Monday, January 18, 2010

A Failproof Recipe For Muffin Tops


Ingredients:

Yourself

Instructions:
Have a baby sometime in your mid-30's, and then after you stop nursing, think that you can eat like a pig and not gain weight.

Because my weight has recently crossed over into a territory that's technically considered overweight for my height, I decided to participate in a Biggest Loser contest at my office. In two months, the person who loses the highest percentage to their original weight wins a bunch of cash. Excellent! Rich and skinny...just like the jeans I can hardly fit into right now. *sigh*

Now I'm not going to jump on the Lean Cuisine bandwagon or anything like that; I love food too much to subject myself to that kind of torture. Nor do I plan on going on the cocaine and cigarettes diet. (Although the prize money would definitely help cover the cost of said chemical aides) My strategy, rather, is to reduce portion sizes and refined carb intake and seek out lower calorie, healthy and tasty foods while making a commitment to work out 4-5 days a week. Which basically means no more chocolate-covered foie gras binges whilst sprawled out on the couch watching Jersey Shore. It's going to be a tough adjustment, especially being a food blogger and all, but hopefully one that will pay off in more ways than one.

Please share any weight loss/get fit success stories as well as any favorite healthy but tasty recipes...I'd love to hear them! Wish me luck!

21 comments:

weezermonkey said...

Forget cocaine. It's heroin that'll make you chic!

I don't have a muffin top. I have a Jabba the Hutt top. I didn't even have a baby.

Funny enough, the word verification for this comment is "crammu," which is basically what I do with food into my face.

Wandering Chopsticks said...

I'm with WeeMo. I wish I only had a muffin top. And here I thought you were giving a recipe for muffins without that pesky bottom half ala Seinfeld.

I hear the rage is taking horse racing pills. They'll make you as lean as a thoroughbred. Likely give you a heart attack too.

My verification word is "undec." I'm "undec"ided about this? Nah. Good luck! I need to eat healthier and work out more too.

citynitz said...

Wow, awesome that you're doing this. I did something like this not too long ago w/ my coworkers. I've been eating more salad. Tip: Instead of using processed high sodium choices at grocery, substitute w/ grape seed oil/olive oil, garlic, chopped onion and lemon juice. So good I've converted to eating salads for lunch and I was the farthest thing from a vegetarian.

SinoSoul said...

Ray-Ray has a book called the 400 calorie diet? Where each meal is only 400 calories? Or something? Then again, I read 20 min of boinking also gets rid of 400 calories, and I'd much rather do the latter.

Bittman has been touting VB6 and claimed to have dropped massive pounds. Basically, he eats no meat/dairy products before 6pm, and then have a regular meal (preferably only 400 cals?). This life style closely resemble my daily regiment. VP's Soy or Jiou Nian for brekkie, fruit/protein bars for lunch. Except for today, cuz it's Popeye Tuesdays.

G'luck DG, I'm gonna feed the chickie nothing but dandelion greens & kale if she gets preggers. For all I care, the kid can turn green.

ab said...

I already told you what worked for me - Nutrisystem. Was too lazy to count the carbs myself, LOL!

Tip on exercise, if you work out in the morning b4 eating breakfast your body will burn fat faster because it is still in fasting state from being asleep the last 7-8hrs. Something to think about.

Anyhow, good luck & keep us all posted!

sophia said...

The worst thing you can do is deprive and starve yourself. I say, eat out less, but still cook new and interesting recipes at home, for one meal a day. And then keep to the more "healthy" diet options for the rest of the day. That way, you don't feel like you need to eat a gallon of frosting to make up for all the bland foods.

p.s. Have you tried roasting vegetables? They're SO good, and I could eat a plateful.

Tony said...

I've lost over 128 pounds in the last year and a half. The most important generalized advice I can give you is consistency and counting your calories.

I like cooking light magazine for healthy recipes.

yutjangsah said...

Hey, I think I've tried this recipe. It works. Hehee. I'm sure you'll get the results you want. It is sadly just math. Garbage in. Garbage out. But seriously, for a good life, sometimes you just need to have a Garbage In, Garbage In day or two. It's all good. Skinny jeans are bound to go out of style but enjoying good food with friends and family is always in! ; )

BoLA said...

Oooo.. any tips? Not I, unfortunately! I indulge too much in sweets and fats! I *should* eat heathier, for sure. Too bad I lack any kind of motivation to count carbs, think before I eat, or exercise!

Maybe a Wii would help? ;)

Good luck lady!

Daily Gluttony said...

Weezer Monkey,

Heroin will prolly make me skinnier, but I don't like needles so I'd rather snort & smoke. haha

Wandering Chopsticks,

Fooled you, didn't I? haha Tell u the truth, I actually like the muffin stumps more than the tops. I wouldn't have tried to dispose of them a la Elaine.

Citynitz,

Great idea! I want/need to start experimenting w/ making my own dressings too. Just don't have the time yet!

SinoSoul,

So you're telling me that you only consume about 1200 calories a day? I don't believe you...I've seen you eat!

And if your Mrs. gets preggo, kale & dandelion greens ain't got nothing on cravings!

Angelica,

Thanks girl! But re: the early morning workout...no can do because it would cut into my bathroom reading time. LOL

Sophia,

Giiiirl, look who you're talking to here...I am definitely not going to starve myself. haha Yes, I loooove roasting veggies--I'm waiting to get a new, working oven to do so, though. For now, I've been grilling them.

Pink Panda,

Wow, congrats to you...that's awesome! I haven't picked up a Cooking Light in awhile but I think I just might now! Thanks!

yutjangsah,

But the skinny jeans are soooo cuuuute! haha Word on the enjoying good food w/ friends and family part. Tis why I am cheating this Fri when I go to Shufeng Garden w/ coworkers and in a couple weeks at Petrossian w/ you guys!

BoLA,

Thanks! I actually want a Wii, but then I'd probably never ever leave the house! Plus the kid would break it after 2 weeks.

Delicious Coma said...

Good luck with your challenge! If you are looking for something more formalized, my mom absolutely loved her experience with Weight Watchers and lost a ton of weight while still eating well. The philosophy is straightforward, but group support is always good!

ila said...

good luck on your challenge! i'm trying to my muffin top too... may i suggest using livestrong.com as your calorie counter? they even have an iPhone app so that you track nommage on the go!
when i was UBER overweight, i manage to lose 30 pounds in a year with weightwatchers. but then i realized that i was paying 15 bucks a month for a calorie counter... which livestrong provides for free. i've been bad in the last year and have been yo-yoing in a 10-pound range, but hopefully i go below my average!!!

Novy said...

mypyramidtracker.gov is a personalized and OCD way of tracking what you eat and how many calories you had daily.

I started today.

Best of luck! Win that monaay!

Jess said...

How do you manage to work out 4-5 week w/a toddler at home?! Good luck; I'm dealing with the weight gain from kid #2, which for whatever reason is actually easier to lose this time than the first. Maybe b/c I've got two kids to deal with and forget to feed myself. Not advisable in the long-term, but for now me and my vain self will take it. I've never had to diet or count calories and I'm dreading facing that when this round of breastfeeding ends.

Reen said...

My secret was quark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(cheese)).

I had it for dinner, after having a normal sized lunch. I cut out all snacks, and reduced my total foodintake per day to these two meals.

I did push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups everyday. Went running every 2 days. first month 30 mintus, second month 40 minutes, third month one hour.

After 3 months of this program i lost about 30 pounds and my body fat was at 11%. and yeah, i did have some serious abs. Now I donwgraded everything, but since my stomach got smaller within the process, and I still worh out 1-2 times a week, i only gained 2-3 pounds since then.

It's rough, but the look in the mirror makes up for it.

Gastronomer said...

Good luck, Pammie! I second the Cooking Light mag suggestion. The pub has lots of interesting recipes that are all low-cal.

Bikini season is just around the corner ;-)

Andee (LAEasyMeals) said...

I really focus on getting exercise in so I don't feel bad about eating. Everything in moderation! I love roasting different types of vegetables so I can get in a lot of veggies for the day and it fills me up quickly. I also make a lot of soup for its volume and satiety with low calories. Your meals looks delicious!

glutster said...

Hey Pam,

Ok, the Glutster Secrets you want? The Glutster secrets you shall get!

First of all, turn into a part time health nut vegan! When I'm not doing 7 stop goat taco runs, I'm eating Soy Yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, only whole grain products balance (TJ's Vegan, wheat free Blueberry Raspberry Muffins are a godsend!)

2nd) Detox! LOTSA WATER, Kombucha, On the dreadful morning after, Papaya+Banana, Green Powder based smoothies (love that papain and beneficial starch!)

Third, Balance: If you know a big, no holds barred dinner is in your near future. Have nothing but fruit, steamed veggies, oil free (homemade) the whole day... and most importantly: one restaurant a day!

Last: Walk! take public transportation which forces you to walk :P, take the stairs etc.

Hope its not too late :)

One Food Guy said...

Hey DG, good luck! I had a lot of success losing a lot weight a few years ago by 1) eliminating alcohol, 2) eliminating fried foods, 3) eliminating pizza and bagels, 4) exercising 4-5 days a week with a mix of cardio and strength (weight bearing) exercises.

Dropped 40 lbs in 6 months. Good luck!

One Food Guy said...

And for what its worth, I've been able to maintain the weight loss while reintroducing alcohol, bagels, pizza, and fried foods into my diet in small doses. I do keep up with the exercise and feel great!

Food, she thought. said...

I have been working on my weight via changing food habits and exercise since mid-December. I swear I keep losing and regaining the same 5 lbs. Congrats on the 9 lbs. Keep up the good if challenging work.

PS I love reading about other food bloggers facing the same challenge. It helps somewhat to alleviate the shame attached. :-D

Blog Widget by LinkWithin