Monday Milestones

This was a strange week.  It started off great…I exercised Monday through Thursday and stuck to my eating plan.  Then, I got sick Thursday night and stayed ill most of the weekend.  Needless to say, I didn’t exercise again.  And I didn’t eat a real meal again until Sunday.

Which brings me to the lesson I learned this week:  Just because you don’t eat doesn’t mean you will lose weight.  What happens is your body shuts down and your metabolism slows, trying to conserve energy (fat).  One thing my HMR program stresses is the need to eat all the required food every day.  Their mantra is “eat more, lose more.”  Well, I didn’t eat all my required food Thursday through Saturday, so I didn’t lose any weight while I was sick.

All in all, I lost one pound this week (which I had lost by Wednesday morning).  That brings my total to 25 pounds in eight weeks. 

I have a pretty busy week lined up, so my goal is to ease back into exercising and work out at least four days.  I have a monthly check-up at my doctor on Friday morning, and I’m looking forward to weighing in and checking my blood pressure.  (I can’t believe I just typed that.)

This week I’m including a recipe for easy, healthy Pasta Primavera. 

Pasta Primavera (approx. 4 servings)

• 1 box Ronzoni SmartTaste spaghetti
• 1 jar Ragu Light (no sugar added)
• 6 cups chopped veggies (I use zucchini, squash, carrots, onion, garlic, red peppers, and broccoli)
• 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (can leave this out to make the dish vegetarian)
• Reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Use a nonstick cooking spray to stir-fry veggies (with a little salt and pepper) in pan about 4 minutes.  Add 1/4 c. water and quickly close lid – steam for 2-3 minutes.  Remove lid, add Ragu, season with salt and pepper, and turn down heat to simmer.  Cook and drain pasta.  For one serving, combine 1 c. pasta, 1 1/2 c. veggie mixture, 4 oz. chicken (size of your palm), and 2 T cheese. 

This satisfying portion contains 500 calories and 6 grams of fat (with chicken) or 380 calories and 4 grams of fat (without chicken).