Jammin' Jan's Check-In

[Jammin' Jan]

Okay, today is Day 1.

Breakfast went fine.

Working 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays, so that cuts across two meal times, but only one break, which will be too late for lunch, and too early for dinner. Splitting lunch into to parts, one early, before I leave the apartment, and the other later, at work. I have packed little dishes of mango slices, potatoes, and green beans in my lunch box, and will have some bread before I leave. I will call this "lunch".

Dinner will be when I get home, about 7:30 pm or so. It will probably be oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, and soymilk, and maybe a piece of fruit.

My job is not so physical as as the grocery store, so I don't get quite so ravenously hungry as I did there.

I am going to do this right this time.

[Jammin' Jan]

I see I haven't been here in a couple of months. I love my new job, but it has kept me busy, with not much time for the computer.

No S is going fine. Weight is holding steady. I am still structuring my meals according to pattern: 2 servings (1/2 plate) fruit, salad, and/or non-starchy vegetable; 1 serving (1/4 plate) starchy food; 1 serving (1/4 plate) animal protein. Keeps me satisfied between meals and gets all the nutrients in.

Exercise is mostly outdoor walking in a hilly area, plus indoor chi kung for stretch.

Hope everyone is fine here!

[reinhard]

Glad to hear it! That's great news.

Thanks for dropping by to let us know.

Reinhard

[Jammin' Jan]

Checking in, hanging in!

Breakfast: an English muffin, a couple of eggs with bacon bits, a glass of orange juice

Lunch at work: a container of sweet potatoes and green beans, a little container of chicken breast, and a container of papaya chunks.

Dinner: pizza and a little fruit

Exercise: "Air Shovelglove" (just like playing air guitar, but with an invisible sledgehammer. I hurt my wrist slightly with weights a couple of weeks ago, and am letting it rest for a while. But Shovelglove has other advantages, like full-circle movements, squats, and some good abs work, so it's worth doing even without the weight.), plus some Urban Rangering. Gorgeous weather today here in DC!

Hope everyone is doing well here. I'm going to try to be more regular on the board, now that my schedule at work has stablized.

[Jammin' Jan]

Victory from yesterday: our manager brought some really terrific chocolates to us in the bookstore. At least, I was told they were terrific, but I wouldn't know, because I didn't touch them! It's not an S-Day, I told myself (over and over).

Today's plans:

Breakfast: a couple of eggs, a small dish of oatmeal, and a banana

Lunch: eating out someplace with hubby (promise to bring the excess home in a box).

Dinner: baked chicken breast, veggie, dish of fruit, rice pilaf

Exercise: Air Shovelglove and walk aerobics (24 min. total)

[zoolina]

Hi Jamin Jan!

I notice that you've been here a long time and would like to hear about your no-S journey. Was it always as easy for you as it sounds now?

Also, tell me about your "air shovelglove". I like the idea of doing shovelglove, but live in a tiny apartment--no place to swing anything around. I could do it without the shovel, though!

Zoolina

[Jammin' Jan]

Hi Zoolina,

No-S is easy as long as I am committed to it! The only time it gets hard is when my committment wavers, and I am tottering back and forth between No-S and the McDougall Program. But McDougalling doesn't work for me anymore, and No-S does, so I just need to be firm with myself. Physically, No-S is really easy; mentally is a little harder for me.

If you want to do Air Shovelglove, it is important to make slow, very controlled movements, focus on the muscles being exercised, and deliberately contract those muscles. Make large, full range-of-motion circles where that's appropriate. For example, in doing the Shovelling movement, really dig your air shovel into the coal pile and feel the front of your abs contract. Then swing that shovel up over your shoulder and feel one side of your abs contract. If you switch hands and directions, you will feel the other side of the abs. In this way you will work both upper/lower abs and also obliques. When you do Stoke the Oven (or, Stab the Dragon, in my mind), get down into a full low lunge and then make the movement from that, moving forward and back from the thigh and buttocks muscles. You will feel that all right! Churning Butter gets squats. Tuck the Bales is a good stretch for upper body. Scratch the Back is good for Shoulder Flexibility. Paddling the Canoe also works oblique abs and legs, too, if you do it in a squat position. Experiment with these moves, paying attention to the muscles involved, then really focus on them to contract. In addition, if you do this at a good pace, you can get a pretty good aerobic workout for 14 minutes!

You will not build any arm or shoulder strength from this, however. For me this is fine, because I am trying to rest these joints. My problem areas are all lower body anyway.

If you don't have the space to swing a full-sized sledgehammer around, try getting one with a short handle. I think I got mine at Walmart for around $10 or so. Even so, be careful with a low apartment ceiling!

[reinhard]

Great to see you here again, Jan. And glad to hear things are going well (and stabilizing).

Another good "air shovelglove" (I love the term!) alternative is to use a broom.

Reinhard

[Jammin' Jan]

I'll have to try the broom!

Today's Eats:

Breakfast: an egg over easy, a bagel, and a glass of juice

Lunch (leftovers from yesterday at the steakhouse): small piece of sirloin (it was only a 7 oz steak to begin with, and I brought half home), half of a baked sweet potato, can of tropical fruit, drained

Dinner: Italian sausage, corn, buttered noodles, mixed fruit (my husband assembles this and calls it "Fruit Surprise")

Today's Moves:

Gorgeous day today so my husband and I just did some serious Urban Rangering.

[Jammin' Jan]

Food:

Breakfast: two egg omelet with bacon bits, cinnamon-raisin bagel, orange juice

Lunch in the cafeteria at work: meat loaf with gravy, veggies, rice. It's self-serve there, so I can just fill the plate the way I like and not over-eat

Dinner: cheese-less pizza, corn with Italian-seasoned tomatoes, mandarin oranges with a little cranberry sauce

Exercise: I got called in to work unexpectedly this morning for and open-to-close shift so didn't get to exercise today.

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: a couple of eggs with bacon bits, a bagel, and a glass of orange juice

Lunch: leftover veggie pizza, can of apricots

Dinner: going out, not sure where


In spite of the holiday season and all the chocolate that is offered to us in the bookstore, I have actually lost a couple of pounds over the last two weeks. Fence around the law!

[Jammin' Jan]

We ended up at our favorite Mexican restaurant in the area last evening. I had a veggie burrito with no cheese; it was muy grande so I brought half of it home. Had a few chips with the salsa, but was rather sparing (for me) with what I ate.

I didn't eat the Oreos on the counter behind the register yesterday either.

Happy S-Day everyone!

[Jammin' Jan]

Yesterday's treat: two pieces of chocolate at work.

Today: I don't work anywhere near the registers today, so I won't be around the chocolate. Yesterday's treats were enough for me!

Today is an ordinary work day, filled with panicky last-minute shoppers. Should be fun! Breakfast and dinner at home, lunch in my lunch bag.

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve everyone.

[Jammin' Jan]

Daughter and I both work today from 10 to 3. Christmas dinner will be this evening with presents under the tree and a phone call home to the kids afterward.

It's an S-Day!!!

The place where I work provides a full Christmas dinner for the poor and for those who live alone, as well as delivery to shut-ins, and staff who work today are also invited to eat the feast...all for free! I am bringing a lunch anyway, because I don't want to waste my lunch time standing in line, but I may sample a little goodie.

Tonight's dinner at home:

Tofurkey with gravy
cranberry conserve
apple stuffing
dumplings
peas with little onions
asparagus amandine
sweet potatoes with sweet crunchy stuff on top
baby corns, the kind you eat whole, chomp, chomp
pumpkin pie

I'm getting hungry already, better go get breakfast!

Exercise: Liangong Chi Kung, Sets A and B

Merry Christmas everyone. God's blessings to all!!

[Jammin' Jan]

Good Morning, everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Tofurkey is strange stuff -- okay taste, but odd texture -- but the rest of the dinner was great. Work yesterday was laid-back and fun, and I was glad I just brought my little one-plate lunch.


Breakfast: bagel, orange juice

Lunch at Famous Daves: pulled pork sandwich and coleslaw (small lunch)

Dinner: Christmas dinner leftovers and pumpkin pie (it'll be gone if we each eat a slice after dinner, but it's a vegetable, so it's okay, right? )

Exercise: Liangong Chi Kung, Set C

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: bagel, eggs, orange juice

Lunch: still working on the leftovers from Christmas dinner (tofurkey, veggies, potato dumplings).

Dinner: sauteed chicken, veggies, spaghetti with olive oil

Exercise: Calisthenic Chi Kung, walk to work this afternoon


UPDATE Failure on evening food. Dinner was more than one plate, and I had a snack before bed. Ah well, tomorrow...

[Jammin' Jan]

Today is better. Breakfast was smaller than usual, but satisfying; lunch was a good size and involved some "virtual plating" but I was not overly-filled when I finished. Dinner will be on time and normal size.

Exercise today was cruising through a mall and walking to and from the Metro, also one set of calisthenic chi kung.

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: eggs, packet of instant oatmeal, bagel, orange juice

Lunch (at work): can of fruit, can of vegetables, leftover baked chicken

Dinner: no-cheese veggie pizza, husband's "fruit surprise

Exercise: calisthenic chi kung.

[Jammin' Jan]

Yippee Skippy, it's an S-Day!

Early treat: two buttered tortillas

I think I'll have pancakes with syrup for breakfast this morning, along with my eggs and juice.

Lunch at work will be as usual: can of fruit, can of vegetable, a little meat cut up into the veggies (leftover pork chop added to a can of carrots)

Dinner: baked beans with ground turkey added, veggies, fruit

Exercise: no calisthenics, that's for sure. Maybe some easy chi kung for stretch

[pangelsue]

Hi Jan,
Welcome back and thanks for all the wonderful comments you have been adding to the posts on the general discussion board.
I have enjoyed reading your journal and congratulate you on your Christmas season. You really stayed on track and focused. You are an inspiration.

[Jammin' Jan]

Last day of 2006...where did it go?

Today is a work day for me, so food is as usual: breakfast at home, lunch in my bag, dinner back home. One of the nice things about this job is that they actually give us time to eat and they try to keep the schedule so that we are eating at normal mealtimes.

You should see the sunrise over DC that I am watching right now. Gorgeous.

If you're partying tonight, remember our S-Day mantra: Don't be an idiot! Have fun everyone!

[Jammin' Jan]

Today I work open to close at the shop, so meals will be pretty normal.

Breakfast: eggs, toast, juice

Lunch in my bag: chicken breast, green beans, tropical fruit salad

Dinner: cubed steak, veggie, fruit.

Exercise: walking to work in the pouring rain


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

[Jammin' Jan]

I decided that yesterday was an S-day, so had a little snack in the evening...just a bagel, nothing much.

Today:

Breakfast: one egg, one bagel (they're smallish), glass of oj

Lunch: out someplace

Dinner: not sure yet, but the basic pattern of 1/2 veg/fruit, 1/4 starch, 1/4 meat will hold

Exercise: outdoor walk with family, then grocery store after that. Today's a day off from work for me and I need to rest a bit.

[Jammin' Jan]

Yesterday's meals were a little off, but it still worked out to a successful no-s day. We went to Olive Garden for lunch, where I had minestrone soup and a breadstick for the appetizer, and then ordered the spaghetti with meat marinara for the entree. Lunch was late, and I was starved, so I ate the whole thing! But then when dinnertime rolled around, I wasn't very hungry at all, so I just had a bowl of oatmeal with some raisins and soymilk. So lunch was bigger and dinner was smaller, and it all evened out, I think.

Today I work a short shift at the bookstore, so meals will all be at home and normal patterns.

Exercise: walk to work, some light weights, and maybe some aerobics

[Jammin' Jan]

Here's a little something for you all to play with between meals:

http://www.fontface.com/games/pigs/

Oink, oink!

PS: Be sure to turn the sound on!

[Jammin' Jan]

Happy Thursday everyone!

Meals are on target today.

Exercise: 45 minute Urban Rangering. Too warm for a jacket, and sweating with my sleeves rolled up. Also some light weights.

[Jammin' Jan]

I didn't eat enough for dinner last night, so was really hungry about 9 pm. But instead of snacking, I just had a glass of apple juice and that did the trick. Gotta love those small victories!

Breafast at home; lunch at work; veggie pizza and fruit at home for dinner tonight.

Exercise: walking to work and back; light weights

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: bagel, ham omelet, coffee

Lunch at work: container #1 = leftover sweet potato, leftover broccoli, the last of the ham; container #@ = leftover mandarin oranges and half a banana (last night's fruit.). This pretty well clears out the fridge. I have taken to helping myself to a plate from the cafeteria so I can dump the container contents out. I got tired of eating from little boxes every day, and this way, I am absolutely sure that it will all fit on a plate.

Afternoon snack: apple juice

Dinner: pork chop, veggie, fruit

Exercise: rest day

Enjoy your well-earned S-day everyone!

[Jammin' Jan]

This is fun!

http://www.masquerademaskarts.com/memes ... rtitle.php

Sincerely yours,
Baroness Jan the Chimerical of Pease Pottage

[JustAnnie]

Jan - You really seem to have this system down. I'm impressed by what I've seen as I scan through your check ins.

Oh, and yes that link was FUN!!

Lady Madame Annie the Indecisive of Porton Down

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday: absolutely wiped out after yesterday's open-to-close shift. Glad it's an S-Day!

Yesterday's treat was the last two slices of my veggie pizza which I ate after dinner.

Never finished the apple juice I had planned for my snack yesterday afternoon.

Today's food:

Breakfast: bagel, omlet with bacon bits, orange juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = drained apricots; container #2 = corn, stewed tomatoes, cut-up pork chop

Dinner: not sure, but maybe hot dogs, veggie, fruit

Snack tonight: oatmeal or another bagel maybe???

Exercise: rest day

Yours truly,
Milady the Most Honourable Jan the Inexorable of Old Tonbridge Wafers

[gettnbusy]

Just wanted to introduce myself... I'm Christi and I've been lurking on your posting page but never leaving comments.
Kudos to you!

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with bacon bits; little dish of papaya slices; orange juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = sliced cooked carrots, hot dog pieces; container #2 = the rest of the can of papaya

Dinner: eating at TGI Fridays. Bacon burger and steamed veggies instead of fries. Decaf coffee to drink.

Exercise: walking to work

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: omelette, toast, oj

Updating this whole post, from what was here this morning:

I got called in to work to fill in for someone who didn't show up, and it was a very busy shift. Also it cut right across the lunch hour, but I didn't get to take a break. I didn't mind that, because I like the job so much I would just work whenever they wanted me. Anyway, around 1:00 pm I was starving, so I slipped out of the bookstore and went into the gift shop to buy a granola-type bar to eat. It was all natural with lots of fruits and it kept me going until I got home, at which point (about 3 pm) I grabbed a cold hot dog from the fridge. So that was lunch.

Dinner: not quite on one plate. Meatloaf, broccoli, and a piece of baked potato on the plate. Raspberries on a side plate. Good meal, off program.

Exercise: walked to work and back, very very quickly, also a set of calisthenic chi kung, and some crunches.

Weird day, but lots of fun at the bookstore!

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: egg with bacon bits, apple juice, bagel

Lunch: 1/2 can Progresso soup, 2 slices buttered bread, fruit

Dinner: crockpot beef in tomatoes and green chiles, tortillas, veggie

Exercise: 10 min. calisthenic chi kung, 10 min. floor aerobics, 10 min. stretch and flex chi kung

[Jammin' Jan]

Food on Thursday:

Breakfast: eggs, bagel, orange juice
Lunch at the Mall: fresh fruit salad, one or two flatbreads
Dinner: turkey burgers, no buns, with fixin's; fruit, green peas

Daughter and I are going to the mall to see Night in the Museum today. So my exercise will be: walk around campus for bank and post office, walk from the Metro to the bead shop (this place is a huge bead paradise!), walk from shop to mall, walk around mall, walk back to Metro. Lots of walking, and it's all useful exercise!

Have a magnificent no-s day everyone; just today and tomorrow and you're home free for another week!

[Jammin' Jan]

Add 20 min. aerobics to yesterday's exercise.

Friday:

Breakfast: usual stuff

Lunch: tropical fruit cocktail in container #1; leftover peas, corn, and a turkey burger in container #2.

Dinner: veggie pizza; fruit

Exercise: calisthenic chi kung, plus walking to work.

[Jammin' Jan]

Veggie pizza without cheese is not very sustaining it turns out, and since I didn't eat enough of it at dinner (was consciously trying to avoid "piling"), I was starved later on. So I at another couple slices of the pizza. Should've had a glass of juice instead.

Oh well........today's Saturday, and you know what that means, boys and girls

Enjoy your S-Day!

[Jammin' Jan]

Monday

Breakfast: bagel, eggs, juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = 1/2 corn & peas, 1/2 turkey sausage; container #2 = grapefruit slices, drained

Dinner: lettuce & tomato salad, no dressing; chicken breast tenders, sauteed; peas; fruit

Exercise: long hours on my feet at work, plus walking one way to work.


Tuesday

Day off from work. Catching up on housework

Breakfast: usual

Lunch: leftovers from several nights' dinners (crockpot short ribs, corn; mandarin oranges)

Dinner: salmon croquettes, baked sweet potato, veggie

[Jammin' Jan]

Wednesday

Breakfast: eggs with bacon pieces; cinnamon-raisin swirl bagel; apple juice

Lunch: 1 leftover salmon croquette; 2 leftover chicken breast strips; peas; bread & butter

Dinner: pork chop; veggie; fruit

Exercise: walk to work... plus... inspired by Reinhard's Shovelglove post today ("What if you don't have 14 minutes?)...12 minutes of calisthenics.

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: egg, bagel, cranberry juice
Lunch: pork chop and a can of green beans
Dinner: baked chicken, corn, pears

Exercise: aerobics, 15 min.

[Jammin' Jan]

Last night, I ended up having a snack...nothing too major, just a bagel. It's always the same story: I don't eat enough at dinner and then I am really hungry a couple of hours later. Gotta watch that.

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, bowl of oatmeal with raisins and soymilk; glass of cranberry juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = green beans and baked chicken; container #2 = can of apricots, drained

Dinner: leftover chicken, green beans, corn

Exercise: walked to work and got to move around a lot on the job today.

Every day is a new day!

[Jammin' Jan]

Yahooooo...S-Days are upon us! Enjoy

I am resting up today, getting ready for the Pro-life March here in Washington, DC this weekend. We are expecting about 10,000 of them to descend on the two stores where I work, so it is going to be a very busy weekend.

Main activity today will be grocery shopping for the week (carrying bags of food up four flights of stairs counts for exercise!), catching up on the laundry, and going to Mass tonight so I am free tomorrow to work.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

[This path is my life]

Hi Jan, Glad to see that you're here and doing well!! Thanks for "stopping by" earlier. So I'm curious how did you get to the McDougall plan originally, how was it to be on it, and what made you stop after, what was it, 5 years? I'm curious because my friend just started on it though I'm trying to convince her to go to No-s so I was wondering what convinced you. Enjoy your day.

[Jammin' Jan]

You can read my McDougall story on the Star McDougallers page, "From Lent to a Lifetime." It was great while I was on it, but does not work now, so while I loved it then, it turned out not to be for a lifetime. Encourage your friend to do it, but then if it doesn't work for her, bring her on over to No-S, but encourage her to follow as many of the healthful McDougall principles as she can while doing No-S. I am really happy here, this will really be for a lifetime, but I have benefitted so very much by incorporating what I learned from Dr. McDougall into my No-S meals.

[Jammin' Jan]

This is the second day of our visitors invasion, and I'm doing pretty well. I have planned this as an S-Day, because I am working a split shift, and breakfast is really early and dinner is really late, so I am permitting myself a nutritious fourth meal today.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, bagel, coffee with soymilk

Lunch #1: chicken and corn with seasoned tomatoes, apricots

Lunch #2: big bowl of oatmeal with raisins and soymilk

Dinner: meatloaf, potatoes, veggie, fruit

Exercise: walked to work and back, twice; upper body weight routine with dumbbells.


Weighed myself the other day...holding steady with no real effort on my part.

[Jammin' Jan]

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins and lite soymilk; orange juice

Lunch: slice of leftover meatloaf; corn; pears

Dinner: pork chops; baked sweet potato; broccoli

Exercise: 100 crunches; 20 knee push-ups

[Jammin' Jan]

Wednesday

Breakfast: eggs, bagel, orange juice

Lunch: leftover pork chop, corn, broccoli, sweet potato

Dinner: cubed steak, veggie, fruit surprise

Exercise: walking to work; calisthenic qigong

[Jammin' Jan]

Thursday

Breakfast: egg, banana bread, glass of cranberry juice; coffee with soymilk

Lunch: chicken with seasoned tomatoes; peas; can of drained fruit

Dinner: meatloaf; veggie; buttered noodles

Exercise: calisthenic qigong; crunches; maybe some push-ups, too, all to the tune of Weird Al's "Straight Outta Lynwood."

I wonder if Weasel Stomping Day would qualify as an S-day?

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday

Breakfast: banana bread, eggs, cranberry juice

Lunch: meatloaf, green beans in container #1; buttered noodles in container #2

Dinner: out at a restaurant. I'll be good...

Exercise: calisthenic qigong; walk to work; grocery shopping tonight

[Jammin' Jan]

Starving last night after dinner at the restaurant. I think I boxed up to much of the food to bring home, because I was really hungry a couple of hours later. Ate a bagel. Also, I may be getting a cold, so maybe this has something to do with that.

Saturday; S-day, some cinnamon-raisin bread as an afternoon snack. Dinner will be late, after we get home from Mass.

Exercise today: walked to work and back.

[Jammin' Jan]

Tuesday.

Picked up extra hours at work, so I didn't get here for the last couple of days. All is well, except for the

FAILURE

last night. We went to Friday's for dinner. I was so cold that I was actually shaking when we were seated, so I ordered a hot chocolate to warm myself up. Hot tea would've done the job just as well. Sometimes I make bad decisions, but today is a new day...

Breakfast: eggs, rye toast, cranberry juice

Lunch: raw carrots and cold peas in Italian dressing; banana; a serving of whatever meat I can find in the fridge.

Dinner: crockpot beef with tomatoes and garlic; baked sweet potato; veggie

Exercise: aerobics and calisthenics in the living room.

I will have a "Personal Olympics" success to report tomorrow.

[Jammin' Jan]

Personal Olympics, First Event: Silver Medal

I have now gone the entire month of January without adding salt to my foods, except for one slip-up at the beginning of the month, when I reached for the shaker on the table out of habit. The shaker has since been removed from the table.

Salt is a good food, but I tend to use to much too often and that's not a good thing. Actually, I'm a salt-aholic.

Now on to the next event, which will cover the month of February.

[Jammin' Jan]

Wednesday

Breakfast: eggs, rye toast, cranberry juice

Lunch: leftover crockpot beef with garlic and tomatoes, green beans, banana

Dinner: Amy's cheeseless veggie pizza; fruit

Exercise: 10 min floor aerobics, 10 min chi kung calisthenics, 10 min floor aerobics

[Jammin' Jan]

Thursday

Breakfast: eggs, cinnamon bagel, cranberry juice

Lunch: container #1 = baked chicken, peas, tomatoes; container #2 = mandarin oranges and a banana slices

Dinner: spaghetti with sauce, fruit, veggie

Working open to close, not sure about exercise. But I will at least be walking to work this morning.

[Jammin' Jan]

Saturday:

Breakfast: eggs with bacon bits, a couple pieces of rye toast, vanilla tea

Lunch: teriyaki chicken, green beans, baby carrots, fruit cup

Dinner: pork steak, green beans, buttered tortillas, pear in cranberry juice

Exercise: I am in a long stretch of work days. Sometimes I walk to work, but mostly I am just on my feet for 6 to 8 hours a day and really don't have the energy to do any more than that. Well, we do live on the fourth floor, with no elevator, so I guess that must count for something.

Hope everyone had a happy Groundhog Day!

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday

Breakfast: eggs, raisin bread, cranberry juice

Lunch: nuked chicken, green beans, peaches (I am going to turn into a green bean soon)

Dinner: cubed steak, veggie, fruit

[florafloraflora]

Jan, a bit of a nosy question: are you taking S-days? I'm just wondering because for the past couple of weeks it looks like all your daily menus are pretty No-S.

[Jammin' Jan]

Yes, in a moderate way. A larger meal here, an evening snack there, a little maple syrup on this morning's omelette. Nothing major, no junk food at all. I work a lot of hours on the weekends so my posting isn't always really detailed.

[Jammin' Jan]

Hi everyone. What a busy week this has been, with long hours at work, and a very stressful job situation. Yesterday was the worst of it, I hope, and I am happy to report that I didn't succumb to the temptation of the cookies that were sitting on the counter behind the registers. Instead, I gave the other cashier (the one who brought them) a long explanation of the no-s diet.

All is well on the no-s front here. Current Personal Olympics challenge is going well.

No-S is so Self-Empowering!!!

Today will be a good day...it's our daughter's 17th birthday. The people at work (we work at the same place) are throwing her a surprise birthday party, and we will do presents tonight at home.

I will probably have a piece of birthday cake today!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

[florafloraflora]

Instead, I gave the other cashier (the one who brought them) a long explanation of the no-s diet.

Jan, you're the No-S evangelist! Rock on!

Happy birthday to your daughter. Enjoy that cake.

[Kevin]

Wow... a 17 year old daughter! Mine just turned 16. The years fly by, don't they...

I still have a picture on the fridge of her when I could cradle her in one arm...

[Jammin' Jan]

Thanks, Kevin and Flora!

Friday:

Breakfast: rye toast, 2 packets instant oatmeal, cranberry juice

Lunch: not sure if I'm working today or not. If I'm home, it will be a leftover pork chop, leftover veggies, can of fruit. If I'm at work, then I will get fish, fruit, and veggie in the cafeteria.

Dinner: going to the Hard Rock here in DC for daughter's birthday dinner. BehaveBehaveBehave....

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday.

I just had the best food experience of my life.

Washington traffic is horrific and I really hate having to go out to the grocery store to shop. So I placed an order for a week's worth of groceries and household and pet supplies with peapod.com, which is run by Giant Foods and is available here in DC.

Wow! They were here on time, hauled it all up to our apartment on the 4th floor (no elevator!), and all I had to do was unpack and check everything. Plus, my list is saved on the website, so next week, all I have to do is check off what I want.

Between walking to work, peapod, and taking the Metro, I may not have to get in the car for the next year and a half we are here!

[Kevin]

My wife *loves* Peapod, too. Safeway has a similar new service, too.

[Jammin' Jan]

Thanks, Kevin, I'll check out Safeway,too. Grocery prices are so high here that I like a little comparison shopping. So long as they'll bring it all the way up to the 4th floor!

Saturday:

Early Breakfast: bagel
Later Breakfast: 2 packets instant oatmeal, cranberry juice

Lunch at Pizzaria Uno at Union Station: bacon burger, no cheese; coleslaw; mashed potatoes. I ate only half of everything and brought the rest home.

Afternoon snack: bagel

Dinner: pork steak; veggie; fruit

Exercise: walking around downtown in the freezing wind; walking around National Airport

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday

Breakfast: pancakes, eggs, cranberry juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = leftover veggies with pieces of pork steak; container #2 = can of drained tropical fruit salad

Dinner: crockpot beef in tomato sauce; veggie; fruit surprise

Evening snack: pumpernickel toast

Exercise: walk to work

[Jammin' Jan]

Monday:

Breakfast: eggs, instant oatmeal, cranberry juice

Lunch: half a hamburger, can of drained fruit

Dinner: out somewhere

Exercise: walk to work, chi kung

[Jammin' Jan]

Tuesday:

Got called in to work today because of the icy weather. Fortunately I had anticipated this and had my lunch already packed!

Breakfast: eggs, pumpernickel toast, cranberry juice

Lunch at work: container #1 = peas and sweet & sour port; container #2 = can of mandarin oranges, drained

Dinner: Polish sausage; brown rice, corn, peaches

Exercise: walking so very very carefully to work!

Am making a change in my containers for work lunches, to provide a better proportion of food groups, effective tomorrow...

[Jammin' Jan]

Wednesday

Breakfast: eggs, bagel, cranberry juice

Lunch: container #1: can of drained green beans; small container = Polish sausage; small container = 1/2 can drained peaches. (on a plate this would translate to a heaping half-plate of vegetables, moderate 1/4 plate each of meat and fruit. More of the low cal stuff, less of high cal and high fat stuff. Lots of fiber, sufficient protein. Better proportions)

Dinner: Lamb chop, nuked sweet potato, fruit, another vegetable maybe

Exercise: Walking to work this morning, and I'm a little nervous about that. We are having quite a bit of ice here in DC and it's hills between here and work. Actually this is kind of scary for me.

[Jammin' Jan]

Thursday

Breakfast: eggs, toast, juice

Lunch: larger container: can of drained and rinsed carrots; smaller container #1: leftover beef in gravy; smaller ocntainer #2: peaches

Dinner: bbq chicken in the crockpot; sweet potato; veggie or fruit, whatever will fit on the plate

Exercise: walk to work

Survived yesterday's walk with no falls. Am wondering how icy it is out there this morning?

[joasia]

Two questions for you. If you want to share:

1) What is the McDougall program?

2) How much have you lost/maintained since you joined?

Thanks

[Jammin' Jan]

The McDougall Program is a very healthy, ultra-low-fat vegan diet. I lost about 35 pounds on it.

I am maintaining at about 106 on No-S. This is a couple of pounds higher than I would like, but I know it is because I have really slacked off on the exercise lately. Still, it's a pretty good weight with minimal effort on my part.

Saturday:

Breakfast: eggs, pumpernickel bread, cranberry juice

Lunch: half of a small steak, garlic mashed potatoes

Afternoon: glass of 100% orange juice

Dinner: couple of very long Nathan's hot dogs, green peas, tropical fruit salad

Exercise: rest day

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday

Breakfast: eggs, bagel, cranberry juice

Lunch at work: green beans, frankfurter, pineapple

Dinner: ground turkey patty, veggie, fruit

Exercise: walk to work

[joasia]

Thanks a lot. I was toying with trying a ultra low fat vegan plan through Dr. Fuhrman, due to a health reason. But I don't think I could stick to it. And if I can't stick to it in the long run, there really is no point. You really are at goal weight! That really shows that nos works and is doable.

thanks again

[Jammin' Jan]

Fuhrman's diet seems very difficult. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday

Can't believe it's been almost a week since I've been here. This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Daughter had planned to move back to Minnesota, and this was the week for that. Husband and daughter left this morning. I will fly back on Tuesday to see everyone.

Anyone else here an "empty nester"?

Food has been mostly okay this week. Thursday was a planned s-day. There have been a few small evening snacks but nothing outrageous. Probably the biggest sin this week is that I am finishing up a bottle of Dr. Pepper as I am typing.

Here's today's food:

Breakfast: bagel, orange juice, banana

Lunch in the work cafeteria: baked salmon, green beans

Afternoon snack: 10 oz Dr. Pepper

Dinner: eggs, fruit, vegetable

I am bored and lonely right now, but otherwise holding it together. At least I got through work okay today.

See y'all around...probably quite a bit this weekend!

[Jammin' Jan]

Yesterday, in my boredom, I made peanut butter cookies and ate four of them. Well, it was an S-day, so stupid as it was, it was okay.


Here's the recipe:

Industrial-Strength Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup crunchy peanut butter

Mix it all together. If it's too moist, add a little more sugar. If it's too dry or crumbly, add a little more peanut butter. Roll into balls. Press flat with the tines of a fork (criss-cross). Bake at 375 F for about 12 min. Let cool before removing from cookie sheet. They will be firm and crispy when cooled.

Today will be better:

Breakfast: eggs, mandarin oranges, bagel

Lunch at work in the cafeteria: meat, veggie, fruit

Dinner: turkey tv dinner with an extra vegetable added

Exercise: slip-sliding away to work and back (freezing rain and snow today).

[Kevin]

And you get another dose of our beautiful East coast winter weather! DC in an ice storm - does it get any nastier?

[Jammin' Jan]

The ice storm here in DC the other day was kind of pretty. Also kind of sloppy for walking.

Today I am flying back to Minnesota to help daughter settle in, and to visit with our other kids. Weather is good today, but...look out!! Another storm coming in, and more snow to add to the two feet they already have. Well, it's Minnesota, so I don't mind, but I hope it doesn't interfere with flights out on Friday.

No clue about food the rest of the week, but I will do the best I can.

See y'all next weekend!

[Jammin' Jan]

We got back to DC from MN last night. Lots of bad weather there, had to re-book our flight since the local airport closed down. But we had a great time with the kids and it was a wonderful visit all around.

I didn't try to stay on-program while I was there, but didn't do too badly, I don't think. Now that I am back, I am on track.

PERSONAL OLYMPICS UP-DATE

Event #1, begun 01/01 and continuing through 02/28: don't salt the food.
Gold Medal for February (it was only Silver in January)

Event #2, begun 02/01 and continuing through 02/28: get rid of the coffee with soymilk (I switched to black unsweetened tea): Gold Medal


Exercise today: walked the "campus loop" this afternoon and walked to Mass and home again this evening.

[joasia]

Are you by any chance Polish? Just wondering from some of your menus like "kluski" which means "noodles" in Polish.

[Jammin' Jan]

My husband is of Polish descent. I'm of Irish-Norwegian ancestry.

Slipped up a bit on the snacking over the past few days. This seems to happen whenever there is a disruption in my normal schedule.

Trying to do better...

[Jammin' Jan]

Wednesday's food:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with bacon bits; Juicy Juice Berry; cinnamon-raisin bagel with lite butter

Lunch: can of Progresso Chicken Noodle soup; 2 flour tortillas; dish of pineapple and applesauce

Dinner: sauteed fish; veggie; potatoes

Exercise: full-body stretch program this afternoon, plus some crunches, push-ups, toe-touches, squats, and jumping jacks. I have been walking regularly since I got back from Minnesota.

[reinhard]

Jan,

I'm so glad personal olympics is working for you! I've found it a really useful structure. If it keeps working for me and you and the other "beta testers" I'll emphasize it more up front.

Belated happy birthday to your daughter! We're expecting our second child in early June. That's going to be a really shock to the systems, but I think they're sturdy enough to handle it.

Reinhard

[Jammin' Jan]

Thursday:

Breakfast: eggs, rye toast, juicy juice

Lunch: leftover fish, mustard greens, green beans, plums

Dinner: baked chicken with Spanish rice; veggie

Exercise: walk to and from work

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday's Food:

Breakfast: an omelet, made according to Alton Brown's instructions on last night's Good Eats; bagel; juice

Lunch: container of green beans; container of sliced peaches; tortilla

Dinner (Ruby Tuesdays): veggie burger, with only half the bun (trying to avoid piling) and broccoli instead of the french fries.

Exercise: standing on my feet all day at work, walking around a mall, walking around a two-story Target

[Jammin' Jan]

Saturday:

Breakfast: bacon omelet; juice; bagel

Lunch: can of peas; leftover Spanish rice; can of tropical fruit, drained, even though it's an s-day

Snack: couple of slices of buttered rye bread.

Dinner: spaghetti with diced seasoned tomatoes and ground turkey; veggie

Exercise: walking to church and back this evening for Mass

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday:

Breakfast: eggs, bagel, juice

Lunch at work: one container of spaghetti with meat & tomatoes; another container of mandarin oranges

Dinner: hot dogs with baked beans, veggie, and fruit

Beautiful outside today!

[Jammin' Jan]

Uh-oh! I stepped on the scale this morning and discovered, much to my dismay, that my weight is up a few pounds.

Oh bother.

I know this is not due to excessive eating or junk food. I have been pretty good sticking with no-s most of the time.

No, it's mostly due to insufficient exercise, a condition which has plagued me since I got to Washington. Not sure why this happened, but I have really slacked off, at least in terms of intensity and duration, although looking back over my check-ins, frequency hasn't been too bad.

So I ordered a new step counter (last one bit the dust) and am going to try to get back into the 10,000 step walking program. The weather is warming up, so that should help a bit. I will try to continue with the aerobics and calisthenics as well. I have been exercising consistently for so many years now, one would think this wouldn't be a concern.

It's always a challenge, isn't it?

Today's food:

Breakfast: an egg, a bagel, and grapefruit juice

Lunch: a couple of leftover sweet potato chunks, leftover corn, leftover pineapple chunks, leftover bit of tuna salad (what's the operative word here?)

Dinner: eating out at Union Station to celebrate hubby's birthday. Swordfish, mashed potatoes, peppers and squashes; a Coke to celebrate the special day!

Exercise: 20 min. floor aerobics, 10 min. calisthenics, outdoor walking (total for the day: 9640 steps)

[Jammin' Jan]

My new step counter arrived today...hooray!

Thursday:

Afternoon snack: small slice of chocolate cake, part of a going-away party for one of our managers at work.

Friday:

Breakfast: packet of instant oatmeal, eggs, bagel, juice

Lunch in the cafeteria at work: fried fish, carrots, peas, fruit salad

Dinner: fish sticks, assorted veggies, fruit salad, tortilla

[Jammin' Jan]

Saturday:

Yesterday was a really exciting day, and I'm so glad it happened to be an s-day! My husband planned a lunch cruise for us on a boat that sails the Potomac River to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. The whole thing was a complete surprise to me and we had a wonderful time. The food on the buffet was delicious, and I limited myself to one reasonable plate with lots of veggies. But I did indulge in dessert, and ordered the hot fudge mousse cake, and it turned out to be one of the most intense chocolate experiences I've had in a long time.

Sunday:

Just a regular work day for me...

Breakfast: a packet of instant oatmeal; omelet; juice; bagel

Lunch: container #1 = bbq pulled pork on top of corn and other leftover veggies; container #2 = a can of whatever fruit I pulled out of the fridge last night when I packed my lunch

Dinner: chicken pieces, sauteed in a little olive oil and with whatever my husband adds to that (he cooks when I am working); veggie; fruit

Exercise: on my feet all day, so not sure what I will get, but whatever it is, I am tracking with my step counter. When I have done this for a few days, I will calculate my "base" and then start deliberately adding to it, until I hit 10,000.

[joasia]

Question: Do you eat big servings, do you measure your servings, how do you determine how much to put on your plate?

[Jammin' Jan]

Ordinary dinner plate. Fill half with veggies. Fill one-quarter with fruit, starch, or another veg. Fill one-quarter with animal protein (meat, fish, eggs). Simple.

[Jammin' Jan]

Friday

Totally blew it today! Had a weird work schedule and ended up with four complete meals instead of three and a glass of Dr. Pepper to boot. Tomorrow doesn't need to be an S-day for me.

On the bright side, my step counter is reading 9223 right now.

Happy weekending everyone!

[Jammin' Jan]

Saturday

10,800 on my step counter today!

[Jammin' Jan]

Sunday

Breakfast: eggs with a little leftover Polish sausage cooked in; bagel; cranberry juice

Lunch at work: leftover green beans with chicken in seasoned tomatoes; peaches

Dinner: bbq shredded chicken over bread; potatoes; tropical fruit

Exercise: walked to work; stood around all day; only a little over 4000 steps on the counter, but I am too tired to do any more exercise for the day.

[Jammin' Jan]

Tuesday

Breakfast: packet of instant oatmeal; an egg; fruit left from last night's dinner; juice

Lunch: can of green beans; can of pears with cinnamon; will buy a piece of whatever meat they're serving in the cafeteria at work

Dinner: fish sticks; potatoes; veggies

Exercise: yesterday: 6000+ steps on the counter. Probably more today.

[Jammin' Jan]

Gee, it's been a while since I've been here. All quiet on the food front.


A blessed Easter to all who celebrate. Happy s-days to everyone!