Easy How-To Tips for Laying a Floating Tile Floor
In today’s START To Downsize article, ‘Easy How-To Tips for Laying a Floating Tile Floor’, I will walk you through the steps needed to transform an ugly tile floor, such as the one we started with, shown above, into a simply beautiful tiled floor, using the SnapStone porcelain floating tile floor system.
The benefits of using a floating tile floor system, such as SnapStone, are that it takes less time, involves less prep and is MUCH less messy and dirty, since you are not using a traditional tile-setting method, but merely floating a new tile floor over the old one. Depending on the size of the room being done, it is entirely possible to prep, tile and grout a room in a single day using the SnapStone system!
SnapStone tiles come in two sizes, 12″X12″ and 6″X6″, and each tile is contained within a hard plastic tray with a rubberized base, seen in the picture, below:
Notice the tabs on all four sides of the tile’s tray. These interlocking tabs are the means by which the tiles are connected to one another to create the floating floor.
Since SnapStone comes in two tile sizes and eleven different colors, there are countless combinations and layouts possible to suit every taste and room style.
Using SnapStone is a great DIY project, since traditional tiling methods are not required. These floating floor tiles can go over any hard-surface flooring, such as vinyl, hardwood, tile or cement.
Minimal prep is needed. Here are the steps we went through to get the bathroom ready to tile:
Pop the door off the hinges - The door we removed was a lightweight, hollow-core door, which can easily be removed by one person.
However, it is an easier process with two people:
One person holds the door and one person pops the hinge pins out of the hinge holes.
Put the tip of a standard screwdriver in the bottom of any one of the hinges and use a hammer to tap up on the screwdriver’s handle. This will push up the hinge pin so it can be grabbed and wiggled out.
Repeat with the other hinge pins and take your door off the now-pinless hinges. Remove the door to another location.
Remove the base trim, shoe molding (if any), and door casing-
Here is how we did it:
We used a 3″ broad knife carefully inserted behind the base trim to create a small opening.
Then we inserted a Wonder bar prying tool into the opening and gently worked the trim loose. Be very careful, as trim can be brittle and easily cracked and/or broken.
We worked our way around the room and removed all the base trim and shoe molding.
When it came to removing the door casing, we realized the pink tile had been installed after the door casing was already in, effectively cementing the casing in place.
If you find yourself in the same situation, use a hacksaw or a Dremel tool with a saw bit attachment where the door casing meets the existing floor tile and cut through it. Once that has been done, proceed to loosen the casing from the wall, as demonstrated with the base trim.
Since the new tiles will raise the level of the floor, you will need to trim down the door casing before re-installing.
Remove the toilet, any caulk residue and the old wax ring -
How to remove the toilet:
The first thing to do is to turn off the water supply at the valve, behind the toilet.
After the water has been turned off, flush the toilet a couple of times to empty the tank and bowl. Bail out any remaining water.
Use a box cutter or other sharp tool to cut the caulk around the bottom of the toilet, then remove the caps covering the bolts which secure the toilet to the floor.
Remove the nuts from the bolts and store them where you will be able to find them when the time comes to re-install the toilet. Our bolts had rusted almost completely through, so we had to replace them with new ones. It is possible to buy a wax ring with new bolts included in the package.
Wiggle the toilet until it breaks free from any remaining caulk and lift the toilet off the bolts.
How to remove the caulk:
Use a chisel and a hammer to take up all the caulk residue. The floor needs to be as even as possible before laying the new tile.
How to remove the old wax ring:
Scrape up the old wax ring using the same broad knife you used to take up the base trim.
Wax rings are incredibly sticky and gooey, and you will undoubtedly get your hands and broad knife all sticky and gooey, too. Not to worry – both will wash clean.
Removing the wax ring is a necessary step to get to your ultimate goal – a beautiful new floating tile floor.
Set the toilet somewhere safe -
We put it in the tub, after laying some old carpet samples in the tub for protection. Old blankets, towels or a thick layer of newspapers would also work to keep the tub’s bottom from getting damaged.
The final step before tiling:
Image: Microsoft Office
Sweep the floor (vacuuming work, too).
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Now you are ready to start laying your SnapStone floating porcelain tile floor system!
It is best to start laying the SnapStone tile on a straight wall. Before I could get a picture taken of laying the first tile next to the tub, my husband had already gotten the first four tile clicked into place and was on to the second row. As you can see, he is lifting the tile up just slightly as he taps it. This helps the tabs to click into each other.
Do as many full tiles as you can before you have to start cutting the rest of them to fit.
It only took about 15 minutes to get all the full tiles clicked into place.
Image: Amazon
Every tile remaining had to be custom-cut to fit. It is not as hard as it might sound. The right tool makes every job easier!
If you use a wet tile saw, similar to the one shown, above, cutting the tile will not be hard.
When you remove the SnapStone tiles from their box, each one is separated by a piece of paper, which is exactly the size of the tile in its plastic tray. Use one of these sheets to trace the exact shape of your custom-cut tile, then transfer those markings to your tile. Using templates will work perfectly.
When you are ready to cut around the toilet’s waste pipe, it may happen that the hole will be located on two tiles, as happened to us:
Make your template as directed above and transfer the markings to the two tiles. Start on the outside edge of one tile and make many closely-spaced cuts inward to the pencil marks. When you have made all your cuts, it will be easy to break off the pieces, leaving the semi-circular opening, seen above. Just take your time and do not rush – you can do it!
Once both pieces are cut, just click them into their companions.
Set the threshold. We should have done this before we started laying the SnapStone tile, but we were just too excited. As it turned out, it really did not matter, nor did it affect the finished product.
Back-butter the threshold with an adhesive. We had this container of a tile adhesive/grout combo from a previous job, so we used it to secure the new threshold. Back-buttering is simply the process of applying a layer of adhesive to an item being stuck down, in our case, the threshold. You can also use a construction adhesive, like PL-400 or PL Premium.
It is recommended to allow several hours for the threshold to dry, being careful not to move or disturb it during that time.
It took a total of about 4 hours from prep to laying the tile to putting down the threshold for this bathroom.
While we let the threshold dry, we used that time to work on other projects and came back later in the day to grout the tile.
It is critical to use only the SnapStone flexible, pre-mixed, color-coordinated grout to grout your SnapStone tiles. The grout only comes in one size container and each container of SnapStone grout covers 50 to 60 square feet.
Once you open your grout container, it will have to be mixed up. Use the 3″ broad knife you used to take up the base trim for this job.
FYI: It will take several minutes to get the grout thoroughly mixed, as the grout’s liquid component will have separated from the heavy, sandy, granular grout base during shipping. Take special care to bring up all the heavy granules from the bottom and get them fully incorporated with the liquid.
Once you have the grout completely mixed, plop a glop of it on a tile joint, as seen, below:
Use a rubber-edged grout float, not a foam-edged grout float and begin by placing your float at a 45-degree angel to the grout joint. Force the grout firmly into the joint, filling it completely.
Pulling the float at a 90-degree angle across the joints, remove any excess grout.
Do not grout around the perimeter of the room, as these are considered to be expansion areas.
In bathrooms or other areas exposed to moisture, use a silicone caulk to seal the perimeter.
Clean the grout as you go. If you are working alone, do not grout more than 10 square feet before cleaning the grout.
Use a dampened sponge in a circular motion to clean the tiles and smooth the grout lines. Wipe grout residue by making a diagonal pass with your sponge, rinsing the sponge after each pass.
Check your work and add back grout, if needed.
It took just 45 minutes to grout and wash the tile.
Allow grout to dry for 24 hours.
Use Krud Kutter, a heavy-duty cleaner, applied with a nylon scrubber, if there is grout haze remaining on the tile, being careful not to get it in the new grout.
We used the Krud Kutter the next morning and it really cleaned up the tile. The grout does not need to be sealed and will be fully cured in 28 days. During that curing time, do not use cleaning products or solvents on the grout.
Replace the toilet, using an expanded wax ring and a flexible water supply, if necessary.
Replace the base trim, shoe molding and trimmed-down door casing.
Replace the door, trimming the bottom, if necessary.
The result? Take a look!
A beautiful bathroom, where pink is used only as an accent, not as an all-over floor color!
I love how easy and fast it was to transform this bathroom using the SnapStone floating porcelain tile system.
The cost? We spent $196 on tile, grout, a threshold, an expanded wax ring and a new flexible water supply line for the toilet. If you owned a tile saw or could borrow one from a friend, this would be a very inexpensive DIY project.
We charged $410 labor for this bathroom and completed it in 1-1/2 days.
If you chose to hire the job done, it would have run you $606, not a bad price for such a dramatic change in so little time.
SnapStone is available in the Upper Midwest at Menard’s, a regional home improvement store. If you live outside of the Upper Midwest, you can purchase SnapStone online at Lowe’s, who offers the option of picking up your online order at your nearest Lowe’s retail location.
If you are more of a visual learner, you will find comprehensive DIY videos on the SnapStone website.
Consider using the information found in today’s START To Downsize post, ‘Easy How-To Tips for Tiling a Floor’, to DIY a SnapStone floating porcelain tile floor system, or hire us to do the job for you!
Please share your SnapStone experiences with me via Comments. I would love to hear all about them!
Kate
Downsizing Tips – How To Use Artwork As Floral Design Inspiration
Recently I had the privilege of attending a local exhibition of Art in Bloom, featuring fresh floral arrangements based on art and sculpture exhibits, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In today’s START To Downsize article, Downsizing Tips – How To Use Artwork As Floral Design Inspiration, I will be using the photographs I took while at the exhibit to explore several ideas and options for doing something similar in your own home, using artwork and decorative items you already possess.
When I work on my own home, and help others to update theirs, I often try to think of new ways to use what is already available, aka ‘use what you have’. I think it sparks the creative process and encourages a ‘green’ mindset.
The photo, above, was one of my favorites at the exhibit, and is a huge, 96″ square rendering done in 1991, using silicate and adhesive on wood, by Tibetan monks.
The photo, below, shows the Art in Bloom floral artist’s interpretation of this piece:
Rather than having a literal translation, the floral designers have alluded to the original through the use of the round bowl, curved foliage and brightly-colored blooms, leaves, bamboo and grasses.
I am guessing that you have already started to think about what you could use as your own inspiration piece(s). Am I right?
I needed to make this photo large enough so you could see the inspiration piece, which is to the left of and slightly lower than the floral design. This is a case where a more literal iteration of the original has occurred. The flower choices, their colors, and the shape of the floral design, from top to bottom, are literally taken from the original piece. Golden lilies and alstroemeria are used with other sunny-toned flowers and green bamboo, and are all secured into a sheet-moss-covered base to form a floral homage to the bronze and gold decorative hammer serving as its inspiration.
As we were walking into the gallery housing this portrait, our gaze was caught by the floral arrangement which very much resembled a wedding cake. It was only then that we looked up and saw the portrait of ‘Mrs. T in Cream Satin, Number 2′ by George Bellows.
A close-up, below, of Mrs. T…
..reveals an exquisite subtlety of colors and shading.
The floral interpretation, seen below, deftly uses a variety of flowers to bring Mrs. T and her elegant silk gown to life:
It is absolutely a stunning work of floral artistry! Do you agree?
My final example from 2012 Art in Bloom uses this painting, ‘Italian Town by the Sea’, by Alexandra Exter, as its inspiration. Notice how the floral artist uses the vase’s shape, color and pattern, as well as the sculptural bird-of-paradise, delphiniums and black calla lilies to evoke the houses, sky and landscape found in the painting.
Judicious editing of the number and kind of blooms used by the floral designer results in a compelling interpretation of the 1917 oil-and-tempera-on-canvas painting. Wonderful!
It is my sincere feeling that every one of us reading (and writing) this article is totally capable of selecting a piece of art to use as the inspiration to create our own unique Art in Bloom floral interpretation to beautify our homes.
Have you decided on your piece already? I think I have!
Please allow today’s START To Downsize information, Downsizing Tips – How To Use Artwork As Floral Design Inspiration, motivate you to step out of your (and my) comfort zone and try something new. After all, what is the worst thing that could happen?
I promise to show everyone my before and after pictures of my own Art In Bloom masterpiece – will you do the same? I look forward to seeing and hearing all about your amazing ideas!
Kate
Upcycled Home Decor Ideas
I hope today’s START To Downsize article, Upsized Home Decor Ideas, will serve to inspire, encourage and motivate you to look at common, everyday things and see them in a different light.
What could be more unusual than this display of vintage kneading bowls, seen at the recent Bachman’s Spring 2012 Ideas House in Minneapolis, MN? These Hungarian dough bowls were originally carved from wood to serve a very prosaic, humble role, that of the vessel where a family’s daily bread was left to rise.
I have seen these bowls, also known as ‘trenchers’, commonly used in homes, usually on or under a table, depending on size. I have never, however, seen them mounted, en masse, on the wall, vertically and horizontally, some as the backdrop for hanging candles and others as planters for green and flowering plants.
Even more interesting is the incongruous, ingenious use of tree wrap as striping material on the wall behind the bowls. Stunning!
This wall art idea is so very simple and so very stylish!
Each panel is a galvanized radiator drip pan! One has vintage doorknob escutcheons glued to its surface, while the other features a couple of permanent magnolia blooms.
I would consider both of these ideas as good examples of one of 2012′s hottest interior design trends, ‘Rough Luxe’, where old is blended with new, rough with smooth, elegant with not-so-elegant.
It works!
This is a recessed niche in the kitchen of the Ideas House. What makes it so appealing is its use of old (Depression-era) newspapers to line the back wall. Vintage-inspired floral plates are hung in each opening and multi-colored glass mini-vases, vintage-looking bottles, retro salt & pepper shakers are used at random to complete each vignette.
How to achieve this look on a budget?
Make new paper look old by simply wiping it with a wet tea bag until you like how it looks, then dry it with a hair dryer. Shop for decorative plates at garage sales and thrift stores. Make it a goal not to pay more than $.25 each; that way there is nothing to feel guilty about when you want a change!
DIY kitchen island from a tree stump and branches? How very cool!
An important caveat, before we continue:
Know where your stump is from. It is not a good idea to transport wood from one region or state to the next, due to possible spread of potentially damaging wood-boring insects. Talk to your local arborist, who should be able to tell you which wood species to avoid and who might even know where a good stump stash already exists!
Now that we are duly warned, let us proceed:
Once you have found your perfect stump and branches, bring them into a sheltered environment, although not inside your home – perhaps an outdoor shed – where you will expose the wood to a bug bomb, then allow it to cure for a month or more, depending on size.
After the stump and branches are fully cured, the bark should be removed. Hopefully, it will have all fallen off by itself during the drying process. If not, carefully chisel it off, taking care not to gouge into the wood more than necessary. Use a hammer and wood chisel to do the work, taking your time to ensure the wood is not overly damaged.
Once all the bark is gone, sand the surface with medium-grit sandpaper until smooth to the touch and wipe off the sanding dust with a damp cloth.
If you would like a more consistent color to your stump and branches, touch them up with wood stain of your choice, then seal the surface on all sides with several coats of matte or satin polyurethane.
FYI: The top of the tree stump has an open grain and will likely take more coats to completely seal than will the sides.
Attach the legs to the stump by means of brackets, available at any hardware store, as seen below:
Image of Waddell 3″ Straight Top Plate from Lowe’s @ $1.28
Decide where you want your table legs located, keeping them as evenly spaced as possible. Mark each leg’s location and center a plate over each area, screwing down with the accompanying screws. Insert a double-threaded screw into the center of each branch leg and screw that through the center hole of each bracket.
Et voila, a one-of-a-kind kitchen island!
Finally, our last upcycled home decor idea for today…
This lovely, large coffee table is made from a roof-vent cover and mirror atop a vintage laundry-basket base! How fabulous! Once again, a perfect example of the Rough Luxe design trend – dull with shiny, old with new. Magnificent!
Please use the images and inspirations found in today’s START To Downsize post, ‘Upcycled Home Decor Ideas’, as a jumping-off place for your own unique transformations!
Brimming with ideas and/or questions? Drop me a note and we’ll put our heads together to come up with a good answer!
Kate
Downsizing tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today – Week 14 Results!
Welcome to today’s new START To Downsize post, Downsizing tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today – Week 14 Results! It has been a couple of weeks since I have written, largely due to a couple of reasons:
- Company – Living in Florida during the winter, you expect to have company, and why not? The weather is perfect, everything is blooming and beautiful and there is so much to see and do.
- Food – Having company means eating out, eating more sweets and desserts, and just plain eating more of everything.
- Travel – We have also been doing some traveling, resulting a break in our normal routine, making it more challenging to stay on a weight-loss plan.
- Easter – In most families, including ours, holidays usually include a big meal, whether at home or eaten out. This year, we went to an Easter brunch at a local restaurant, offering endless temptations. It was hard to resist.
How did company, food, travel and Easter impact my weight loss?
Since my last article, I have gained back 1 pound, for a total weight loss of 15 pounds in 14 weeks.
On the positive side, my total weight loss still amounts to a weight loss of just over a pound a week, a safe, steady rate.
Looking at the last three weeks, I am thankful, grateful and rather surprised I only gained 1 pound during that time, considering all the disruptions in my routine!
Now that life is more back to normal, it has been nice to return to a regular schedule of exercise, monitoring what I eat and having a bit more control over the entire process!
I found the following weight loss tips and wanted to share them with everyone:
Click here for image information
As I read this list, I was surprised and pleased to realize that we have been using all of these tips to one degree or another. However, there is always room for improvement, so my goal this week is to focus on number 8, “Take Your Time Eating”.
Looking back on things, I think I started eating fast in college, probably because I had to rush off to classes; eating fast became a habit and then a lifestyle. I have to say that it has been a very hard habit to break, but I am going to concentrate my efforts in the days ahead on eliminating this harmful habit once and for all.
To help me remember to eat more slowly, I plan to:
- Sit at a table to eat. We have gotten into a bad habit of eating in front of the TV, in the car or while working. The result? We hardly know what we have just consumed, much less appreciate anything about it. I am making a point to focus on savoring every bite, enjoying my food’s flavor, and chewing thoroughly, not inhaling it whole.
- Put my fork down between bites and engage in some dinner conversation. For many, many years, my husband and I have been so busy with work and life that we just shoveled food in as fast as possible in order to move on to the next task. Although we are still busy, the time has come to reorder our priorities and make the most of every moment. That means slowing down enough to enjoy our meals and each other.
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Finally, I want to share a recipe I made for the company we recently had. I was looking online for a coffee cake recipe that was relatively low-cal, used ingredients I already had AND could be mixed with a blender, since that is what I have.
I did a Google search and found the perfect recipe. Unfortunately, I did not remember to get the name of the website and I cannot seem to find it again, so I am not able to give the proper credit to the person who developed the recipe. If you recognize the recipe, please let me know, so I can give credit where credit is due.
What I liked about this particular recipe was that it was easy to follow and turned out to be yummy! I served it for breakfast, along with fresh fruit and herbed scrambled eggs. Delish!! My husband had to taste test it after I baked it to ensure it was fit to serve our guests (his words). After having it for breakfast, we snacked on it that night and polished off the rest of it the next morning, when it was delightful warmed up slightly in the microwave.
Naturally, I could not make the recipe exactly as shown. I changed a few things:
- I used three medium eggs (it’s what I had) instead of the egg whites or egg substitute.
- I did not use chocolate chips.
- I checked on the coffee cake after 30 minutes in the oven and the toothpick came out wet, so I added another 10 minutes to the baking time. The second toothpick check came out clean, so my total baking time for the coffee cake was 40 minutes.
- I did not use the topping recipe as written, since I didn’t have any pecans. I found another streusel topping recipe from about.com, for which I had all the ingredients. That recipe is shown below:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Alternately, you can mash the ingredients together in a bowl using a fork, or just smoosh everything together with your fingers.
- Sprinkle over muffins or coffee cake immediately before baking.
I am feeling more and more confident that the longer I am on my weight-loss program, it is really starting to become my new lifestyle, one I believe I can successfully follow for the rest of my life.
Please use any of the information found in this START To Downsize article, ‘Downsizing tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today’, and continue on your road to healthier living.
I would love for you to share your favorite recipes that have helped you progress to your goal weight. Drop a note in Comments!
Kate
Image of the scale at the top of this page is from karthicksdays.blogspot.com
Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today – Week 11 Results!
I am jumping for joy in today’s START To Downsize article, Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today – Week 11 Results!, because I have finally moved off that tiresome plateau that I was on for three weeks and lost 4 pounds this week!! YAY!!!
Total weight lost in 11 weeks – 16 lbs.
I have to say I am a little surprised that I really cannot see the difference when I look at myself right now, but I know I will soon enough. I am very glad I stuck with my plan of eating 1000 to 1500 calories a day, exercising three times a week, strength training twice a week, and keeping a journal of my food intake, because now I have the results to show for it.
For all of you on the same journey as I am on, keep on keeping on and you will prevail!
This week was a little bit of a challenge, since we have had company, for whom I made a really yummy breakfast strata, using milk, bread, bacon, eggs and Gruyere cheese.
Photo by Theresa Rafetto, recipe from delish.com
Bacon and Cheese Strata
6 slices bacon 2 T. Dijon mustard with seeds 12 slices firm white bread 1-1/2 c. shredded Gruyere cheese 9 large eggs 3 c. whole milk 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper- Lay bacon on paper towels, folded double thick, on a microwave-safe plate, and cover with a single paper towel. Microwave on high, 2-3 minutes, or until browned. Let stand 5 minutes, or until cool and crisp. Crumble bacon coarsely.
- Grease a 9X13 ceramic or glass baking dish.
- Spread mustard on 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange 6 slices, mustard-side up, in baking dish, cutting them to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with all but 2 T. crumbled bacon, then remaining bread slices, mustard-side up.
- Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl with a wire whisk until blended. Slowly pour egg mixture all over bread slices; press bread down to help it absorb eggs. If necessary, spoon egg mixture over any un-coated bread. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake strata 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let strata stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 8 servings @ 359 calories @ $1.25 per serving.
Of course, I did make a few changes to the recipe -
- I used 8 slices of bacon, since that was the last of of my bacon and I wanted to use it up. Since my microwave is not as powerful as some and I had two more slices on the plate, it took about 8 minutes to cook the bacon through.
- The Dijon mustard I had was creamy and had no seeds. I think the creamy Dijon is less spicy than the seeded kind, which was more to the liking of my guests.
- I used skim milk instead of whole milk, since skim milk was what I had on hand.
- I prepared the strata the day before I served it, allowing the flavors to meld about 14 hours in the refrigerator.
It was simply delicious and everyone enjoyed it. It was creamy, custard-y, with just a wee hint of mustard. I served it with a wedge of canteloupe and sliced fresh strawberries. Marvelous! My husband and I had it as leftovers for supper that night and I will confess we both licked our plates when we were finished.
I am having more company this weekend (March is a good time to come to Florida – the weather is perfect!), and I am planning on making a wonderful-sounding coffee cake, using a blender to mix the wet ingredients. I can hardly wait! I will share the results next week…
Try this bacon and cheese recipe for your next brunch. I am thinking the next time I make it, I will substitute ham for the bacon. I am already dreaming about how it will taste!
Use this START To Downsize post, ‘Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today – Week 11 Results!’, to encourage and motivate you to continue on toward your goal of achieving and maintaining a healthy long-term weight, without having to sacrifice taste and flavor!
Keep up the great work!
Kate
Downsizing Tips – Start Your New, Downsized Life Today – Week 10 Results!
The picture above is of a plateau, the place where I have been living for the past three weeks. Today’s START To Downsize article, Downsizing Tips – Start Your New, Downsized Life Today – Week 10 Results!, will discuss the whys and wherefores of dealing with this aggravatingly-frequent place that people on a weight-loss plan so often find them themselves.
I lost three pounds during Week 7 and have at stayed exactly the same point for weeks 8, 9 and 10. To say that I am frustrated is a complete understatement and, in the past, it would have been all that was needed to push me off the weight-loss bandwagon.
But this time is different.
Why?
I’m not sure, except that I think I finally realize a plateau is not enough of a reason to throw away the progress I’ve made. I’m feeling better, my clothes are fitting better and I’m sleeping better, all of which are important enough to keep me plugging away at the process.
So, for the foreseeable future, I’ll stick to the plan I’ve followed for the last ten weeks:
- Eat 1000-1500 calories a day
- Exercise 3 times a week and strength-train twice a week
- Drink lots of water
- Journal all my food intake
I will add some new foods to my menu this week, since I’m starting to see spring asparagus and fresh locally-grown strawberries and canteloup in the grocery stores, here in SW Florida.
As I was considering what to make for lunch today, I looked in the pantry and discovered that I had some leftover potatoes which were perilously close to being fit only to be used for seed potatoes, so I thumbed through one of my favorite cookbooks, “Eating Well for Only $2 a Day” by Chris and Trisha Tecmire, where I found their “Crazy Creamy Potato Chowder”.
Crazy Creamy Potato Chowder:
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped 1/2 small onion, diced 1 rib celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 t. dried thyme 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 3 T. flour 2 cups water 2 chicken bouillon cubes 16 oz. Russet potatoes, cubed 1/2 c. corn 1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream- Cook the bacon pieces in the pot you will be using for your soup, until crispy. Strain out the bacon and set it aside, but keep the grease in the pot.
- In a separate pan, heat the water and the bouillon cubes to create a broth.
- Add the onion to the pot with the bacon grease and saute it for a couple minutes. Next, add the celery, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and continue cooking everything for 2-3 minutes until the onion gets soft.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir well.
- Slowly whisk in the broth.
- Add the potatoes and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat to medium/medium-low and let it cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the corn and milk, letting it simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Place the soup into serving dishes and add a little cheese, if desired. Top with the bacon pieces you reserved.
I did make a few changes to the above recipe:
- I doubled everything in order to make ten servings. It was just as easy to make a double batch, as long as I was at it.
- After browning the bacon, I drained off the grease, which totaled 4 T. I put 1 T. back in the pot for the onions, celery, garlic and seasonings.
- I had chicken broth, so I used it instead of the bouillon cube. I make my own broth every time I roast a chicken, which is at least weekly. It’s super easy to do and makes a delicious product, where I control how much salt is added. Click here for directions.
- I did add back an additional tablespoon of bacon grease as I was sprinkling in the flour to make the flour easier to incorporate.
- I used skim milk and omitted the heavy cream entirely.
- I added all of the reserved bacon when I added the potatoes to the thickened broth, clearly missing the part where the recipe said to use the bacon as a garnish. However, the soup tastes GREAT with the bacon added directly into the soup, so I will consider it to be a serendipitous moment and not a mistake.
- As I was finishing the soup by adding the corn and milk, I thought the broth was much too thick, so I added four more cups of chicken broth, one at a time, checking the thickness as I added each cup, which resulted in the soup having a far better consistency, in my opinion.
- Calories per one cup serving: 185 calories
This really is a Crazy Creamy Potato Chowder and I have already frozen it in one cup portions for future meals. It is a great way to enjoy bacon in a controlled manner.
If you are struggling with a plateau in your weight loss endeavors, take heart with the information found in this START To Downsize post, “Downsizing Tips – Start Your New, Downsized Life Today – Week 10 Results!” and keep the faith!
Kate
Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today, Week 7 Results!
This week’s START To Downsize article, Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today, Week 7 Results!, is a continuation in a series documenting my journey to achieving and maintaining the perfect weight for my age and health. Along the way, I’m sharing my experiences, lessons learned, recipes (low in calories and low in price), and anything else that seems relevant.
My daily food intake for the week averaged around 1100 calories, we walked for thirty minutes five times this week, but somehow didn’t find time to do any strength training. I’m going to have to address that and make it a priority.
Weight loss this week – 3 pounds
Total weight loss for seven weeks – 12 pounds!
I had set a goal last Tuesday to break through the ten-pound barrier by this week and I did it! I can feel my clothes starting to fit better and I’m finding it easier to move around. My husband and I have gotten to the point where we look forward to our daily salads, and even miss them when we don’t have them! Shocking! It seems that it is possible for us to learn new life-long behavioral changes.
Just to reassure you that we are not giving up everything we’ve enjoyed in the past, I want to share the pizza recipe we’ve been making recently.
My husband’s favorite pizza topping is pepperoni and mushroom on a thin, crispy crust. Rather than go out for pizza, we’ve come up with a personal pizza using a 100-calorie multi-grain FlatOut flatbread as the crust:
Flatout flatbreads are available in several flavors, but we like this one best for pizzas.
Flatout Pepperoni Pizza – one serving each
1 Flatout multi-grain flatbread 1 T. olive oil 2-4 T. pizza sauce (we use the Walmart brand) 17 TURKEY pepperoni rounds (we use the Hormel brand) Canned mushrooms, optional 1/3 c. reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese (we use whatever cheese we happen to have)- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lay Flatout flatbread on a baking sheet or tin foil, pour olive oil on the flatbread and spread it thinly to the very edges.
- Bake oiled Flatout flatbread for 10 minutes. This makes the flatbread crispy.
- Remove from oven and spread with pizza sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, and cheese.
- Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Enjoy!
These yummy individual pizzas are about 300 calories and cost about $1.50 each. Use whatever pizza toppings you prefer. Or opt to use the Flatout flatbread to wrap your sandwich or burrito. We’ve even wrapped our scrambled eggs in a Flatout for a breakfast wrap to go! Cut the flatbread into smallish pieces and bake them. They’re perfect for dipping. Flatout flatbreads are high in fiber, Omega-3 and they taste great.
Use the information found in today’s START To Downsize post, ‘Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today, Week 7 results!’, to inspire you to add a new, downsized spin to one of your old favorite foods.
Share your downsized recipes with me in Comments!
Kate
Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today, Week 6 Results!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
In today’s post, Downsizing Tips – Start Your New Downsized Life Today, Week 6 Results!, I’ll discuss how I handled the treacherous waters surrounding Valentine’s Day and I’ll talk a bit more on goal setting.
First off, let me say that I averaged right around 1000 calories a day for the week.
Weekly weight loss – 1 pound
Total weight loss – 9 pounds
I was happy to see the downward trend continue, especially with Valentine’s Day thrown into the mix.
In the past, Valentine’s Day has been an excuse for my husband and I to load up on chocolate and desserts, but this year we tried a different approach. Instead of eliminating sweet stuff from our diet entirely, we’ve included a brownie as a dessert.
We each have a FiberOne 90-calorie chocolate fudge brownie to end a meal. It’s rich, chewy and even has mini-chocolate chips for a little extra burst of chocolate flavor.
Since we only get one brownie each, we make it last by taking very small bites and savoring every morsel. I’ll admit it’s not anything like my homemade brownies, but it’s close enough to work for us.
(Ideally, I’d enjoy my lite chocolate treat with a hot cup of coffee, but I don’t have a coffee maker yet, nor do I like coffee without (a lot of) cream, so having the brownie solo is just fine for now.)
We’re working on realigning our eating habits to accomplish and maintain our weight loss, so we must instill permanent behavioral changes, and the brownies help.
We participated in a couple of Valentine-related events which were not food-centric:
We went on a sunset cruise with a group from church. About fifty of us were on an hour-long boat ride near one of the barrier islands along the coast. We played some silly games, sang a couple of songs, looked for dolphins (didn’t see any), and watched the sun slip into the Gulf of Mexico. It was fun.
Yesterday, we joined a couple of friends on a “Show The Love Home Tour”, a promotional event given by a local realty company. They had open houses at six properties in all price ranges. We were given a special map marked with each home’s location. We were instructed to get our map stamped at each house, fill in our personal information, and turn in the fully-stamped card at the last house.
There is to be a drawing for a free dinner for two or round of golf with lunch for two at a local country club. Even if we don’t win the drawing, we spent a couple of entertaining hours looking at interesting homes, one of our favorite pastimes!
We’re learning how to substitute activity for food and we’re having fun doing it.
Now that I’ve lost nine pounds, my next goal is to break through the ten-pound mark next week. If I do, that success needs to be rewarded.
With what?
Anything but food.
It should be inexpensive, but enjoyable, something special to recognize the achievement. I think it should also be something that would help us in our weight-loss efforts.
I’m still outfitting my kitchen and one thing I could use is a funnel.
This is a collapsible funnel available for $9.99. It’s made of silicone, can withstand 250 degrees and is dishwasher safe. Perfect!
However, first things first. Gotta lose the weight.
See you next week, when I hope to have some good news to share!
Share your achievements in Comments! What helps one can help us all…
Kate
Downsizing Tips – Start Your New, Downsized Life Today, Week 5 Results!
In today’s START To Downsize article, Downsizing Tips – Start Your New, Downsized Life Today, Week 5 Results!, I’ll discuss the importance of measuring and journaling.
Weight loss this week – 1 lb.
Total weight loss to date – 8 lbs.
I exercised (walked) five times this week, thirty minutes each time and did strength training twice, fifteen minutes each time. I’m having to build up my strength endurance bit by bit. I’m actually shaking with muscle fatigue after just fifteen minutes, but I’m confident it won’t be long before my stamina increases.
Since I’m just starting out with the strength training, I’m using 24 oz. water bottles (full) as my weights. It’s enough weight for now. To begin my strength training, I’m doing some arm toning with the water bottles and some “girlie” pushups, as my husband calls them.
I can only do about three of these pushups, but I’m aiming for more each time I try.
I’ve been really busy this week, so I didn’t actually write everything I ate in my journal, as I had for the first four weeks. I just kept a running daily caloric tally in my head. Nor did I measure everything as closely as I had been doing – I sort of eyeballed things.
I’ll have to say that with all my exercise, I thought I’d lose more than just one pound this week and I’m going to put the onus on not being more conscientious about measuring my portions or journaling my intake. There’s really no excuse; I just got sloppy. I have a running food journal open on my computer all the time and since I’m spending considerable time on the computer each day, I really have no excuse.
Nor do I have an excuse for not measuring my food portions; I have everything I need for accurate measuring in my utensil drawers, but I just didn’t do it.
So, while a one-pound weight loss is better than nothing and MUCH better than a weight gain, I’m just a little disappointed it’s not more. Maybe it’s just one of those weeks when I lost more inches than pounds.
Ohhh, righhht…I should be measuring my body, too, not just my food portions. I KNEW I was forgetting something.
Ah, well, I’ll have to measure myself today so I can keep track of inch loss as well as weight loss, as it’s all part of the same package.
I’m going to use everything I’ve learned this week and continue to fight the good fight until I reach my ideal weight for my age and height.
How goes your battle? I’d love to hear your encouraging words, so drop me a note in Comments!
Kate
START To Downsize Goes “Weekly”
Today’s START To Downsize article, START To Downsize Goes “Weekly”, is all about the changes taking place in my life.
I’ve been writing this post since late July 2011 and have loved researching and writing every single article. I still feel there are lots of topics I plan to cover, but for right now, I’ll be limiting new START To Downsize posts to just once a week.
This is due to the fact that I’m embarking on a new path, writing articles for other internet sites, such as Ezine, Ehow, and others. The additional writing means that I just won’t have time to publish five articles a week, which I’ve tried to do from the start.
So, for now, you’ll receive a newsletter each week, probably on Tuesdays.
Thanks for your readership and for all your encouraging words!
See you Tuesdays!
Kate