While I was otherwise fairly healthy before that diagnosis, not having had any other serious health concerns identified by my doctors, I had weighed about 250 pounds before my diagnosis, which means that by standards like BMI and most nutritional experts I was 75 pounds overweight. I felt chubby and fat and lethargic a lot before my diagnosis, even though I did low-impact aerobic exercise several times a week and I had been moderately- to somewhat-active in going to the gym to work out.
Clearly, however, I was eating way too many calories of the wrong type and not burning off nearly enough of them to maintain a healthy weight. I was also eating a lot of the wrong type of calories--relying on frozen dinners, eating out, and drinking soda pop where I should have been drinking water.
If there was one positive side effect about chemotherapy, it's that it made me lose a lot of weight. The medication is so harsh on your system that often you lose appetite and over the course of five months I lost over 60 pounds. After my bone marrow transplant the weight stayed off for another six months or so, but as my appetite began to recover, I started noticing the weight was coming back on. When I woke up one day and realized the scale had reached 230 pounds again, I knew it was time for a serious lifestyle evaluation.
I talked with my doctors and told them I wanted a drug-free option and they recommended three simple things: track calories, eat unprocessed, nutritious foods, and get a moderate amount of exercise. So among other things I found several great online communities, web sites and smart phone apps for tracking calories and exercise plans.
I'm happy to report that I've lost some of that weight and I'm on my way toward my goal weight of 175 pounds. Being active certainly helps, but the number one tool I've found that really helps me is my nutrition. I'm a once-a-week shopper when it comes to the supermarket, so I have learned to shop for good ingredients and then cook up something tasty, usually on Sundays, that will give me my lunches for the office during the week. I also buy some healthy snacks.
Today I'm sharing my menu for this week, which I cooked up on Sunday, June 21 after my weekly shopping trip.
Main Protein
My main protein for this week is chicken breast. But I never simply do a bland dish. I always like to add some flavoring and spices. Usually this comes in the form of some wet and dry spices, and this week the marinade I created was no exception.As the base for my marinade, I started with my go-to ingredient: zesty Italian salad dressing. I also had a packet of Savory Monterey spice that I bought at the Supermarket to add to that. Those were my pre-mixed ingredients.
To these ingredients I added some low sodium soy sauce, some minced garlic, and some coarse-ground Dijon mustard. I like my chicken to have a bit of a bold and slightly unique flavor, so I vary the exact ingredients every time I cook--basically I go with whatever seems like it would taste good at the time. I know that some people may complain about adding calories to the meat by putting spices on it, but honestly they don't add very many calories per serving (fewer than 25 calories per serving from all the flavorings combined) and the only reason I would recommend not using any additional flavorings is if you are under strict physician-supervised dietary restrictions or if you have an allergy to something.
At any rate, after I get the marinade made, I put it in with the chicken and throw it in the fridge for a while. I like to let my marinade go for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours depending on how ambitious I am. This week it was closer to 30 minutes.
Since the total weight of the chicken was a little over two pounds, each of the six servings I cooked is just under six ounces, but for purposes of tracking the calories I call it six ounces. I then cook the chicken on my stovetop grill, and after 12 - 15 minutes (I like to make sure it's thoroughly cooked but not overcooked) it comes out looking wonderful.
Vegetables
I can't have a meal without vegetables, and I'm a fan of fresh veggies with a little bit of spice and flavor to them. So this week I created a marinade with most of the same ingredients as I used for the chicken (I only left out the Monterey spice). For the veggies themselves, I selected onions and green peppers. I know some people don't like green peppers, but I do appreciate the fact that they have a nice hearty flavor and a crunchy texture. I toss the veggies in the marinade, and once the chicken is cooked I put all the ingredients in a large sealable plastic container to go into the fridge.
This will sit in the fridge all week. And every day I will take a single piece of chicken and some of the veggies out to put in a smaller sealed container for work. I had a few soft taco tortillas left over from a recent tailgate party, so I took those to the office as well on Monday and will use a couple of them each day to help me eat up my lunch in a fun wrap.
Breakfast and Snacks
For my weekday breakfasts and snacks, I like to buy and take something to the office that is both tasty and nutritious. Every day I carry about five snacks, all of which I eat between the time I arrive at work and about 10:00 am, usually:- +/- 1 ounce block of hard cheese (Asiago this week)
- 5.3 ounce cup of Lowfat Greek Yogurt
- Small banana
- Handful of fresh berries (raspberries this week)
- 3 ounce bag of baby-cut carrots
The snacks are usually pretty similar every week, although I will sometimes substitute nuts for the cheese and a pair of Fig Newtons for the berries. As you can tell I try to be conscious about what I eat, but I'm not an obsessed lunatic who will sacrifice flavor for the sake of a few calories. The main thing I want is to greatly reduce the amount of processed food in my diet and have better control over where my calories are coming from and how many there are in each meal.
Lunchercise
The other important thing I build into my workday is exercise. I work in an office park that measures a little over 3 miles in circumference if you walk around the main perimeter and border roads. Most of the route is shaded, and walking it gives me between 45 and 50 minutes out of the office in the fresh air every day. I take a bottle of water on my walk, especially during the summer months, and then I eat lunch at my desk after I return. Between my walk and the normal walking through the office that I do on a daily basis, I almost always hit my 10,000 step daily goal, which is about five miles of walking as measured by my various fitness apps and gadgets. This cardio exercise every day helps keep me feeling active and gives me energy to focus for the afternoon when I get back to the office without having to resort to any energy drinks or sugary sodas.
Another benefit of getting out of the office for a walk like this is being able to listen to audiobooks. I'm a member of an online book club called the Sword & Laser, and I alternate listening through the monthly pick for that book club or listening to something inspirational. Occasionally I will really need just a dose of good music, so I'll tune in to one of my custom play lists and jam out to that while I'm on my walk. Below I've listed a few of my favorite audiobooks from the past year that were part of the book club's selection.
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