9, 21, 22...and a Couple of Pounds

Wow, wow, wow...

So, I only have 9 days of college left; 21 days until graduation; and 22 days until a National Campus YMCA Conference that I'm a part of.  I can't believe my college years will be over so soon!  I have papers and projects to finish, graduation to get ready for, jobs to try and get...sooooo much going on!

Now that I've had a little rant about all that's going on over the next few weeks, let me share with you the results from the scale this morning.

My Weight, as of April 26 is...

305 pounds.

A loss of 2 pounds from last week!

We are still doing well!  I'm excited about the progress of the diet and am hopeful that I will be below 300 pounds by graduation day, May 17!

I spent part of the weekend shopping for locally grown produce and getting items that are healthy and yummy.  I went to the Foothill's Farmers' Market and bought lettuce, asparagus, local pork, and saw a bunch of other great food items.  I can't wait to go back and visit it again!

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

It's the Weekend!

Well...another week has come and gone.  I will weigh in on Monday and let you all know how we did this past week.  Let's hope we did alright!

I didn't go back to the gym (I know, FAIL) but I hope I can start back this coming week.  I need to, I need to, I need to!!!

I'm off to spend my time weekend-ing.  I only have 9 days of class left and am getting close to graduation!  I can't believe it!!!

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

Farmers' Market!!!

The last week or so I have been on a continual rant about industrialized food and the need to eat organic, local, and more ''better for you'' foods.  Well, the rants will continue, but I hope to start moving in the direction of eating organically and locally this Saturday with a visit to the opening Saturday of the Foothill's Farmers' Market in Uptown Shelby, North Carolina.

I love a Farmers' Market and I am excited about starting to visit the Foothill's Farmers' Market and getting locally grown vegetables, meats, eggs, and other yummy food items.  It's exciting because this year the Farmers' Market adopted some new policies that require their farmers to produce items in herbicide and pesticide free environments.  I also hope to find local grass-fed beef and local chicken.

I really want to stop eating overly processed or industrialized foods.  It is more expensive and it will take some effort and creativity (and I'll never be able to fully escape modified and manipulated foods...I don't have a farm of my own for instance), but I hope I can start doing it!

So, I'll be at the Farmers' Market on Saturday morning...I hope to see you there!

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

It's Weigh In Day!

I did a weigh in this morning and I am happy to report that...

My Weight, as of April 20 is...

307 pounds.

A loss of 1 pound from last week!

So, we are still doing pretty good!  I think we will make to below 300 pounds by graduation day, which is very exciting!

On another note...I mentioned the film Food, Inc. last week in a quick discussion of industrialized food (I'll talk more about that on tomorrow's update), BUT for now, I wanted to pass on some fun news I found out about this afternoon from a tweet by Michael Pollan (author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto).  The tweet reads...

Yay!  Sooooo...for all of you out there with PBS (which is ALL of you with a television anywhere near you) watch Food, Inc. on Thursday night!  Visit PBS's website here for your local listings.

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

 

Two Posts in One Day. What the...

I know, right?  It's crazy that I would do two updates in one day...but here I go!

Tonight I made a DELICIOUS vegetarian dinner (I've noticed I'm becoming more and more vegetarian lately) that was super filling and easy.  Do you want the recipe?  Well here we go!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Cakes, Over Rice, with Lime Sour Cream


Since these are broiled, and not fried, they contain a less amount of fat and aren't soggy.  They're also easy and quick to fix (I would say this mixture could even be made the morning of or day before, patted out, and kept in the fridge until ready to cook).  If you want them to be a bit spicy, try adding a diced jalapeno (with seeds and ribs removed) in step 3!


Ingredients

• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 medium/large sweet potato (grated)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• Cooking Spray (such as PAM or sprayable Canola Oil)
• 3 tablespoons chives (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic (diced)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 cups prepared rice
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

1. Heat broiler.
2. Add black beans to a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher, leaving about 1/4 of the beans whole.
3. Heat small skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray and add chopped chives (you could also use scallions here) and let cook for about 1 minute (is using scallions, let cook until tender).  Add garlic and cumin (and jalapeno if you want it spicy) and let cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant (this mixture will be a little clumpy/lumpy, don't fret, it's all good...just don't burn the cumin).
4. Transfer the spice mixture to the beans and add the sweet potato, egg, bread crumbs and a healthy shake of salt and pepper.
5. Form into 6 to 8 patties (depending on how large you like them).
6. Spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray and place the cakes on the sheet.
7. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, about 4 inches from the broiler, on one side.  Remove from oven and flip with a thin spatula, put them back into the oven for another 3 minutes.
8. While they are cooking, prepare your rice and make the Lime Sour Cream (mix the sour cream with the lime juice).
9. Plate with the rice, cakes on top, and top it all off with the sour cream!

This meal can easily serve 4 people, with all of them going away full and satisfied.  If you like, throw some salsa or guacamole on top of the cakes, along with the sour cream, for more texture and flavor!

So, ready for the nutrition facts?

Here goes!

A serving for this meal counts as a half cup rice, with two cakes on top, and about a tablespoon of sour cream (if you add your own salsa and guac, you'll be increasing the calories).

The breakdown is...

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 143 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  433 Calories from Fat  47

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.2g 8%

Saturated Fat  2.4g 12%

Cholesterol  30mg 10%

Sodium  76mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates  79.3g 26%

Dietary Fiber  9.6g 38%

Sugars  2.6g

Protein  17.3g

Not to bad, eh?

I hope you enjoy the recipe!  If you need any help...just let me know!

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

Hop to It!

Alright, the motivation has been gone for a little while now.  Yeah, I've tried here and there to maintain the diet and exercise plan, but, alas, have failed miserably over the past month or so.

BUT, I am going to get back to it.  Tomorrow I'll be doing my walking class, going to the gym for some weight lifting work, and I'm going to go back to eating right.

I'm excited and encouraged...one thing that has lead to this new energy for doin' this diet thing is my friend Sarajane (check out her photography business here) and a cool picture she tagged of me on Facebook (if you are visiting this blog from that photo and you're looking for the ''Fat Day'' definition she was talking about, you can find it here).

Alright, that's all for now, I just got really excited and wanted to pass this news on to all of you.

Let's shoot for being below 300 pounds by graduation, which is May 17, shall we?  I think it can be done!!!

Until Next Time...

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-Tyler

Springs Alive!

Today was the annuals Springs Alive festival at my university.  It is a fun time with vendors, music, food, and other fun stuff.  It is a great way to kick off spring and today was no exception.  The weather was perfect and my friends and I had a great time!

This week has been good, I have tried my best to eat healthy, but haven't restricted myself when I wanted to have fun and enjoy myself.

I'm planning on starting back to exercise next week.

WISH ME LUCK!

-Tyler