This Hungry Girl’s Biggest Loser Week 8 Weigh-in
Eight weeks into Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, I have become bored with my food choices. A person can only eat so much chicken before they have an adverse reaction.
Cluck, cluck.
The only thing that has not caused ennui is incorporating one of my favorite foods – pumpkin – into my daily menu. In the past, I had always associated pumpkin with pies, cookies and rolls. Well, let’s face it – I still do. But now my indulgences of this low-calorie, potassium-rich food have evolved into Kashi’s Pumpkin Spice Flax Bars and pumpkin protein shakes.
I was recently at [where else?] Super Target and the woman in front of me noticed the conveyor belt full of pumpkin products.
“Do you like pumpkins?”
“What gave me away?”
“Ha ha. Have you heard of Hungry Girl?”
“What did you call me? Is it that obvious?” (In case you are wondering, I was a comedian in a former life.)
“No, not you. There is a Web site – Hungry Girl - that has a lot of healthy pumpkin-based recipes.”
It was then I knew it was love.
But before this Hungry Girl divulges too much, my weekly weight loss is 2 pounds with a 2% drop in body fat. My eight-week total is 20 pounds.
Most people would be happy with these totals but coupled with my struggle to switch things up, I had a glass-half-empty kind of week and felt defeated about how far I still have to go.
So I went out and bought The Hungry Girl cookbook. The author – Lisa Lillien – has been everywhere in the media lately. She proclaims that she is not a nutritionist, just hungry, and has struggled with weight issues for most of her life. Now, she is at the forefront of the latest trends in food and dieting, living the Hungry Girl lifestyle and loving what she eats.
I tried a couple of her recipes – the vegetable egg rolls and healthy strawberry scones – and loved what she eats as well.
However, my big challenges this week are not about mixing it up but having waaaaaay too many choices. My daughter’s birthday parties are on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a Memorial Day breakfast and BBQ. I am not too concerned about losing weight this week but certainly don’t want to gain any back. What tips do you have?
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Oh, honey you haven’t been checking in with me and I keep forgettting to be accountable. I should not comment because you, my love, have found success and I’m just running around like a chicken with its head cut off – the one you just ate – trying to keep my head above water. But when I do get my act together – sometime in this year, hopefully – after all these darn youth activities – then I will be searching you out for advice!
Kudos to the 20 pounds girl – that is FABULOUS!!!!! You are my American Idol!!!!!
YAY…20 pounds in 8 weeks. Wow… that’s a huge push for me to stay on track. I haven’t weighed myself today. I will tonight and let you know if I lost anything during my first week :)
What is your schedule for the week? Are you working out daily (it looks like you are)? What advice do you have.. you walking more at night? …walking more during the day?
Thanks for being the inspiration!
If you are aware of your environment (like the BBQ’s and B-day parties), then you can control your environment. My advice would be to think of a few foods at those events that you absolutely know you are going to want to eat, and then save up room for them. Just enough that you won’t feel bad if you eat them.
If the possibility of binging is too great with that concept, I would eat a lot of the healthy foods (like fill up on soup or something) before you go. Then you won’t even be hungry and a taste is all you need.
20 pounds in 8 weeks is incredible!! HOLY COW! Seriously, it tooke me…what? 4 months to lose 20 pounds?? So you are doing fabulous, fabulous. Hooray!
My thoughts are these:
You are doing an awesome job with your goals…amazing!!!
if you are worried about going crazy…just relax and eat slowly and drink lots of water while you are there…then get enough of the foods you want and love to make you feel happy and then just stick with that (like don’t go back for seconds on those things). Whatever you do…don’t stress…you’re going to be just fine!
Thanks for the encouragement, ladies!
Suzanne – I try to workout every day. MWF, I do Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, which burns approximately 800 calories. T and Th I have been taking my baby hiking while my daughter is in preschool. Saturdays, I run or bike and Sunday I either take a break or go for a light walk.
Though working out is important, my coach Robyn emphasizes that eating is 85% of it and I agree. I have always worked out to this extent but never changed my eating habits. It’s mostly about the food!
I am a Hungry Girl, too! I have the cookbook and get the newsletters and have been using pumpkin and love it!
I don’t have any tips-just wanted to say that. My weightloss is stagnant. :( Good luck!
Congratulations on another 2 pounds and 20 pounds total. I didn’t do very well this week–gained a couple of pounds while I was away. I thought I would do o.k because I did a whole lot of walking/running, but I guess not enough.
I’ll have to check out that Hungry Girl website.
Thanks for the link.
Enjoy the birthday parties and the barbeque.
20 pounds is awesome!! I saw the Hungry Girl cook book at Costco… and I’m wondering – is it weird? Let me explain – there are a lot of healthy cookbooks out there, but you have to be able to use extremely odd ingredients that no one on the face of the planet knows how to get their hands on… is it normal food??
As for tips… I have no idea. Sorry… I’m struggling with weight stuff right now. So I’m no help!
http://rappleyefam.blogspot.com/
oh all this loosing weight talk is making me depressed. I have been trying to loose baby weight for 8 months with not much success. ahhhhhh
All the weight talk is gettin me depressed. I have been trying to loose baby weight for 8 months now with little success …. ahhhh
http://rappleyefam.blogspot.com/
Ugh. I am dreading the temptations this weekend and just know I will blow it. But we need to stand strong!
Oh, and thanks for the Hungry Girl site – I love it!
Wow — it sounds like you’re doing great! Especially when you consider you’ve lost weight but gained muscle mass.
A new habit I have: ground flax seed. I put about a tablespoon on my cereal, or put some in soup. I even replaced a portion of the butter recently in a batch of chocolate chip cookies with ground flax seed.
When eating it, be sure to drink a lot of water. It’s a very easy and healthy way to flush out a system (TMI alert: gassiness can occur) and reset an appetite.
Wowza – you are amazing! 20 pounds in 8 weeeks! Rock on!
Go for maintenance baby! Eat a little more and enjoy yourself! You’ll be fine. :)
Okay thatr pumpkin protein shake sounds fabulous. I am tired of chocolate banana!
Pumpkin? Who knew? I like pumpkin desserts, but never thought much about it in other things. I’ll have to check that site out.
I don’t know what the word “ennui” means. I’ll be back after some consultation time with Roget’s Online Dictionary.
I love pumpkin. My rear is increasing at a rapid rate and so I am definitely going to check this site out.
P.S.
Ennui: Boredom.
I think what made me love the holidays more than the average kid was that my mom would break out the pumpkin stuff. One of the better perks to being an adult is that now I get to eat pumpkin whenever and wherever I want.
Have a happy Memorial Day and a happy birthday to Hadley, too!
First off, I just have to say congrats on the 20 lb weight loss! While you may feel frustrated or defeated, you ARE doing a great job and 20 lb is a lot of weight to lose!
Secondly, I just had to giggle about pumpkin being in your favourite food group. Is this solely because you have accepted the inevitable that you will become inundated with pumpkin for the rest of your life given your husband’s obession with them?
First off, you are doing great! Diets are HARD! If they were easy everyone would be skinny. It’s tough to change the way you eat and think about food as I am now realizing. I’m diggin’ the South Beach but haven’t followed it perfectly. I think you should do what works for you. Find something and stick with it. For me it was (still is) waaaay too much sugar. The SB Diet has pretty much zero sugar so it fits me and I’m learning to make healthier choices. It’s about losing weight but also choosing a healthier lifestyle that will last your whole life and hopefully you will never have to diet again! And I also believe in free days (like this weekend) especially with your kids bday party and the holiday. Give your self some fun but then jump right back on the wagon so to speak.
The pumpkin shake sounds yummy! My weakness is pumpkin chocolate chip bread, soooo good! Have a great weekend!
My obsession with pumpkin started long before my husband started growing them. When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I called home to Canada and they were enjoying an early Thanksgiving. And pumpkin pie. That is when the obsession began – with a crazy woman’s cravings and it has not quit!
And thanks for the vote of confidence, everyone!
I suppose homemade pumpkin ravioli with a sauce made of cream and toasted nuts is probably not on your diet? Mine either. But as a once-every-two-years treat, it’s magnificent. Back in reality, I suggest eating slowly. Also, if it’s a buffet, avoid the temptation to graze by making a full plate of everything you want, sitting down, and eating a meal. That way you won’t keep going back over and over for a few more bites.
Also? Nearly every diet I know has a “cheat day” built in. You could reasonably eat whatever you want for one day every eight weeks, and still be very healthy! :)
That’s great news on the weight loss. Even when I’m ultra god, I can never lose more than 1 pound a week. You rock. Good luck at the BBQ tomorrow!
Amber,
Hey there..Remember us?We moved from Arvada to Frederick. Fun blog.I am doing a biggest loser challenge too. sucks eh?
There’s bound to be weeks that are harder than others, but even on a rough week you managed 2 pounds. And 20 pounds in 8 weeks is nothing short of astounding. I am so impressed and proud of you!!
Heidi
When I am healthy (aka: not pregnant) and I know I’m going to be in a big food situation I set a time for myself before I can eat. So, for the first 45 minutes I focus on catching up with people, playing with the kids, helping the hostess, etc. Then I calmly pic healthy foods to eat. Eat a sensible meal. Then I allow myself to take a one bite taste of everything that looks good. I pick my favorite one and have one full serving before I completely stop eating for the rest of the event. This way I feel disciplined and satisfied. Oh, and carry around a water bottle the entire time to keep your mouth busy.
20 pounds?!?!?! You totally rock, skinny girl!!!
congratulations on 20 lbs. that’s great! keep up the good work. don’t worry about minor set backs. just keep going forward.