If you’re new to the series, I’m putting my mom on a diet (because she asked me to, and I’ve lost 135 pounds myself (naturally). So here’s what you need to know: Part 1, here is the plan I designed for her, and here are her weekly updates: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, week 13, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 1 month eating on her own, 1 year later.
This week, I tried to step away from my leadership role and let Mom take more control over her meal plan. She was on her own for breakfasts, snacks, a few lunches, and even a handful of dinners. I was impressed, to say the least. My goal moving forward will be to “work myself out of a job,” or, to make sure that when I stop coaching Mom and preparing all of her food (which will happen soon), that she’s equipped with the nutritional know-how to be self-sufficient. I just want her to be OK.
Apologies for the scarcity of food photos this week. With Mom’s increasing independence, it’s hard to snap all of her meals. Scroll down to see a few photos of her, though, on vacation in Maine!
Monday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin (160) + 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100) + 1 banana (100) = 360
Lunch: Chef Salad vegetable base (3 large handfuls mixed greens, ½ cup chopped bell pepper, ½ cup chopped cucumber, ½ cup shredded carrot, 6-8 cherry tomatoes=50 calories) + 2 ounces sliced Dietz & Watson oven roasted turkey breast (60) + 2 ounces sliced Dietz & Watson corned beef (60) + 1 ounce Cheddar cheese (100) + 2 tablespoons Ken’s Steak House Balsamic with Honey dressing (90) = 360
+ 1 medium peach (70) = 430
Snack: 1 ounce dry roasted, salted almonds (~24 almonds = 160) Dinner: 4 ounces herb roasted pork loin (the 3 pound pork loin was simply rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary, then roasted for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F (until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees F when inserted into the center of the loin). 4 oz = ~160) + 1 1/4 cups roasted white and sweet potatoes (dice into 2″ pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cook them alongside the pork in the same pan. 250) + 2 tablespoons gravy (75) + 1 cup steamed broccoli (50) = 535
Total: 1485
….
Tuesday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin (160) + 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100) + 1 banana (100) = 360
Snack: 2 cups red grapes (120)
Dinner: 4 ounces roasted bone-in, skin-on chicken breast meat (about 8 ounces weighed with the bone-in. Mom did not eat the skin. 120 calories) + 1 cup brown & wild rice (210) + 1 teaspoon butter (35) 1 1/4 cups steamed sugar snap peas (~75) = 440
Dessert: Skinny Cow Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich (150)
Total: 1500
….
Wednesday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin (160) + 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100) + 1 banana (100) = 360
Lunch: vegetable base (3 large handfuls mixed greens, ½ cup chopped bell pepper, ½ cup chopped cucumber, ½ cup shredded carrot, 6-8 cherry tomatoes=50 calories) + 5 ounces leftover roasted chicken breast (150) + 2 tablespoons Ken’s Steak House Light Honey Mustard Dressing (80) = 280
Snack: KIND bar (210)
Dinner: 4 ounce 85% lean ground beef bunless cheeseburger (240 for beef patty + 100 for cheese = 340) + 2 tablespoons ketchup (40) + 2 cups Parmesan roasted broccoli (120) = 500
Dessert: Skinny Cow Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich (150)
Total: 1500
….
Thursday Breakfast: 2 cups Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O’s cereal (220) + 1 cup 1% milk (110) = 330
Lunch: PB&J Wrap: 1 Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran, & Whole Wheat Lavash (100) + 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (200) + 2 tablespoons Bonne Maman strawberry preserves (100) = 400 + 1 cup strawberries (50) = 450
Snack: 12 almonds (80) + 1 ounce raisins (~100) = 180
Dinner: Same as Monday night (535)
Total: 1495
….
Friday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin (160) + 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100) + 1 banana (100) = 360
Out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant: Steamed beef and mixed vegetables (Mom only used a bit of the ginger-soy sauce and ate 3/4 of the lunch-sized portion, which I’d estimate to be ~300) + 2 pork dumplings (200) + Diet Coke (0) = 500
Dinner: 4 ounce 85% lean ground beef bunless cheeseburger (240 for beef patty + 100 for cheese = 340) + 2 tablespoons ketchup (40) + 2 cups mixed green salad (20) + 1 tablespoon Ken’s Steak House Light Options Balsamic Vinaigrette (30) + 1 cup steamed corn (120) = 550
Total: 1410
….
Saturday
Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O’s (165) + 1 banana (100) + 1 cup 1% milk (110) = 375
Lunch: Does not qualify as a meal in any way, but Mom was out running errands all day and ate a KIND Bar (210)
Dinner: 4 ounces roasted bone-in, skin-on chicken breast meat (about 8 ounces weighed with the bone-in. Mom did not eat the skin. 120 calories) + 2 tablespoons whole berry cranberry sauce (60) + 1 1/4 cups roasted white and sweet potatoes (dice into 2″ pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast them alongside the chicken. 250) + 1 cup steamed green peas (120) = 550
Dessert: Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (150)
Total: 1280
….
Sunday
Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O’s (165) + 1 banana (100) + 1 cup 1% milk (110) = 375
Out to lunch at a barbecue for my grandmother’s birthday: 1 large sirloin steak tip (about 3 ounces = 180) + 1 small slice chicken cordon bleu (about 2 ounces = ~100) + 1/2 cup potato salad (250) = 530 + 1 slice birthday cake (350) = 880
Out to dinner at a seafood joint in York, Maine (Mom is in Maine now on vacation until Wednesday): Broiled haddock with mashed butternut squash (haddock was buttered and lightly breaded; squash was buttered and mashed with brown sugar = ~600)
Total: 1855
….
Week 10 Weigh-In:
Starting Weight: 210
Week 1 Weight: 201.4 (down 8.6)
Week 2 Weight: 199.4 (down 2.0)
Week 3 Weight: 199 (down 0.4)
Week 4 Weight: 196 (down 3)
Week 5 Weight: 194.4 (down 1.6)
Week 6 Weight: 193 (down 1.4)
Week 7 Weight: 192 (down 1)
Week 8 Weight: 188.8 (down 3.2)
Week 9 Weight: 187.6 (down 1.2)
Week 10 Weight: 186.4 (down 1.2)
Total Pounds Lost: 23.6
Mom’s thoughts on progress so far:
“Hi everyone,
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the last little bit of summer! Thank you, as always, for all your kindness. Things are going well here also. The diet is going well, with only two days this week of thinking about pizza and Chinese food. Well, I did have the Chinese food, but the healthy version: steamed beef with mixed vegetables, which wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. Other than that I am really loving all that I’m eating, and even took a trip back to childhood and made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch on Lavash bread one day. It was so good. Sadly, I am not someone who tries new things very often. I’d prefer to eat red meat and potatoes (or hot dogs!) at every dinner. Gosh I love beef, and I’ll never feel the same way about chicken. But, I am trying to go out on a limb a little and try different healthy items.
As far as motivation goes, one thing that always excites me is being able to wear clothes that I like, and now I can find them because I am down a size or two (or maybe I’m just wearing them tighter and nobody has said anything). I also love jewelry, and for a while I decided not to wear all the big statement pieces I have because I thought that I shouldn’t add bulk to my already big frame. Now I say to heck with that. I wear what I love.
Keep up your hard work and congratulations to all of you who do this all the time and don’t whine as I do. By the way, I went to another birthday party on Sunday, and of course I brought the cake because I wanted it to be from White’s Pastry Shop. Andrea posted a picture of it above–it was half chocolate and half gold, and I even paid extra to have them outline the outer edge in mums. I can never and WILL NEVER pass up a piece of cake from my favorite bakery! Sorry, Francie!
Take care,
Maryellen”
*Andie note: First, NEVER apologize for what you eat. Not to me; not to anyone (unless you stole the food, in which case, disregard this comment). All I want is for you to be mindful. Second, you should never order steamed beef, ever. Steamed chicken or fish? Different story. Third, if you’re lusting after pizza (and I Chinese food still?), we will get pizza! Lesson plan for this week: Honoring your cravings.
Here’s Mom “running on the beach” in Maine on Sunday, which she told me was code for “heading to the candy shop in York” where she bought a piece of fudge. I support that whole-heartedly. In fact, I did the exact same thing last weekend on Fire Island.
Here are my amazing parents, Mom and PJ. Can’t you just tell they’re the greatest human beings from the warmth of this photo?
CLICK HERE for a printable version of this week’s meal plan!
I think your mother is doing incredible! As a daughter to a mother who struggles with her weight (and complains), but is stubborn, I applaud her effort to get healthier. She is looking fantastic!
Maryellen (and Andie), I think you are doing an amazing thing here, and Maryellen, I love the way you found creative things to eat this week, like your P B & J wrap. I hope you’re feeling incredibly proud of yourselves for the wonderful job your doing taking care of yourself and each other. The pair of you are such an inspiration to me.
Oh, and Maryellen – You’re looking great on the beach…
Getting close to 25lbs down and you appear transformed. Congratulations.
Andie, I come back to your site time after time, because of the wonderful, balanced and nutritious recipes you post. Your excitement and passion for all things food shine through your every recipe and word. Food should be fun and I love that you keep it that way! We should be able to have our cake and eat it too! Getting to see you share this passion and balanced approach to eating with your mom is so beautiful. In the beach pictures, you really see a healthy inner glow on her face. She looks great!
Andie – thanks for sharing this blog and your Mom’s story – and Maryellen, you are an inspiration. Thanks for all the great info – I am a few years younger than you are and need to lose a few pounds to get comfortable in my own skin again. With hormones and age having an impact, it hasn’t been easy. Your menu’s and counting calories and watching portions with Andie’s guidance, has triggered something for me and I am into week two of eating healthy. I actually see you can eat healthy without depriving yourself of some of the food groups!
Keep up the good work and thank you again for the inspiration, recipe’s and motivation!
I agree, never apologize for what you eat. Life is short, if you want a slice of pizza, Chinese or a piece of fudge then go for it! Just eat in moderation and savor it. Food guilt is the worst.
What an inspiration. Your mom looks great, and it sounds like she feels great. Thank you for being one of the only healthy-living blogs that actually presents realistic, genuine, achievable examples of weight loss, maintenance, and mindful eating. THANK YOU FOR EATING REAL FOOD! And by “real food” I mean things like ketchup. Hot dogs. Cereal. In moderation :)
You look amazing Maryellen! Don’t quit!
You’re Mom was beautiful before “you put her on a diet” but she looks so happy now!!!! Love this “series” and I pray your Momma is learning life-long lessons through all this.
I love Maine and I love the picture of you and PJ.
You look like you knocked 23.6 years off your age…not just your weight!
PJs’ sandals remind me of my grandfather…who wore his with white socks.
You look amazing. I too am happy to see real food. I look forward to the updates every week.
My one issue in my own life is having time to prepare things ahead of time. I have such bad management of time.
I have a long commute, so I’m exhausted when I get home. Then I have the wagging tail that begs for a walk.
I admire her self control in not eating the chicken skin–it’s the best part! At a reenactment this weekend, we made roast turkey over a fire pit. I was stealing bits of skin from the moment we pulled it off the spit!
Everytime I read your posts, I want to comment, but I’d always be saying the same thing: you are an awesome daughter, an amazing writer, and an inspiration to people everywhere!! I love that you are doing this with and for your Mom…Maryellen looks great and, I know, feels such achievement and hope!! It’s beautiful to gain success in an area of such weakness!!
I was (thankfully) put on a diabetic diet when I was in 3rd grade…now don’t freak out…it was a completely healthy and necessary thing in my life! I wasn’t scarred, I wasn’t damaged…my kind pediatrician recognized early on that my body had a “slow metabolism” and I just easily gained weight….my Mom fed us healthy, we rarely had fast food or junk…I loved all healthy things, but still, I gained.
Yet, starting at such a young age taught me portions, it taught me I CAN have what I love, just not everytime and not as much as I THINK I want ;) It helped me gain willpower and a mindful balance of my love for sweets (I am SOOOO with you on never passing up cake…especially layer cake…never, ever pass it…and I usually eat my hubby’s leftover frosting too ;) )…
My point is, I am so thankful I had a gentle, loving pediatrician, a Mom who never talked about “my diet” and an early recognition of how MY body worked so that I have been able to balance all my life…through 4 pregnancies and age ;) BUT, to see your Mom doing this at a later age in life, when habits are so much harder to break away from….it’s just awesome and she should feel SO proud of herself!!
THANK YOU for sharing this all with us…it encourages and inspires me every time :)
Maryellen – you look AMAZING in the photos at the beach! So healthy, but even more, so happy! You are lovely and inspiring. Thanks to you both for all the work that goes into this quest, and this series.
I wish I had a more original comment to add to the mix, but I’m going to echo everyone else and say how FANTASTIC Mary Ellen looks in these pictures. Pure happiness on the beach! You’ve been working hard and it shows- keep up the fantastic work.
Sorry- I meant to spell it the correct way. Maryellen! :)
Andie now I see where you get your good looks from. :-) You mom looks absolutely lovely. As a fellow fudge lover I really like your mom even more. Has she tried fudge and Cinnamon Tea? Now that is a guilt free combination since the Cinnamon will take away the blood sugar spikes. :-)
As usual these photos are just fantastic. And the recipes are just great.
Keep it up.
Your mom looks awesome! Wonderful! You obviously come from good and loving people.
Awesome job both of you! I have to say I joined in last week and actually tracked my calories and enjoyed my beautiful, colorful healthy food more than I ever did fast food. I lost 1.2 lbs. which for me is great because I’ve been stuck at this weight for 2 years! I’m working toward my 8 week ‘after’ pic like you did Maryellen.
Also, I just wanted to say, I discovered through a long process a couple of years ago that I’m severely intolerant of gluten so for me I can’t have even one piece of regular birthday cake, not one bite, not one crumb. However, this has been a blessing as I’ve learned I can actually enjoy the event even if I can’t have the cake! I have gotten in the habit of planning my own treat after the party (a gluten-free cupcake or cookie, with a little normal frosting), and having coffee during the party. I have found I savor and enjoy it more after everyone’s gone and don’t miss it during all the excitement. So, that’s just an idea for the cake too, maybe have one bite during the party, and save yourself your plate for afterwards and REALLY enjoy it, like take 20 minutes to eat and savor it just by yourself. Or maybe you already do that or it wouldn’t work at all! Just wanted to throw that out there.
Anyway, you look so beautiful and healthy on the beach, and I’m always excited to hear your progress as it inspires me that I can do this too.
that cake looks so pretty! did you bake/pipe the flowers yourself?!
I am amazed at what you have empowered your mom with. It’s incredidible that she managed to lose the amount of weight on a monthly basis considering the fact that she had a thyroid issue. I am inspired because I too have a thyroid problem as well. Thank you for giving me hope to lose the unwanted poundage!!! I love your recipes and will try them! Wish you much success on your cookbook!
I’m so thankful that I came across this blog the other night. I didn’t see all,of the weeks prior but I feel like I’m a apart of this great family on the East Coast. Andie your relationship with your mother is priceless.
I have two daughters and one has stomach problems(the doctors think its IBS) so I started looking up different foods that would help her, if she’s in pain, then I’m in pain. I started making smoothies everyday for her and looking up articles that would help her to understand what’s happening in her body. It’s been tough she’s only 20 and would love to eat whatever she wants but that just isn’t the case for her. Anyway I love how you’ve helped your mother tackle weight lose in such a loving way.
I hope to stay connected for many years to come.
Thank you and thanks to all of the great comments.
Ps all of the food looks so good, great meal ideas.
That cake is so pretty! I MUST try a White’s Pastry Shop cake someday. I keep hearing about it on this blog and it always looks sooo good.
Really made up for your mom Andi, she’s doing amazing :) I’ve got to agree with everyone else, that cake looks YUMMY!
WOW! This food looks amazing! Put me on a diet?? haha…Thanks for sharing!
All these recipes sounds….amazing! Quick question though will it be better for my diet if I make the recipes with organic products?
I have to say, these are my favorite posts ever! Previously I enjoyed your blog but really only stopped by once in a blue moon to see what I`d missed. Now, I get so excited to come by at least every week! I could read these meal plans forever, and I would love for you to keep doing them indefinitely! I would love to read some others too, for example what you eat in certain weeks Andie, or perhaps ones from other people who have either been successful in their weight loss already, or who are just getting going on it like your mom was at the beginning of this!
Dear Andie and Maryellen – thank you so much for posting this story – it’s my favorite and I really look forward to every bit of it each week. You’re both so great! Keep up the good work.
Maryellen, you look so happy and healthy! That smile of yours is contagious. I know it’s hard to change your entire way of eating. I love the balanced outlook both you and Andie practice – life is too short for no cake at all! We are right with you as we eat so many of Andie’s meals and look to you for encouragement.
We’ve all lost weight this summer, and my doctor was blown away at how much my health has improved with all these changes. Your story is not just another “before-after” weight loss saga . . . it’s the relationship between you and Andie that we all relate to. She “gets” you and that makes all the difference! Heartfelt thanks from our family to yours!
You really look great, Maryellen :). I’ve been trying to eat better, and every week I tune in to read your story which always motivates me to keep moving!
I have been a faithful reader for a long time but have missed out on quite a bit because the blog stopped loading in my feed reader (? don’t know what happened there — I was using Google Reader and now Feedly). Anyway, so I just came over and caught up on your mom’s whole journey. Wow! You are both doing a fantastic job. I love seeing the days that are out of the ordinary (sometimes with significantly higher calorie counts) in the middle of weeks where you’re still accomplishing what you’ve set out to do. When you do have a splurge that seems a little crazy to you (like the bridal shower brunch, was it, last week?) just imagine what you would have packed away before, without keeping track at all!
These photos are great and you look amazing! Congratulations and best wishes moving forward and taking your health more and more into your hands. Andie, love your commentary. :)
Thanks for sharing the journey!
Wow! Everything looks so tasty!! The cake looks beautiful as well :) Props to her!! It’s so inspiring to hear about weight loss success stories that don’t revolve around crash dieting! It’s so important to be able to treat yourself every once in a while!!
Giving your mum more control is awesome, and she looks like she is doing great :) Keep up the great work, can’t wait to see even more progress!
Andie and Mom –
I’ve been following along with this whole series and I can’t say enough good things. The daily eating plans, pictures and details that go into breaking everything down are phenomenal. It makes me want to follow right along with them, and they are SO do-able. So impressed!
And the commentary that goes along with each one from Mom and Andie’s perspectives… I just love it. It takes these eating plans to a whole new level and makes them totally personal.
Andie’s mom – You’re just beaming in those Maine shots. Reading your personal anecdotes of how you did each day/week feels especially familiar because you sound quite a lot like how my mom would talk about herself and her efforts – A wonderful, bright, hard-working woman being much too hard on herself sometimes. You are doing amazing! Eating those special treats is a-okay because you’re making them just that… special! One is staying at one, rather than snowballing into three, or ten. And that’s where the true success lies! You’re a star. Keep it up!
Just loving this dynamic mother-daughter duo. Can’t wait to keep on reading, Ladies :)
All this is so funny to me I started a diet at the same time. Im 50 and a little heavier then your mom. Ive lost the same amount! Boy what a difference, she looks great!!
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I am following this diet plan for the last 9 weeks only losing 10 lbs. I want to ask was your mother doing any sort of exercise? I have started to walk for 1 hour daily August 4, 2015. I am starting to feel fusterated. Any advice please.
Maria
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