Weigh In Wednesday! - Week 51 Weightloss Journey

Week: 51 - 0.7 kg loss - Total Loss: 37.1 kg

Week: 51

Weight lost this week: 0.7 kg (1.54 pounds)

Starting Weight: 148.8 kg (328 pounds)

Current weight: 111.7 kg (246 pounds)

Total weightloss: 37.1 kg (81.79 pounds)

Thoughts on this week

Wow! I can't believe that I'm 3kgs off a 40kg loss! Crazy! My first big goal is to make it to 100kgs and it's really not that far away either! This week has been tough due to my health.  I've been pretty unwell most of the week but I'm slowly getting more and more tests done and slowly getting to the bottom of it.  Due to this, it has been really challenging to get in exercise.  I just have to be patient and push on my good days.

I haven't been counting calories since I've been on Paleo and it seems to be working for me.  I just make sure I eat when I'm hungry and drink enough water. 

Goals for next week

I really want to balance out my meals more.  I need to read up more on Paleo as I haven't really.  I know what isn't allowed but I need to ensure that I'm getting enough protein, fats, carbs (from veggies) in each meal.

Paleo Ice Cream - Weight Loss Journey Week 51 - Day 5 - 7

Week 51
Day 5 - Sunday
11/01/2015

No more smoothies

Breakfast: Smoothie
(Mixed Berries, Banana, Kale, Almond Milk and Chia Seeds)

I really think that I should stay clear from smoothies unless I need something quick on the busy days.  I just don't think that this is enough to keep me going for the day.

What is wrong with me? 

Lunch: Egg Baked in Tomato with Kale, Egg Baked in Avocado, Sweet Potato Fries & Roasted Pumpkin

I know that you probably think I am crazy for having a hot lunch on a really freaking hot day and you would be right.  But I just didn't want salad today and I wanted to have dinner prepared as much as possible. 

The eggs baked in tomatoes are great, but please don't try the egg baked in avocado! Disgusting! Don't waste your avocado and have it fresh, trust me!

Paleo preppin

This is where I like to cook as many vegetables/meat as possible as I know that when dinner comes around I usually can't be stuffed!

Mmmm...it's no peanut butter but it's close

Afternoon Snack: Apple & Almond Butter

Dinner is so easy when you're prepared

Dinner: Steak, Roasted Pumpkin, Sweet Potato Chips, Eggs & Kale baked in Tomato & Avocado

All I had to do tonight was cook some steak and heat up the veggies left from lunch and dinner was done!

Glasses of water: 8

Week 51
Day 6 - Monday
12/01/2015

Yum!

Breakfast: Poached Eggs with Kale, Onion, Tomato, Zucchini, Mushroom & Avocado

This was so delicious and so much better than having just a smoothie.

Kunara Organic Marketplace - Coffee with Almond Milk

I visited the Kunara Organic Marketplace today (website here). This place is HUGE! It's basically an organic supermarket and it even has an organic butcher and cafe.  

Why can't I just have a sandwich?

Lunch: Honey Mustard Beef Stir-Fry

I was feeling slack for lunch today so I just cooked up some steak and some pre-cut stir-fry veggies I bought from the markets.  I just mixed through some mustard, honey and olive oil.  I love eating healthy and I do feel better for it, but sometimes I wish I could just have a freaking sandwich! So much easier! 

YOYO COYO! :)

Afternoon Snack: Coyo - Acai & Blueberry 

Ingredients: coconut milk, tapioca, pectin, coconut nectar, stevia, acai berry, blueberry.

I picked up some Coyo (website here) coconut ice cream at Kunara.  It is Paleo friendly and it is nice to be able to have a treat every now and then.  I have had the Vanilla and Nutmeg version, which was delicious, but they were sold out :(  So I decided to pick up the Acai & Blueberry and Chocolate (Cacao).  

The Acai & Blueberry was good, but the coconut flavour was too strong in this one.  The consistency is really creamy. 

Spicy!

Dinner: Salsa Chicken & Avocado Pancakes

I really like the flavour of this chicken dish and it's really easy to make.  I will post a recipe up for this soon and the avocado pancakes.  Basically the pancakes are half a large avocado and two eggs. 

Glasses of water: 8

Week 51
Day 7 - Tuesday
13/01/2015

So yummy!

Breakfast: Banana, Date & Nut Porridge

Sometimes you get sick of eggs or a smoothie for breakfast and I can't remember the last time I had cereal!  I decided to make this for breakfast and I'm so glad I did, it's delicious and really simple.  I will post a recipe for this one too, I promise.  It's just banana, date, almonds, honey and almond meal.

I can't be effed to make lunch, lunch

Lunch: Scrambled Eggs & Avocado

(Zucchini, Carrot, Onion, Capsicum, Kale, Garlic & Tomato)

You don't have eggs for breakfast, so you have them for lunch.  I haven't been feeling too well lately, so my enthusiasm for cooking is at an all time low.  This was really quick, simple and tasty.

YUM!

Afternoon Snack: Apple, Carrot, Almond Butter with Sultanas & Coconut

I think I have found my new favourite snack today.  Carrot, almond butter, sultanas and coconut.  Yep, sounds strange but it's delicious! Trust me on this one :)

I didn't have to cook = WINNING! 

Dinner: Gluten Free Pizza with Marinated Olives, Capsicum, Sweet Potato, Bacon, Spinach, Tomato Paste & a tiny bit of Cheese

Remember how I was saying that my enthusiasm for cooking is at an all time low? Even though this isn't Paleo, I wasn't passing up the offer of someone else cooking dinner for me!  

This was made on a gluten free pizza base, so it doesn't contain grain, however, it's still full of processed ingredients which is definitely not Paleo.  But if I eat something that isn't Paleo, I don't worry.  I'm trying to eat the healthiest I can and if sometimes I have to eat pizza, then I have to eat pizza. ;) 

Glasses of water: 8

Yay for ice cream! :)

Desert: Coyo - Cacao Ice Cream

Ingredients: coconut cream , cococnut nectar , tapioca ,organic agave ,organic cocao. 

This was the other version of Coyo I picked up from Kunara.  I liked this one better than the Acai & Blueberry, but there still wasn't enough chocolate.  I think the one I like the most is the Vanilla & Nutmeg.  I would definitely recommend the Coyo ice cream it to my fellow Paleo eaters. :)

I Can Haz Brownies? - Weight Loss Journey Week 51 - Day 1-4

Week 51
Day 1 - Wednesday
7/01/2015
I Can Haz Brownies?

Hashbrowns on Paleo = Winning :)

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash browns, Eggs and Avocado

I decided to try out some sweet potato hash browns this morning and they actually worked! They were pretty yummy too!  I peeled and then grated a medium sweet potato, added some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  I then rolled them into balls (hee hee) and flattened them in a heated fry-pan.  The fry-pan was on a medium heat with some olive oil, and I flipped them after 2 minutes.  They are lovely and sweet. 

Coffee with Almond Milk

I try not to have more than one coffee a day and when I do, I have it with almond milk and no sweetener.  I'm not sure if I want to be having it everyday though.  I haven't noticed a link between it and my symptoms yet.

This isn't dinner?

Lunch: Honey Mustard Chicken, Carrot & Broccoli

(Recipe from The Piglet & The Cheesecake here)

If you read my blog for Tuesday (here) I cooked up two lots of chicken, one honey mustard and one spice rubbed.  This means that I don't have to make something from scratch every meal.  Today was really easy, I just steamed some veggies, heated the chicken and done!

The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie - $5.00

Afternoon Snack: The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie 

Yesterday I visited The Paleo Place (post here) and while I was there I made sure I took one of these Brownies home with me! I was going to have it for desert last night but I was way too full!  

The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie - $5.00

It was delicious!  The texture was so soft!  It wasn't too sweet either, just lovely.  I definitely recommend them and I'd love to try making them myself!

Mmm Rubbed Chicken ;) 

Dinner: Spice Rubbed Chicken (Recipe here) with Stir-Fry Veggies & Honey Balsamic Sauce

Dinner was definitely a last minute throw together!  I just sliced up some onion, carrot, capsicum, broccoli and fried it up in a pan.  Sliced up some of the left over spice rubbed chicken, heated that through and added some honey and balsamic vinegar.  

Glasses of water: 8

Polar - FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

Exercise: Dancing

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get outdoors today as it was raining.  So I decided to make the most of my energy today.  You know when you've been sick, then you feel "normal" again, you feel like you have enough energy to conquer the world? That was me today, I felt like Superwoman on crack! 

Oooo shiny!

I decided to reward my efforts (and I was really sweaty and stinky!) with relaxing bath. Bubble bath + candles + chilled out tunes = relaxed Mel :)
If only Paleo allowed red wine ;)

I'm thinking I should make this a weekly thing (not the wine!) and maybe every Sunday I should have a pamper evening.  I think it's important to relax and take some time out for yourself.

Week 51
Day 2 - Thursday
8/01/2015

Mmm Cacao and Mint

Breakfast: Cacao Mint Smoothie

Taking inspiration from the Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie I had Tuesday, I decided to whip this up today (I couldn't be bothered looking up a recipe).  It was frozen berries, banana, almond milk, almond butter, cacao and fresh mint.  It was okay but I think I'll have to play around with it a bit more. 

Coffee with Almond Milk

OMG deliciousness!

Lunch: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here)
Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

This recipe was really simple, easy and I wasn't expecting it to be so tasty!  It didn't taste like an altered version, it was just delicious.  I'll be making this one again! Yum!

Afternoon Snack: Banana with Almond Butter

Salsa Chicken Spicy!

Dinner: Salsa Chicken with Avocado

I really wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight at all.  I knew that I had some honey mustard chicken left over from yesterday but I wasn't sure what to have with it. It's challenging so many meals are based around bread, pasta, rice etc.  I decided just to fry up some onions, tomato, add the left over chicken and add a Leggos garlic tomato pizza sauce, salt, pepper and cayenne.  It was so yummy and quick! Definitely going to make this again!  Great for leftover chicken. 

Glasses of water: 6

Week 51
Day 3 - Friday
9/01/2015

Good morniong easy breakfast!

Breakfast: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here) 
with Avocado

It's great to have your breakfast ready for you, especially on mornings you need to get out the door quick! 

Coffee with full cream milk - I wasn't going without coffee ;)

Supermarket lunch

Lunch: BBQ Roast Chicken Salad

I was out today with no lunch prepared.  It's hard to find something for a quick Paleo lunch in a supermarket!  I decided to get a BBQ Roast Chicken and have it with a garden salad, avocado and red onion.  I'm sure that chicken isn't the healthiest but I'm sure I could have done much worse, trust me!

Zucchini Ninja Slice ;)

Dinner: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here) sneakily trying to be disguised by being stuffed with salad and pumpkin mash... did I get away with it? ;)

I know, I had it for breakfast this morning but I was out and about for most of the day.  I also got really unwell in the afternoon and I almost didn't make dinner at all.  But I knew that if I didn't I would feel even worse.  So I decided just to steam up some pumpkin and have it with salad like a sandwich.  It was tasty :)
  

Glasses of water: 8

Week 51
Day 4 - Saturday
10/01/2014

Drink me!

Breakfast: Banana Kale Smoothie

I had some kale that I needed to use up so I decided on this smoothie for breakfast.  It was one banana, 2 cups of kale and a 1/2 cup coconut milk.  I was expecting it to be pretty gross because of the amount of kale but it was actually pretty sweet due to the banana and coconut milk.

Lunch: Nothing

I share my daily eats on this blog to keep me on track and hopefully help you out too.  But I DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT recommend that ANYONE eats the way I did today.  I want to make it clear that I was really unwell today.  Pretty much like I did last Monday. I'm not skipping meals intentionally or to lose weight quickly, I'm trying to do this the healthiest way I can.  Some days I'm am so sick and nauseous that I can't stomach food.  If I force myself to eat on these days it..er...doesn't end well.

Unfortunately, I was sick all day!  It wasn't until about 6pm that I actually felt a little hungry and like I could stomach food.  Anti-nausea tablets don't seem to work for me either :(

Thank goodness for leftovers!

Dinner: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) & Eggs

This is not really my first choice for dinner after a day of not eating, but it was the only prepared meal that I had.  I had some of the left over savoury mince in the freezer and lucky I did because I really didn't feel well enough to prepare a full dinner.  I decided to cook two eggs up with it just to make it a bit more interesting and add some extra protein.

Glasses of water: 8

Weigh In Wednesday! - Week 50 Weightloss Journey

0.7 kg loss this week, 36.4 kg loss in total! Whoo hoo!

Week: 50

Weight lost this week: 0.7 kg (1.54 pounds)

Starting Weight: 148.8 kg (328 pounds)

Current weight: 112.4 kg (247.8 pounds)
Total Weightloss: 36.4 kg (80.24 pounds)

Thoughts on this week

 It has been very challenging the last few months as I have not been well.  I haven't been able to exercise but I do now have control over my diet, so I focus on that and not what I can't control.  I can't control my symptoms, so I just have to work with them, through them when I can and make the most of my good days.  I'm hoping there will be more of them this year!

Goals for next week

I haven't been drinking near enough water and this is really the time I should be!  It's far too hot not to be!  I'm going to really start trying next week and I want to share some tips with you all.

How are you all doing?

If there is anything you would like me to post about, please let me know!

Eating Out - Weight Loss Journey Week 50 - Day 7

Week 50
Day 7 - Tuesday
6/01/2015

Eating Out ;)

I think Pan-fried Tomato has become a thing with me lately...

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Avocado and Pan-fried Tomato

Keeping it pretty simple today as I needed a quick breakfast to start the day.  This was three eggs, three tablespoons of water and seasoning. 

The Paleo Place - Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie - $8.00

Lunch: The Paleo Place
Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie
(Banana, almond butter, cacao powder, mint, vanilla extract)
Paleo Chicken Burger
(Chicken thigh, tomato, lettuce, avocado, bacon, relish on Paleo bun with sweet potato fries and mayonnaise)

 I'd heard of a new Paleo cafe that had opened on the Sunshine Coast, called The Paleo Place (website here), so I decided I'd check it out for lunch today.  For anyone who has eliminated things from their diet like dairy, grains etc. you know how challenging it can be dining out.  It was so lovely just to walk in, sit down and know that you can have anything on the menu without alterations or having to look at every single ingredient. 

One of my favourite combinations is chocolate and mint.  Mint choc-chip ice cream is was my favourite and it's probably been a few years since I've had that!  So there was no way that I wasn't trying this smoothie!  The consistency was great, lovely and thick and icy, which I appreciated on a hot day.  I also appreciated the ingredients and the use of fresh mint.  However, I wasn't a fan of this smoothie.  To me, it just tasted watery and all I really could taste was the mint.  For a smoothie with "chocolate chip" in the name, I was expecting more of a chocolate hit.

The Paleo Place - Chicken Burger - $15.00

I was really excited to try this one!  For those on Paleo or grain free, you can appreciate how it's almost impossible to find a burger!  The sweet potato fries were delicious, I believe that they were cooked in coconut oil as I could taste a hint of coconut too.  The mayonnaise was actually pretty good, I think that there may have been some apple cider vinegar in there. 

The burger was delicious!  The bun was really tasty, I assume it was made from almond flour.  The consistency and flavour were lovely.  You can't go wrong with chicken, bacon, avocado and there was a very tasty relish on there too. 

The Paleo Place - Chicken Burger

The only negative I have with this burger is that it had no bottom!  I cut the burger in half for easy eating only to find lettuce at the bottom and nothing else.  I think that a burger should have a top and a base, otherwise I don't know if I would call it a burger.  Surely I'm not the only one who was expecting this?  It wasn't that they forgot mine either as the person I was with had the same thing and I saw other customers orders come out the same.

Burgers can be messy to eat at the best of times but this definitely makes for messy eating.  They do provide a knife and fork with the burger, so I'm guessing that is how you're intended to eat it.  But when you have to eat it with a knife and fork, I think you miss out on all the layers combined.  I guess I'm old school and I think that a burger should be consumed with two hands, even in a cafe.  

What do you think?

Mmm spicy!

Dinner: Spice Rubbed Chicken (Recipe here) & Salad 

I wanted to try something a little different tonight.  I had some chicken breast but I didn't want to have it just plain and I wanted something really tasty, that was still healthy and Paleo friendly.   It turned out really well and was delicious!

Paleo preppin'

As I've said before, I like to prepare meals in advance and cook all the meat at once.  Paleo can be a lot of work, especially when you usually have the convenience that is Lite n' Easy!  I decided instead of making them all the same flavour, I would make half honey mustard and half with a spice mix I threw together.  This way, even though I would be eating chicken for the next few days, it wouldn't seem so boring.

Glasses of water: 6

Spice Rubbed Chicken - Paleo Recipe

I thought about calling it "Rub My Fowl" but would anyone eat it?

Spice-Rubbed Chicken

This chicken is so easy to make and it's delicious.  Serve it with veggies or slice it up for salad. 

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts (or whatever cut you prefer)

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons Paprika

2 teaspoons Curry Powder

1 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (less or leave it if you don't like spice)

Salt and Pepper

Method

Combine the spices in a bowl or tray, coat the chicken in the spice mix.  My favourite way to bake chicken is in the oven.  I baked mine at 180°C in a ceramic casserole dish, place some oil on the bottom, cover with the lid and bake for 45 minutes.  

It's really tasty and with minimal effort, my favourite kind :)

Yummy!

Savoury Mince 3 Ways - Weight Loss Journey Week 50 - Day 4 - 6

Week 50
Day 4 - Saturday
3/01/2015

What about a bacon and egg shake? 

Breakfast: Bacon & Eggs

I feel like every morning I've been having a shake for breakfast because they are just so quick and tasty.  That can't be too exciting for you to read about though!  I decided not to be lazy this morning and have some eggs and bakey.

Mmm steak

Lunch: Steak Salad

Finally did some grocery shopping...can you tell? This salad consisted of baby spinach, tomato, avocado (seasoned with salt & pepper), cooked onion, capsicum and sliced seasoned steak.  It was really delicious and I don't even think it needed salad dressing.  This salad made me realise just how much I like avocado now.  Yes, you read that right.  I've only just now starting to really enjoy avocado, I hated it for years.  Having said that though, I still think it's better with a bit of salt and pepper, otherwise I find it too bland. 

I had some grapes with lunch today as I didn't have my usual serve of fruit for breakfast today.

Afternoon Snack: Banana

Stuffed Capsicum, Sweet Potato Chips & Guacamole

Dinner: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) Stuffed Capsicum (Recipe here)
Sweet Potato Chips & Guacamole (Recipe here)

I'm the only one on Paleo, so I'm cooking for one.  I will try to cook up a big batch of meat and use that in other meals for the next few days.  It's mostly because I'm just lazy! :)  I cooked up a big batch of savoury mince (recipe link above) packed with loads of veggies.  I feel like I eat too much meat sometimes, so I rounded it out with veggies.  

I decided to try some sweet potato chips tonight, they were delicious but I should have cooked them a little longer.  I was too hungry and impatient! :(  I coated thin slices of sweet potato in olive oil and seasoned them with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  They had a really lovely flavour. 

Glasses of water: 6

Week 50
Day 5 - Sunday
4/01/2015

Choc Banana Pancakes

Breakfast: Choc Banana Pancakes (Recipe here) with Pan-fried Pear, Honey, Walnuts and Coconut

Sunday mornings are for pancakes.  I decided to add a tablespoon of cacao to the mixture for something different.  I think I prefer the regular banana pancakes as they are sweeter. I topped it with some pear slices that I coated in cinnamon and then pan-fried.

You will not win friends with this...

Lunch: Salad

Just a basic salad today: baby spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrot, red onion, egg and a mustard/honey dressing.  I usually prefer to have some meat or something else to bulk it up.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Dinner: Shepherd's Pie

Having left over savoury mince from last night, I decided to make Shepherd's Pie tonight with sweet potato (recipe here).  This one is really easy to make and it's very filling.  I really needed a hearty meal after having such a light salad for lunch.

Glasses of water: 6

Week 50
Day 6 - Monday
5/01/2015

Berry Banana Smoothie

Breakfast: Berry Banana Smoothie

This is my go to smoothie when I can't think what to have for breakfast.  It's one frozen banana, a cup of frozen mixed berries, a cup of almond milk and I usually throw in some kale (stalk removed) or baby spinach. 

Failure never tasted so good! :)

Lunch: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) with Avocado Pancakes & Pan-fried Tomato

Lunch was a little bit of a failure today but still totally delicious.  I was planning on making two larger avocado pancakes and making this into a burger but the mixture fell apart on me, so I ended up making mini ones.  The avocado pancakes consist of an avocado, two eggs and seasoning but I think I will have to play around with this recipe a bit.  They pair really well with the savoury mince.

  

Dinner: Nothing! :(

 In the late afternoon I started to feel really unwell.  I got really exhausted and it felt like my body just shut down on me.  It felt like lead and it hurt to move.  All I could do was lie down and wait for it to pass, unfortunately it continued pretty much all night.  These symptoms were very similar to when I ended up in hospital a few months ago, so I'm hoping they don't continue.  It's so confusing as it comes out of the blue, on and off and no one can tell me for definite what is happening to me.  I'm determined to get to the bottom of it, however long it takes.

Glasses of water: 6