Haunted By Less than One Ounce!!!

This past Sunday I weighed in for the final time in our local Biggest Loser contest.  After 9 weeks of literally working my butt off the scale would be my judge and jury.  How well did I do?  Did I give it my all?  Was it enough?

I weighed out 36.1 pounds lighter than I weighed in.  I lost 15.58% of my weight.  That's AWESOME!!!  It truly is!  I worked incredibly hard and was incredibly strict the last 2 weeks of the contest.  I did well the other 7 weeks too, but the last 2...that was crunch time! 

I was working out like a mad woman.  Getting up at 4:00am to do an hour on the elliptical.  Doing another hour of cardio when I came home from work.  Going to Cross Fit at night or putting in a 3rd hour plus weights at home.  I lived on egg whites and chicken breasts.  Even on parade day!  Who schedules weigh out for the day after the St. Patrick's Day parade?!?!  The last 2 weeks were TOUGH!

Could I have done more?

I could have and should have "Gone Commando"!  That's right.  I shouldn't have worn underwear. Or at least I should have weighed my various undergarments to find the lightest pair as another contestant and friend did herself!  Why you ask?

Because it came down to less than one ounce.

I took 3rd place.  Which is phenomenal.  I'm thrilled.  But had I weighed 1/2 an ounce less, I would've taken 2nd place!   I ran the calculations.  I played with the numbers.  This is truly what it all came down to.  1/2 an ounce.  And it's haunting me. 

Don't get me wrong.  3rd place is great.  3rd place out of 70 contestants!  36.1 pounds is great.  15.51% is great.  But to be soooooooooo close!  GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

I'm trying to get over it.  Really, I am.  And I will.  Eventually.

My weight loss brought me to a new low.  All holiday weight gone.  All vacation weight gone.  Lower than I have been since about 7th grade.  I'm very proud of that. 

I celebrated a bit and indulged in some foods (pizza! chocolate!) I had been avoiding during the contest.  I know I am very sensitive to carbs.  But I love them.  Eliminating them or even limiting them forever isn't realistic.  But during the last  2 weeks of the contest it was necessary to produce the results I expected.  The celebration has ended.  Life is back to normal.   My weight is leveling back out.  I expected to gain a few pounds back.  My caloric intake hasn't increased that much.  What I have gained is likely water, just as much of what I lost the last few days of the contest was likely water weight lost by drastically reducing the amount of sodium I was ingesting. 

So where am I now?  I'm about 20 pounds from my ultimate goal.  That's it.  I can do that.  Little by little it will come off.  Season 2 of the NEPA Biggest Loser Contest begins in a few weeks.  I can lose weight like a champ.  I'm very competitive by nature.  But these last 20 lbs. need to be about lifestyle change, not "dropping weight" for the sake of a prize.  My prize will be hitting my goal.  It will be being the weight I believe I should be. 

I have been asked if I will participate in Season 2.  I think I will.  But my focus will be different.  I'll use it as an additional means of keeping myself on track.  I'll use it as a mode to help anyone who wants to hear what I did during Season 1.  But I won't go as crazy.  I need to be more realistic.



Something I will not be doing differently...eating these babies---Quest Bars!

 

I have never been much of a protein bar or protein shake kind of girl.  I think eating "real food" is just better and tastier!  So many of the bars I've looked at are filled with junk.  Not Quest bars!  Other than sucralose (Splenda) which is a sugar derivative, they are all natural.  And they taste pretty good too!  I really like the Peanut Butter and Jelly and Chocolate Peanut Butter ones.  I've heard the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ones are amazing but I have yet to get my hands on them.  They are all around 200 calories or less, loaded with protein and fiber.  Perfect for a pre or post workout snack or when I'm craving something sweet but want more nutrition than a piece of actual candy would provide.  They're worth every penny.

 

 

One of my favorite websites for healthy recipes is www.skinnytaste.com

 

I've made quite a few of her recipes and they never disappoint!  I planned to make these last night but I was still feeling sick (a touch of the flu) so I had Subway instead.  But I WILL make these soon and I'll let you know how they taste!  I'll probably tweak the recipe a bit more.  But here is the original:

 

Cauliflower FrittersSkinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 2 fritters • Old Points: 2 • Weight Watcher Points+: 3 pt
Calories: 139 • Fat: 6 g • Carb: 14 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 7 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 269 mg  • Cholest: 61 mg

Ingredients:

• 6 cups roughly chopped raw cauliflower (from 2 small heads)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 extra large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
• 4 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower in 2 1/2 cups water over medium heat until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and quickly rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking. Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces with a knife once steamed and measure to make 5 cups. Set aside the rest for another use.

In a large bowl, combine the steamed cauliflower, flour, garlic, eggs, grated cheese, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper. Add water so that batter becomes slightly more dense than pancake batter.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 teaspoon of oil coating bottom of the pan. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to form fritters. You can fit 4 fritters at a time, flattening them slightly with the back of the measuring cup. Cook until golden brown, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter 3 more times.

 

Recipes and pictures (of the recipe) from www.skinnytaste.com

 

Looking for a "lightened up" version of one of your favorite recipes?  Send or message me your requests!  

Stay tuned for before and after contest pics (caution...flabby arm shots have not been censored) and the results from the making of Cauliflower Fritters!!