust me it is a feeling of desperation at the time. When you see those yellow arches of that big ' M ' in the sky and your nose does a dance because you can smell the food even though you aren't near it. It is desperation - the kind of that only those with weight problems understand. Yes, I know you know what I mean. But I resisted temptation :) How amazing is that!!

• Brunch 

Subway wrap - Ham choice from the 6gram selection  so I feel doubly happy with myself. 4x :) :) :) :)

• Snack 

6x fresh cherries, 2x fresh apricots   great choices today. :)

• Dinner  

1.5 cups of Mediterranean rice
Half a pork chop

•  Dessert 

6x cherries plus 1x paddle pop ice block.

• Supper  Don't usually have supper but I decided to treat myself tonight because I was really good today. 

1x paddle pop
1x apple juice frozen ice block - this is just apple juice that has been frozen. It's delicious a good food choice.
Today has been a wonderful food choice day. 4x :) :) :) :)  and a pat on the back for myself. Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account Day 10 Sunday Jan 23 2011

Well a really great day food wise but I am a little concerned why it has taken me so long to feel hungry again and now I'm starving - not good meal management at all. I should have taken a break from the computer but I didn't and this is the result.

• Breakfast 

1x mashed egg sandwich  - used egg mixture left over from last night and only 1x slice of bread for sandwich.
2x pieces of toast with margarine and 2 tablespoons of apricot conserve - not as sweet as jam and has more pulp in from the fruit. Delicious. So far so good
.... then nothing at all for lunch and now it is 4 pm almost dinner time and I feel really hungry. Silly not to have had a snack at lunchtime. :) I am going to sort out an option that will not damage my food account too badly and still leave me full enough to enjoy a proper dinner. Wish me luck, Rose

• Afternoon meal 

I am referring as this to a meal because it is more than a snack. I wanted something a bit more substantial to take me through to dinner. So here is what I chose.
1/4 cup of Spaghetti - the kind from a can with tomatoe sauce.
2x slices of bread and margarine
1 handful of coarsely grated cheese - I mixed it in with the spaghetti.
Not exactly a fat free meal but I am happy with the choice. Got myself out of a food hole nicely with this one.

• Dinner  *Note: All chicken I cook at home has the skin removed.

1x large chicken drumstick fried in pan using canola spray so a healthy option.
2x medium potatoes mashed with a smear of Garlic butter, a table spoon of regular butter and seasonings.
Good healthy meal option :) :) 

• Dessert 

1x paddle pop ice block. Happy with this choice too so a reasonable day food wise. 2x :) :)  Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account: Day 9 Saturday Jan 22

A bit of a mixed day today with regards to food choices. I deliberately didn't have breakfast this morning because we were going out for lunch at the local Mexican Restaurant. Here is the food breakdown for today.

• Brunch 

1x lunch meal consisting of 2x hard shell tacos with chicken, salad, salsa and dollops of guacamole and sour cream. I did eat the whole meal including the dollops on the side but I'm still pleased with the choice I made.

• Dinner

I mashed up a mixture of 6x small hard boiled eggs, 1x slice of bread torn and mixed in with the eggs.
Added to that mixture were a half a teaspoon of garlic butter, curry powder and approx 3 tablespoons of milk to loosen the mixture. I ate half the mixture for my dinner so pleased with this option.

• Dessert 

A bit of a problem tonight. I over did it with the calories by making unwise food options but I am still abiding by my own up and be honest policy here so here it is ....
4x pieces of toast with apricot jam and a squirt of canned cream on the toast. A kind of alternative Devonshire Tea option that is a healthier option than scones but 4x slices of toast is a bit excessive so 2x :) :)

• After late snack 

Just made a nutcase choice - that is all there is to it. A disaster really. I have no excuses cause there is none. I just screwed up tonight.
3x Roses chocolates  I have no idea which ones they were because I couldn't read the small writing on the box but I chose 3 and ate them. Shame on me big time: at least 4x :) :) :) :) today, a bit sad really. Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account: Day 8 Friday Jan 21

This morning I had Brunch by choice as I was doing stuff on the computer in the morning. I feel that I made solid choices though so here is the breakdown of the day so far.

• Brunch 

1x large potatoe  - steamed and finished off in the pan dry fried with a smear of garlic butter. :) :)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic butter - adds a ton of flavor and don't need a lot at all :) 
3x sizzlers ( these are processed, skinless, sausages. )  Not such a good choice as I thought it was. :(
These are worth 2 + 1/2 points each in the WW books so I will have to watch these. but I will count this as a main meal so not a disaster. Just a heads up for the future.

• Snack  

I decided to have a wee treat today so I had a paddle pop ice cream on a stick...only worth 1 point as it happens so fantastic choice for a snack or even a dessert option.
10x ice cream cones - I just munch on these when I get a bit of a foody craving for other5 things I used to scoff at will randomly throughout the day. They full the spot nicely.  So far a reasonable day  so 1x :)  Rose

• Dinner 

I made good choices in the food I ate but I think I ate a bit too much of it so not too happy with myself at the moment. :) Still here is the dinner I had so I can only write it down and move on from it.
3x cups of boiled rice - I didn't measure the quantity but i used 1 small cup of raw rice and I ate it all when it was cooked. I think it was about 3 cups boiled - which is far too much to eat at one time so... :( :( :(
Added to the rice was about 1.5 cups of frozed chopped veges from a packet and 4 pieces of sun dried tomatoesand 1 tablespoon of the flavoured olive oil from the sun dried tomatoe jar.
Really a low fat healthy meal - but far too much quantity wise so not a good choice. At least 3x :) for this

• Dessert

1x Paddlepop ice block - Easy option and not too bad point wise.

But still this day was a pretty dismal one considering the great start. It just shows how easy it is to slip back into old ways. I made the mistake of using a dinner plate thinking I would stop when I was full - not this time.
So from tomorrow it is back to the small side plate size for my main meals- lesson learned, Rose NZ

Hippo Food Account: Day 7 Thursday Jan 20

I have found the perfect crunch munch snack food  :)
ice cream cones  are perfect !  and yes I mean just the cone on its own...   low in everything and still satisfies the need for a crunchy munch.

• Snack  

10 x  ice cream cones - wonderful alternative to chips, biscuits ( cookies) and other things I used to scoff at will.

So still a terrific day today 3x :) :) :)  hugs all round Rose NZ

• Dinner

1x pork chop - I ate half - surprised myself!  I'm stopping when I reach that I'm full stage now which is great.
1x med potatoe, 1x kumera ( sweet potatoe ), 1x courgette ( zucchini )  :) :)  I steamed them then finished them off in the pan to brown with the pork chop - they were delicious.
The reason I got full so quickly is because I ate my veges first and tackled the chop last and - once I felt full I stopped eating. I am so proud of myself for stopping before the plate was empty. I've never done that before!
I am giving myself a huge hug and 3 :) :) :)   Yessss...!!! today I got it.  Rose NZ  

Hippo Food Account: Day 7 Thursday Jan 20

Good day so far and time management right on the money too. :) :) Here is the Breakfast and Lunch breakdown:

• Breakfast 

1x chicken salad sandwich from bakery. Happy with this choice - healthy option on the go. :) :)

• Lunch 

Yes! finally managed to separate the two meals after days of having "brunch " . 
Subway foot long roast chicken. Great choice :) :) 

Today is positive and a good choices day for two of my main meals. WTG me!  Happy, happy  :) :)

Hippo Food Account: Day 6 Wednesday Jan 19

So far so really good is the report today. It's a bit late in coming as I have just finished a late lunch, but here is the food breakdown for today thus far:

• Breakfast 

A late one again but not so late that I need to call it brunch. I did the Subway foot long thing again :)
I really - I mean really, really,  - wanted a cookie, But I didn't buy one :)  Happy days :) :) so pleased with myself !

• Lunch:

cut three courgettes ( zucchinis) in half lengthways and fried them in pan with a spray of canola oil. Flavored them with black pepper, salt and herbs then served while hot.  Absolutely delicious :) :)  Big plus today + :)

• Dinner 

Sorry this report is late too - actually I'm writing it the next day because I had issues with time management again :) I just have to try harder to get my shit together! Anyway bugger all to report food wise just a fast option late in the evening.

1x medium piece of rump steak pan fried using canola spray.  Not overly healthy as no veges included but it was almost 9pm so I took the easy route. All in All day 6 was OK :)

Hippo Food Account Day 4 Tuesday Jan 18 2011

Despite the muck up with times today hasn't gone to custard. Here is the total breakdown so far:

• Breakfast 

I took the easy option and reheated up a bowl of Mediterranean rice that was left over from dinner the night before. It is about 1x cup boiled rice, mixed frozen veges, sun-dried tomatoes and a tablespoon of flavoured olive oil. Delicious, easy and nutritious :)  Thank God for Microwaves :) :)

• Lunch: 

We went to my mother in laws for lunch and this is what we had: 
1x piece of her home made cake with about 1/4 cup of Greek-style honey infused yoghurt :)  yum!

• Dinner: 

After driving back from Mum's we were exhausted, weather was crappy and we wanted to get home and chill. I am saying all this to make my decision to buy takeaways on the way home sound understandable - but really I don't need to. The truth is we were buggered from driving in the horrible weather and cooking was just too much of an effort. So this was my dinner option,

1and a half pieces of fried chicken. I know fried is a dirty word within certain circles but in moderation I am sure it is fine. Anyway, I ate it and that is that - suck it up.
4x pieces of roast potatoes - OK, I accept I could have made some wiser choices with regarding this dinner but it has been a shitty day all round and my brain has pretty much gone to mush. Thinking is beyond me at the moment...
I do know that despite everything, today is not the complete food wise disaster I am making it sound like. :) 

Hippo Food Account Day 4 Monday Jan 17 2011

Ok here it is - technically this is Day 5 Tuesday Jan 18 :(   I intended to come here last night and write down what I had for dinner but I watched a movie and kept nodding off so I called it a night and went to bed. Not good but it happened so nothing I can do to change it. Luckily dinner on Day 3 was a very simple copy of Lunch with added bits to bulk it out. Here is the Breakdown:
I just want to explain the rice quantity: I count the amount of cooked rice only. I cup = 1 cup of boiled rice.

• Dinner

11/2 cups of boiled rice with 1/2 cup of frozen veges added during cooking. :) :)  try this it is yum!
5x sun-dried tomatoes ( the ones in olive oil) diced  and include a tablespoon of the flavored oil.
4x stuffed olives chopped up  = Mix everything together for an absolutely stunning Mediterranean rice dish.:)

All in all I had a good day apart from messing up and not recording this last night. So give today 1x :)  Rose

Hippo Woman Food Account Day 4 Monday Jan 17 2011

Just a quick snack as hubby rang to say he will be home later for dinner and I like to eat our main together so I am having:

• Snack

4x squares of dark chocolate. I don't even feel bad about this - in fact I feel really good :)
I now know that I can stop at 4x squares of chocolate. :) :) :)  I know some of you will be thinking so what!?  But there are those out there that, like me, know why that is such a major achievement...and are thinking if she can stop at 4x then so can I.
To that person like me I say - keep chocolate in the freezer :)  It will take you as long to nibble/suck on 4x frozen squares than it takes to eat a regular sized non frozen chocolate bar. :) satisfaction and feel good factor in one. Big tick for this.

2x cup of coffee. I know coffee counts for nothing in the scheme of things but I didn't want chocolate to be listed as the only think I ate for a snack. lol  Hugs Rose

Hippo Woman Food Account Day 4 Monday Jan 17 2011

Ok here is the eclectic items on the menu of Rose Hala today - some weird shit and NO I am not preggers. lol

• Breakfast:

1x egg poached with 1 tablespoon of cheese :)
1x toast with marg eaten with egg :) 
So far normal and really good :) :)

Need for crunchy food mood again - what the hell is up with that? Why do I grave something to crunch? 

• Crunch munch 

Ok here is where I went a bit daft.... bloody crunch craving :( 
Water crackers - healthy option right? Wrong! Not when you eat the whole packet like I did today.  :( :(
I didn't just munch it all in one go but 5x at a time in several sittings during the day until the packet was gone. :(

•  Lunch 

Found a great meal option for lunch.
1 cup boiled rice with 1/2 cup mixed veges ( frozen packet variety) :) :)
4 chopped up sun dried tomatoes ( ( use the ones in olive oil )  :) delicious but oil adds to fat content. :(
and I used a tablespoon of the tomato jar to add flavour.

I know this isn't an ideal lunch because of the oil content but it was so delicious that I am going to have it for dinner. Sometimes you just have to accept the fact that all ingredients are not low fat and just work with it. I am at that stage now where I would rather eat something tasty with a little oil than totally bland without the oil.

The only way to sustain this food diary is to eat stuff I like - try and make healthier choices with what I eat - but at the end of the day : I Have To Like The Food  I Eat =  bottom line  otherwise I won't continue :)
It has happened in the past like that but I am really determined to give this a decent go this time.
No food rules apply I eat what I want - but be up front abut what I eat. Rose

Hippo Woman account Day 4 Monday Jan 17 2011

I am not sure how I feel about today. It started off good - they all do, right? - then got a bit messy for want of a better term. I haven't gone mad food wise but I am a bit disappointed with myself for one of the choices I made.
My food Account will make for interesting reading today - and it's not even dinner time yet! Buckle up...

Hippo Woman Food Account Day 3 Sun Jan 16 2011

Yay, I can still count this day as a good one :)  Here is the evening account:

• Dinner: 

Cucumber - stir fried in minimal oil and a teaspoon of garlic butter for added flavor.
Rice - about a cup of boiled rice with mixed veges in.
Sausages - I chopped up 2 sausages and added into the cucumber stir fry then shared it between us, hubby and I. I will count the sausage portion for myself as 1 to round it out.

• Dessert:

4x single squares of dark quality chocolate - I keep it in the freezer and make it last when I'm eating it. How wonderful it is to be able to eat something I love and feel happy about it. Eating 4 squares of chocolate doesn't make me the evil diet breaking witch of the west - it makes me sweet, Regards Rose NZ :) :)

Hippo Woman Food Account Day 3 Sun Jan 16 2011

I don't know what to call this meal. It is hardly a 'Snack' but I ate it at the time I would have eaten a snack - between lunch and dinner. So hence the dilemma. This is what happens when brunch occurs too close to midday. Still, my own fault so it is up to me to sort it out. But I must record the meal no matter what it was so here it is:

• Afternoon Meal

2x eggs - poached with a tablespoon of grated cheese on top. I use tasty cheese - lot of flavor = use less. :) :)
2x flat mushrooms - steamed  Delicious, nutritious and filled the gap nicely. :) Great lunch meal for future ref. :)

• Crunch required 

I know that sounds like a weird food description but that is exactly what it was - I needed to eat something crunchy! In the past it would have been a packet of chippies ( crisps ) But NOT TODAY!!  :) :)
I am pleased to say I chose a healthy crunch option and ate a whole cucumber and I have to say it was really delicious and refreshing on a hot day. Happy, happy, happy with myself today :) Hugs, Rose

Hippo Food Account Day 3 Sun Jan 16 2011

It is another Brunch day today cause I slept in so here is the breakdown. I did the takeaway thing but I made a smart takeaway choice. On the whole I feel good about this choice even in choosing the foot long size roll. :)

• Brunch:

Subway -  hooray for a healthy takeaway option ! :)  :)  I got a foot long roast beef with 6gram fat and really enjoyed it. I know I could have gotten a 6 inch but it was 11am and I was starving and the foot long filled the gap. 

I know though that I need to sort my mornings out better and I pledge to do that over the coming weeks - in the meantime: This morning is still a big :)  V-peace out, Rose

Hippo Woman account Day 3 Sun Jan 16 2011

Today is day three and I'm feeling really positive about how this is going. Of course three days is barely the start, but I'll take it. I woke up with the best of intentions and was going to have breakfast - a proper breakfast - but...shit happened. What can I say, I slept in. Yes, I woke up and instead of getting out of bed straight away duh! I lay there thinking about the day and before I knew it I had drifted back to sleep. :(
There was just enough time to get hubby's breakfast, wash, dress, then take him to work. He likes a fry up for breakfast and even if I wanted to eat that crap - there is no way I would attempt to eat anything before downing at least 2 coffees. So major bummer in time management this morning but on the whole still OK. :)

Hippo - Food Account: Day 2 Jan 15 2011

OK this is me being honest as I promised myself I would. I had Dessert before dinner - shock horror!!
haha just kidding about being shocked. Bet someone is though, somewhere in the Politically Correct world we live in. To them I say: I'm an adult and, as such, if I want to eat dessert first I will - no harm no foul so sod off.
 Hubby wanted to have a later dinner and is drinking beers on the deck so instead of cooking twice - screw that idea - I decided I would have my dessert then when he is ready to eat do dinner for us both. Just call me a good wifey today - but trust me, I am no push over and this does NOT happen on a regular basis. Just so you know.

• Dessert:

1x piece of fruit cake heated in the microwave
Topped with a tablespoon of Golden syrup and a spray of canned cream ( much less fat than regular cream) and it tastes just as good. :)

• Dinner:

1x chicken drumstick - no skin - coated with seasoned flour. Pan fried using canola spray to brown then water added to hot pan, 1 teaspoon of seasoned flour and 1 teaspoon of garlic butter for sauce = yum! :)
Green flat beans steamed
1 cup of boiled rice with 1/4 cup frozen mixed veges mixed in the rice.  Really healthy and tastes good.

Today was just a great day on the Food Account Books  and I feel really good about my choices. :)
It is a really nice feeling going to bed tonight with a guilt free mind. More of these days ahead, Amen.  Rose :) 

Hippo - Food Account: Day 2 Jan 15 2011

I am not sure whether to count this as a plus or a minus but I guess it is a big no-no either way. 

• Lunch:  

Nothing. Not because I was trying to starve or something daft like that but because Breakfast occurred too late in the day. It was after 10:30am and I probably should have called it Brunch instead of Breakfast. I want to keep the meals in perspective and not lump them together like that so - Lunch is a big fat zero 0
which is soooo bad - I know it, you know it, but it happened and that is that. Major :)

Hippo - Food Account: Day 2 Jan 15 2011

I was going to try and remember everything and record what I ate at the end of the day, mainly because it looks tidier on the blog. But I'm not going to because I'll never remember it. It is much better if I record it as I go.

• Breakfast

2x large flat mushrooms (dry fried - no oil) and they were heavenly :) :)
2x eggs poached - I placed on top of the mushrooms for a no bread mop-up = yum! :):)
11/2 sausages steamed first then dry fried with mushrooms, delicious.

So breakfast was a delicious winner :) 
It is all about choices and I made good ones today - so far so good!  :)

Hippo - Food Account: Day 1 Jan 14 2011

Well today is not a good start, honesty right, so here is the breakdown:

• Breakfast: 

1x Croissant ( not that nice and cost me a lot of ww points so a big fat :(
2 eggs, margarine and cheese. 
So Yes - I could have done a lot better!

• Lunch: 

handful of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and 1/4 watermelon.
I would give myself a big :) for this - but the truth is, I was trying to undo breakfast. Today is still  :(

• Dinner:

Pork chop, braised instead of fried. But I had a really large portion so :( :(  
Beans: Round beans steamed - really nice. :) 

• SUMMARY  :( 

Today hasn't been a very good one food wise. But I am feeling really good about this. :(
Usually I would beat myself up and give up - but writing allows me to express my disappointment in myself.
I can put this day behind me and move on. Tomorrow is another day :)
I'm finally being honest about my eating habits - with that comes a strange sense of release and satisfaction. Rose NZ 

Hippo - woman account: Day 1 Jan 14 2011

Why today? It's not like I had a sudden revelation. I didn't wake up thinking, "oh I think I'll diet today".  Well, that's not strictly true. I did wake up thinking that - but usually it only lasts until lunch time at best. I did manage to get down to 80kg (176 pounds) but like all good things, sadly, it didn't last.
Now I am one of those very obese FAT people at a staggering  105kg (231 pounds) !!  As I am writing this I am asking myself a few Q's

• How did I allow this to happen...again?
• How could I not do something...sooner?

Really it comes down to two reasons:

1. I was too bloody lazy to start dealing with it
2. I was too bloody lazy - full stop!  

So what have I done on Day 1: I pulled out my weightwatchers books ( yep - been there done that  ) . But this time I wasn't going to restrict myself in what I ate ( this is NOT about DIETING because that simply doesn't work for me - tried all sorts and forget it!)
This is about holding myself accountable for what I eat and being totally honest about it here.
If I eat chocolate or chips I will write it down here. I guarantee that will happen - it always does - but by writing it down and sharing my thoughts, feelings, and experience in this blog I hope to inspire myself and others.
I will not beat myself up for having bad days anymore -  that always leads to me quitting. No bad days here, just honest days.  I really hope others join me - Rose NZ