Prior to beginning the diet that is proving to work for the two of us we joined a fitness club. We pretty much joined after the death of one of our Newfies, Grady. This was after Hubby had quit smoking the year before and had gained weight from not having the stimulant in his cigarettes.
We went at least twice a week in addition to incorporating walks into our daily routine with the pups. The weight didn't seem to come off as fast as we'd expected it to. I lost a few pounds, but hubs didn't seem to. We would even bundle up and do walkies in the winter, dressing up Vino in his snow suit and walking in the freezing cold. Hey, at least it was exercise.
When I was slated for a stressful doctor's appointment I found that the exercise was working by my blood pressure readings. This was not a fun type of appointment, but, my BP was within norms which for me was surprising as normally, my BP would be high. I definitely have White Coat Syndrome! Then I found I had to have a surgery to remove a stupid mole and that day it was normal too. This was with all the stress of gearing up in hospital garb and being cut upon and sent home in pain dulled by narcotics. Two weeks later, it was 108/76! I'd continued my walkies and even managed a trip to the gym for upper body exercises. Outstanding!
So I knew that losing weight and continuing to eat healthy were beneficial. I slept better, I felt better and had more Joie de Vivre and my BP was perfect. To hell with everything else. :)
So of course you have to make different selections and *I* have gone through some food cravings but they're quelled with a handful of baked garbanzo's seasoned with Ranch or Cajun or a baby sweet pepper or a piece or two of sugar free gum amongst other healthy snacks included in phase one of the SBD. This as I mentioned in another post is where you have to use an imagination and eat what is "allowed" otherwise you're just doing all this for naught.
So here's where I post what I made last night: Parmesan Crusted Porkchops (got this from a website I'd not seen before), Bok Choy with Soy and Butter and a side salad.
The recipes are *approximate* and I did make them based on what I found on other websites which I'll indlude. As I rarely go by a recipe measurement by measurement, please add more/use less per your tastes or even throw in some different ingredients you like!
Parmesan Crusted Porkchops
Four Porkchops (lean/boneless)
1.5 tsps dried basil
1.5 tsps dried oregano
couple dashes black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I used the coarse Dijon)
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan*
handful fresh parsley coarsely chopped
Oven to 375
1 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. You can also spray your sheet with a cooking spray. Set pan aside.
2 Mix herbs/seasonings, the parsley, oil and mustard together
2 Season the chops with pepper and brush the mustard mix on both sides of the meat.
3 *My parmesan had gone bad so I had to use different cheeses which wound up working GREAT and tasted wonderful nonetheless. I used feta, mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan from a can. Mix the cheese together in a small bowl and/or pressed the cheese into the meat where it sticks to mustard sauce.
4 Place the chops with the cheese/mustard-spice mix on your baking sheet and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until the meat is cooked all the way through.
Goes GREAT a salad and another healthy side.
