Is it spring yet?

March is here but winter is not over.  My favorite long-range weather forecaster says we will have one more big snowstorm this month.  What snow we have on the ground has been melting but the only things blooming around here are potholes.  Our driveway looks like it may soon have a sinkhole large enough to swallow my car.

I've decided that my slow weight loss lately requires rethinking of my dietary choices.  I checked out a few websites for bariatric surgery programs.  At this stage I need to focus on more real food rather than protein supplements.  Most days I work I've taken a bottled protein shake in the car and a protein wafer bar.  That starts me off with a lot of protein but also comes with a lot of calories.  There is no need for a 400 calorie breakfast.  Daily calorie intake should be around 1200 calories.  What's been happening is that there aren't  many calories left by the end of the day.

Today I made sure to eat at home instead of the car.  I had some Greek yogurt with frozen fruit and flavored with Torani sugar-free raspberry syrup.  The frozen fruit slows me down a little because it requires some chewing.  In the car I drank some Crystal Lite.  I did not have any snacks at work except more Crystal Lite.   I did eat some cheese on the way home.

Fitday.com has been very helpful for realizing what needs to be done.  Knowledge is indeed power.  Nibbling small snacks or "grazing" really can add up to way too much food.  I don't eat any blatantly fattening foods.  No sugar at all and rarely starchy foods.  Of course when one doesn't eat carbs that only leaves protein and fat.  I was shocked to find that a hot dog that was 160 calories had 150 calories from fat.  WHOA!!!

I've enjoyed the soups I've made with beans recently.  I plan to do more of those and also found some Progresso soups that are very satisfying and nourishing.

Since I've been working out at the gym I expect that I might be building muscles while losing fat.  Muscle tissue weighs more than fatty tissue.  I have no idea how much that works out to be.  It probably isn't as much as I'd like it to be though.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan.