Keep Your Hands Busy

Heh heh. This post could go so many ways..... ;-)

But really, this is a very simple dieting tip, especially for the ladies. I say this knowing that I've got to remind *myself* of dieting tips since it's not going all that well lately.

As I've mentioned before, one of the reasons why my weight has always been a challenge is that I'm a snacker. And my favorite time to snack is when I'm just sitting in my recliner watching TV. And oftentimes, I find myself eating just cuz I get bored sitting there and not doing anything. So I need something to do to keep my hands occupied OTHER THAN eating.

(Again, this could get dirty.... but it won't!)

One trick I picked up years ago is that there's something ELSE you can do with your hands while sitting there watching tv that doesn't involve any snacking at all. Simply use that time to paint your nails!

I've often found that the times when I'm dieting are when my nails look the best. But think about it -- painting your nails takes a long time, cuz you have to file away the rough spots, use a clear coat, apply polish, maybe apply a 2nd coat, maybe apply a top coat. And there needs to be drying time in between all these steps. That's lots of time with wet nails, and you wouldn't dare snack cuz you don't want to risk messing up your nails!

Not only is this a good way to stay on plan, but you'll also start getting lots of compliments for how great your nails look! :-)

Okay, That Can't Be Right

I just weighed myself. And my new evil nemesis, the scale, was not cooperating. It claims that I have GAINED 5 POUNDS in the last week. Whadafa?!?!?!?

I know this whole working from home, having meetings at eateries, lifestyle is not very good. Sitting at home on the computer is dangerous cuz it's so close to the refrigerator. But it's not like I've been terrible! Yesterday was actually the worst day of the week, with butter popcorn at the movies and an ice cream treat. So I'm going to just blame today's weigh-in on yesterday's indulgence and expect that things will cycle back down to somewhere near normal by next week.

But wow, what a stark reminder to be good!!!

Another Tasty Salad

I tried a new variety of a bag salad last night: the Fresh Express Salsa Salad. A salsa salad? Yes, indeedy.... it's not quite the lowest-point option out there, but it was darn tasty!

It's made up of iceberg lettuce, a mix of shredded cheeses, blue and yellow corn tortilla strips, a salsa & sour cream dressing, and a chunky salsa to put on top. It's like a taco salad, really, but without any meat.

The nutritional information gives it 120 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber per serving. There are 4 servings in the bag (and come on, who doesn't eat the whole bag?), which makes it 11 WW points overall. That's not too bad, for a tasty, filling, and fun meal that involves sour cream. :-) I'll be buying that again!

Ugh

I have recently seen a few photos of myself that have been taken in the last week. Oh, not good. My profile is not pleasing. From the front looks terrible too. Yikes. I might have to print one of these out and hang it on my refrigerator.

Friends, I ask of you.... for the short-term, if you're taking pictures of me, please take them only from the shoulders up!!!!

A Berry Special Treat!

I just had the best dessert!!!

After my walk today I stopped by Safeway cuz I really wanted to get some healthy salads and fruit and veggies to snack on. And guess what? They were having a huge sale - BOGO Berries! Yep, their cartons of strawberries and blueberries were both buy one get one free. So I picked up 2 of each. I also picked up some Haagen-Dazs Light Vanilla Bean ice cream and some French Vanilla flavored Cool Whip.

Tonight, I had fun cutting up the berries and splashing lemon juice on them to make them last (my Mom's trick - first time I've tried it, if you can believe that). Then I spooned out 2 scoops of that light vanilla ice cream and poured A TON of berries on top. I just ate it. I think my tummy is smiling. :-)

It was so light and refreshing, and there were blueberries the size of quarters in there! Oh, what a yummy treat! I can't wait to have more tomorrow!

A Break from the Routine

If you're following on my other blog, you know that I've had several unexpected days at home this week after the flooding. That's a recipe for trouble, if I'm just sitting here at the computer with all the temptations of the fridge just a few steps away. Yesterday I was really bad about snacking.

Today when I was getting tired of working at the computer all morning, I thought about heading back to bed for a nap. But instead I suited up and put my Nikes on and went for a long, brisk walk around the neighborhood.

It felt great! Well, in that 45 minute walk I experienced 3 different weather systems - drizzle, steamy hot sun, then overcast and gloomy - so I got all sweaty and sticky. That wasn't great. But purposefully choosing a route that included LOTS of uphill climbs and feeling my heart pumping did feel really great. Hooray for my little exercise break!

The Art of Maintaining

I did weigh in Monday morning.... No gain, no pain! I stayed the same as the week before. I'm not really following the plan specifically these days, but I'm still very aware of portion size, nutritional balance, and good or bad choices. So I'm very glad to see that I've been pretty much hovering lately. Hooray!

Avocado: Friend or Foe?

I've been curious lately about the nutritional value of avocado. I'd always heard before that it's really fatty and you should avoid it, but I have also found that avocado features prominently in a lot of my favorite summer foods: sushi, salads, Mexican food, etc. So I've done a little digging to see what I can find about our mushy green friend.

Even though it is green, the avocado is actually a fruit that comes from a flowering tree. It's got that big seed pit in the middle -- like with a peach or an apricot, that's the key to knowing it's a fruit. It is also sometimes known as an avocado pear or an alligator pear, due to its looks (although the tree was once known by a much more colorful name).

While it is indeed a fatty fruit, it is also very high in nutritional value. From the Wiki entry:

Though the fruit does have a markedly higher fat content than most other fruits, most of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated fat, which is considered healthy in the human diet. A whole medium avocado contains approximately 25% of the recommended daily amount of saturated fat. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are also rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and K.

So it's the good kind of fat - the one we're supposed to get from nuts and olive oil and all those Mediterranean-type foods. It also gives you about 25% of the RDA of Vitamin C, like a good fruit should. From a Vegetarians in Paradise article:

While other fruits gain sugar as they ripen, the avocado's sugar content decreases as it matures. It contains more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit.

It's also supposedly an aphrodisiac..... ;-)

Since a 1 cup-serving has 240 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 10 grams of dietary fiber, that calculates out to be 6 points. And 1 cup is a lot of avocado - you're not likely to get that much in just an order of California rolls or diced up on a salad. As long as you're not inhaling guacamole, you'll probably be eating less than those 6 points most times that you have it as part of a balanced meal.

So my verdict.... is that in moderation, the avocado is definitely a friend. Enjoy!

Quick Weekend Safeway Deals

I made a quick trip to the store this weekend to pick up a few meals.... Here are a few deals I cashed in on:

Fresh Express Caesar Lite bag salad: $3.00, reg price 3.99
Pork chops: on sale by the pound, my 4-pack was $2.97, reg price $3.40
Safeway-brand reduced fat wheat crackers: $1.50, reg price $1.99
Crystal Light lemonade mix: $3.99, reg price $4.99

And the big deal.... Jello Sugar Free Pudding Cup packs are on sale. But I didn't end up buying any. I picked up a pack of the Creamy Caramel (my fave, as you know) and put it in my basket. But as I turned to walk away, it slipped out of the basket onto the floor. One of the little pudding cups busted open and SPLAT there was caramel pudding all over the floor. Zoinks! So I had to go find someone to mop it up and take away the busted pack. At this point, I was annoyed at the pudding and just walked away. I'll have to get some next week.

Fresh and Delicious

After weeks of deli-sandwich eating, I finally made my way back to Au Bon Pain today for a yummy, healthy lunch. I tried their newest salad, the Sonoma Salad, and it was scrum-dilly-icious! It was the perfect thing to eat on a hot day. It's a spinach salad, covered with turkey medallions, mandarin orange wedges, tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Seriously, I think I'm in love. All my favorite toppings PLUS it's on spinach, which I am always a big fan of. Combine this salad with the fat-free raspberry vinaigrette dressing, and you'll be in heaven. The bacon and cheese are tart, smokier flavors, but combine that with the dressing and the orange wedges -- ah, a perfect marriage in a salad bowl. :-)

The cheese and the bacon do add up, though.... at 537 calories, with 32 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber, it makes for a 13 point salad. Yikes! But I guarantee you those are 13 healthier, and *much* more satisfying points than the usual ham and swiss sandwich. It's worth it!

A Breakfast Treat

Since I bought groceries at Whole Foods last week, I've been enjoying one of my absolute favorite breakfast treats for the past few days: Hans' All Natural Chicken Sausage, the Fresh Apple Flavor. This light sausage is flavored with cinammon and is filled with chunks of REAL apple. Yummy-licious! And when I cook it (I do the quick route via the microwave) it makes my apartment smell fantastic, with a hearty, cinnamon smell that lasts for hours.

I first tried chicken-apple sausage when I moved to DC back in 2002 and discovered it on the breakfast menu at Teaism. It was love at first bite, and then I was thrilled to start finding it in the grocery store so I can make it at home. I have tried other brands that are available at Safeway and elsewhere, but the Hans' is really the tastiest.

At 140 calories per sausage, with 7g of fat and 1g of fiber, this makes for a tasty, filling 3 point breakfast!

Back on the Scale

Hello readers, whomever is still out there.... ;-)

I have been pretty lax lately, as you all probably could guess. But I stepped on the scale this morning and was pleased to see that even with all my food-delivery and baseball game hot dogs and the like, I've only gained 1 pound! That's not so bad. So I've gained back 4 pounds total from the 12 I lost earlier this year.... which I can live with and find no need to dissolve into some spiral of guilt or shame.

I'm going to attempt getting back on plan this week -- or at least tracking what I'm eating again. So stay tuned!

A Step in the Right Direction

I bought groceries tonight! Hooray! Now I know, normally, in most people's lives that is not a big deal. But considering I haven't bought groceries in about 2 weeks and I've been living on canned soup and delivered bad food for the last 5 days or so, this is a biggie.

I went to Whole Foods after work and shopped to my heart's content. I didn't focus on diet foods, I just went for things that I really like and will WANT to eat. So I have more options for lunches and dinners, without always feeling like I have to order or go get takeout for every meal.

So tonight for dinner I had an awesome prepared chicken quesadilla from their deli section and my favorite seafood gumbo. Oh, I could go to Whole Foods every week just for that seafood gumbo. But since the wallet can't handle it, I'll stick to maybe once a month.

I have good things to get me through the next few days, and I hope to get back to Safeway on Sunday to stock up on WW-friendly food again. Bring it on!

Being Sick + No Groceries = Bad

Remember how my grand plan for the weekend was to rent a car and go buy a buttload of groceries, thus stocking up my kitchen with wonderful, Weight Watcher-friendly goodness?

Yeah, not so much. Instead my Friday night bbq at a friend's house (which included brisket AND homemade deelish potato salad) and the several hours of sitting outside aggravated something, and by Saturday morning I woke up in the throes of another allergy-sinus-gross-painful-icky thing. So I promptly cancelled my car reservation (the people of DC and Montgomery County were safer this way, trust me) and crawled into my brand new bed.

But, there were almost no groceries in the house. For 2 days in a row, I just ate saltines for breakfast. I was craving salt in my sickliness.

But when it came to real meals? Well, unfortunately, the process went sort of like this:

Thought: I'm hungry.
Thought: There's nothing here.
Thought: I'm too sick to go outside and buy groceries.
Thought: I haven't showered in 2 days and don't want to leave the apartment even to go downstairs to the store.
Action: Find nearest delivery menu.
Action: Pick up phone and dial.
Action: Rattle off credit card number as if it means nothing.
Action: Answer door, proceed to eat (Chinese food OR Pizza OR Sub) until you feel grossly full
Action: Fall into bed and sleep for several more hours.

Um, yeah, not so good. And I still probably won't buy groceries for days.... lots of work events this week!

More Taste Testing

I've tried two more new frozen entrees this week....

Today, I'm having the Lean Cuisine Glazed Turkey Tenderloins. It includes about 4-5 chunks of turkey in a gravy with "stuffing" (aka soggy croutons), celery, and cranberries, and a side of mashed sweet potatoes. The turkey side of the tray is pretty standard, but I can tell you those mashed potatoes are DEELISH. Mmm, yummy sweet potato goodness. This meal is 5 points total, and I give it 1 1/2 thumbs up. I'll be buying it again.

Earlier this week, I had one of the Lean Cuisine "Spa Classics" meals - Salmon with Basil. It includes several big chunks of salmon on top of an orzo pasta with spinach and carrots in a basil sauce. Salmon has never been my favorite fish, and it's still not. But it came out okay for being frozen and then microwaved. The pasta/veggie combo is decent, and that basil sauce is pretty strong. Plan on some breath mints after you eat this. I give it one thumb up -- maybe I'll buy it again when I'm in a rut, but I'm not going to add it in to the regular routine.

That's all for now..... happy diet eating!

A Slow Week, and My Challenges

I apologize for the lack of posts, but Blogger's been a little crazy this week. And I haven't been very good at all.

This week has exemplified several of my usual challenges:

1. When I am really stressed, I eat.
2. I really like ice cream and find ways to reward myself with it, particularly on super-hot, super-stressful days.
3. When I don't have good groceries in my apartment, I eat poorly.
4. When we have catered events or office lunches where I don't choose the menu, I eat poorly.
5. When I get really busy during the day at work, I stop going online and tracking my points. And that's when I lose my own sense of accountability.

Yeah, they're all tough, and it all comes down to discipline. And when I'm stressed or worn out or irritated by the heat, discipline goes out the proverbial window.

BUT, I am renting a Zipcar tomorrow for my twice-annual major shopping trip, and I'm really looking forward to stocking up the kitchen with some really good stuff. And I know what I need to do re: catered dinners and the like, so I will be bringing in more of the frozen entrees for pre-dinner dinners. And as for the ice cream habit, I'm open to making it more of a fro-yo or fruit smoothie habit. They're at least a little bit better. And that year when I lost so much weight on WW, I still kept up my daily soft-serve cone habit in the summer, I just got a small and counted the points.

And speaking of counting the points, I just logged on and recorded my breakfast... for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Ooops. But, it's all a journey....

A New Breakfast Option

I just tried one of those Quaker Oatmeal To Go bars. I had one of the Oatmeal Raisin variety. It was definitely filling, and kind of sweet. The raisins are good, but somehow with the oats in there it had a surprisingly crunchy consistency. I bought a whole box, so I will eat them again, but I don't think it will become my favorite breakfast treat.

With 220 calories, 4g of fat, and 5g of fiber, it works out to 4 points each. It's very handy and easy to grab if you really need something "to go" - but since the packets of Quaker's oatmeal varieties are all 2-3 points each, I'd stick with the regular oatmeal itself if you have the time.

You Win Some....

You gain some. In my case, 2 pounds reappeared over the past week. Not a huge surprise, cuz I was not keeping track and was a lot less active at my parents' place. I'm going to try to bring that back down this week, but it's going to be a stressful one so I'm not going to make things too much harder on myself. I have stocked up on Lean Cuisines - new flavors! - but I'm also starting my day with a grande iced chai. Mmmmm.

If You Pack It....

You must use it, right? That's the principle that worked for me today, at least. I brought my sneakers to Indiana in the hopes that I would use them. And I did! In addition to a rather vigorous and hilarious short walk with Mom and the neighbor's dog last night, I just broke out my Nikes for a long, 45 minute walk throughout all the loops and streets and cul de sacs of my parents' neighborhood. I kept to a moderate pace, thanks to the iPod, and worked up a pretty decent sweat. My muscles still feel all tingly and happy, saying "thank you for using me!" And I think I got some good sun, too, so hopefully I've already started in on my base tan for the summer.

I'm heading home this afternoon.... and since I have no plans to buy groceries tonight, I think that's the best excuse ever to order in sushi! :-)

My Mom's Dump Cake

My mother made a dessert tonight that she swears is WW-friendly. I've never heard of it before...but it was darn tasty, very low-fat, and very easy to make. I may even make it myself someday! It ends up tasting like a fruit cobbler.

Dump Cake

• Using whatever regular pan you use for making brownies (8x8, 9x9, or bigger), spray it thoroughly with a non-stick cooking spray or line it with tin-foil. (They suggest a double layer of foil cuz it gets juicy.)
• Spread 2 packages of thawed frozen fruit of any kind - tonight she used blueberries and raspberries, but you can use strawberries, peaches, melon, mango, etc. - evenly throughout the bottom of the pan.
• Cover the fruit with one package of dry low-fat cake mix. Mom uses Betty Crocker low-fat yellow cake. Just spread the dry mix -- don't add any other ingredients. Spread it all in an even layer and make sure there aren't any big crumbles anywhere. (Mom may have said that she sometimes uses 2 boxes of cake mix -- it may depend on the size of your pan.)
• Pour in one 12 oz can of diet Red Pop, pouring it evenly throughout the whole pan.
• Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Serve either warm or chilled, preferably with some light Cool Whip or other whipped topping. You can sprinkle Splenda on the top if you want a little extra sweetener, but we didn't do it tonight and it was plenty sweet enough.

This was actually really tasty! It looks kind of like a confetti cake once it's baked, cuz the fruit color is very lively. I liked it, as a dieter, and so did the two 27-year-old non-dieting guys at dinner. They said it didn't even taste like a diet dessert. Best compliment you could ask for!

So far, so good

I've been doing a much better job of eating well so far on this trip to Indiana. Remember way back when I started this blog, I had just come back from a long Christmas trip to see the family. I *know* that I put on several pounds when I was here, and a lot of it was because I was subjected once again to my family's (well, really my father's) eating habits, which were probably what made me an overweight kid to start with. Dad serves meals on platters, not plates. I really felt gross after that Christmas trip - mentally and physically. My stomach was actually upset from having eaten so much, and so much that was bad for me. My parents are on a combination of Atkins (Dad) and South Beach (Mom), so there is very different kind of food here from what I'm used to eating. We're on that carbs vs. no carbs divide.

Well, this time, I emailed Mom the week before I got here and asked her to pick up some of my usual food at the grocery store so that I would have my own options. This was in the hopes that having my own choices would keep me from eating all the really high-fat stuff they have around the house. Guess what? So far, it's working!

A comparison from what I ate over Christmas to today:

Breakfast
Christmas: Two fried eggs cooked in butter, with 4 pieces of wheat toast with butter. 2 pieces for the yolk-dipping and 2 for making an egg sandwich. Deeeelishous but really a heart attack on a plate.
Today: A small Southwestern Egg Beaters omelet made with about 1/4 cup of shredded low-fat cheddar cheese.

Lunch:
Christmas: Some amount of leftover meat from the big dinner before - either several huge slices of ham and leftover scalloped potatoes or big chunks of pork roast and leftover homemade mac 'n cheese. Again, deelishous but another heart attack on a plate.
Today: A Lean Cuisine Chicken Club panini sandwich and a Jello Sugar Free Caramel pudding cup, plus a big glass of Coke Zero.

Now, I know dinner is going to be a big splurge, as Dad is doing steaks on the grill with salt potatoes (an Upstate NY favorite). But there will also be salads and I'll try to fill up on that.

It's amazing the difference it has made having Mom get me those groceries! She also got a few of my favorite lite salad kits for the weekend. Sure, I'm eating processed and prepackaged food instead of home cooking, but I don't feel like I'm going to explode! (In my book, always a good thing.)

An Unintended Slip-Up

Well, partially unintended. As in I only intended to be partially bad but was instead really bad - but not on purpose!

Today had the challenge of one meal at an airport. I was trying to time it out so that my mid-morning departure time could allow for a breakfast at the airport. Since I've gone out of town, I hadn't bought groceries in a while and had very little in the fridge to eat this morning. I went for a granola bar super-early, but by airport time (10:30ish) I was starving.

I made it to the gate area at around 10:45ish (gotta love National on a day when no one else is flying - no lines!!!) and surveyed the choices. There are NO good choices in the USAirways gate area. Both in terms of WW-friendliness and just plain taste. I decided to check out Jerry's Subs, though, to see if I could get a breakfast sandwich. An egg sandwich on a bagel isn't great, but I was willing to allow it as just the usual bad food on travel days.

Dang, I got there too late for breakfast. So I quickly scanned the menu and came up with what I thought was a next-best option.

I ordered a turkey sub. The 8-inch, cuz I knew it would probably be lunch and have to hold me until dinner at the homestead tonight. Then I decided to splurge and order the combo, with a Coke and steak fries. Oops.

I waited while they made my order and the orders of the people in front of me. The woman in front of me had ordered an 8-inch tuna. I looked at my receipt to check my order number, and then noticed that they had rung ME up for an 8-inch tuna. Huh. That's not what I wanted. But I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt because turkey and tuna were listed together as the same price, so I thought maybe they had the same code in the computer. Or something. Trust me, it had been hard communicating with the cashier already.

The woman in front of me got her tuna. I saw the Jerry's Sub person making the next sandwich, and I thought she was putting salami on it. Huh, I thought. That must not be mine. I sorta looked away for a minute to get my drink, and then they called my order. The lady handed me the sandwich and I was a little suspicious. I asked, "What kind of sandwich is this?" And she said "Tuna." Very definitively. Again, it wasn't what I had ordered, but I didn't have time to argue and just figured I'd eat it.

I walked over to find a table and got myself all spread out and finally unwrapped the sandwich. Was it turkey? What I had ordered? No. Was it tuna? What she told me it was? No. What was it? The Italian cold cut trio. Salami, ham, and pepperoni. Damn. Not at ALL what I had ordered and terribly, horribly, non-point friendly.

So what did I do?

I ate it. And damn did it taste good.

Frozen Entree Taste Test

I noticed a few weeks ago that I had gotten myself into a rut, and that the only diet frozen entrees I ever bought were either Italian food, mac 'n cheese, paninis, or pizzas. Even this Upstate New York girl gets tired of tomato sauce every once in a while. So I've been making a point to try new varieties, and it's been kinda fun!

Lean Cuisine Baked Chicken
This is a tasty little meal. If you close your eyes, it almost smells and tastes homemade. There are two little baked chicken tenders in gravy with some cornbread "stuffing" - that comes in that ever-popular soggy crouton form - and little pieces of carrots and celery. There's a side of yummy mashed potatoes. It's only 5 WW points overall. This one gets 2 thumbs up for heartiness, being filling, and actually tasting good.

Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portobello
This one sounds fancy, but the name is a little more sophisticated than the meal. It includes a few pieces of steak and some chopped mushrooms in a tangy gravy with hints of Burgundy wine. The mushrooms were kind of rubbery, and the sauce tasted just a little off to me. Maybe too tart? There is a side of teeny-tiny broccoli florets with no detectable sauce on them, so they really just end up steamed and very plain tasting. They got kind of soggy. It's only 4 points, and it's very low-carb. I only give it one thumb up, though. It's nice to add a little variety, but it's not in the running to be my favorite.

Smart Ones Beef Pot Roast
This is one of their higher-protein / low-carb entrees. Guess what? It's freakin' DELICIOUS! Even though it looks a little suspect when you cook it, as the gravy has a slight gray tinge to it, this is divine. The pieces of beef are big and chunky, and they melt in your mouth. There's no starch in this one - it's just beef, gravy, and veggies. So it adds up to a whopping 3 points total. A customer review on the web site offered the good idea of adding in some plain egg noodles if you have the points to spare, but it doesn't even really need it. This one reminded me just how much I used to love my dad's pot roast. Maybe I'll have him make it when I go visit this winter??? This entree gets 2 enthusiastic thumbs up.

A Little Slide....

Ah, the last few days have been tough. I am very tempted to fall back into last summer's routine of chips, salsa and happy hour drinks for dinner followed by orange Powerade when I get home. It's such a great summery combination, which I've had for 2 nights in a row now. Ooops.

It actually started to slip my mind this week to be tracking points, so I haven't been. How did that happen? I don't know, you get busy during the day at work then have a whole night plan and even while you're paying attention to what you're eating it never quite makes it into the online journal. And so you're never quite sure of how over you are for the day, or the week.

This weekend is definitely the kickoff to summer, as I have a day of wine tasting planned with a bbq the day after. My plan is to be good for all the meals I'm eating on my own at home - I have lots of Lean Cuisines waiting in the freezer - and then reasonably enjoying myself during my fun plans.

I head out of town next week for a visit to the family... and they know I want to eat more sensibly than in past visits. I hope they don't bring out platter-sized portions again. But Mom has already agreed that I can send her a list of things to get at the grocery store, so I can have some Stef-friendly items in their somewhat hostile Atkins and South Beach home. It seems all they ever have is meat, cheese, ice cream, real eggs, and iceberg lettuce. Eeek!

I Heart Caramel

I've already discussed my new-found love for Jello Sugar-Free Caramel pudding cups (divine!), but I have discovered a new reason to love caramel! Quaker Quakes, a mini rice cake snack, may not sound all that exciting.... but their caramel corn flavor is delicious! These little rice cakes taste like a lighter version of Cracker Jack, and they make for a great snack. One serving is only 1 point - and that means the whole bag only has 7 points. So you can actually get a filling snack for only 2-3 points before wrapping up the bag and putting it away for later! :-)

I haven't tried any of the savory flavors, but for now I'm happy as a clam with my deliciously sweet favorites!

Hooray Hooray Hooray!!!

I lost 1 pound this week! Huzzah! It's been so long since I've seen the scale move in the downward direction... this is a great way to start the week! :-)

Healthy Foods?

WTOP has two features today in its health section about the potential pitfalls of so-called "healthy" foods. Watch out for items that are marketed towards dieters, and be sure to check labels for the real nutritional info. A lot of this is stuff we've all had to learn before, but it never hurts to be reminded.... just cuz yogurt with granola sounds healthy, doesn't mean it'll help you lose weight!

A Whole Day of Food

Yesterday was a tough one. I had an all-day Board retreat, which meant all of my meals were planned by someone else. And while I didn't go completely crazy, I still pretty much ate all day long. Breakfast and lunch both included a gorgeous display of fruit - who knew Costco has the best pineapple ever? - so I did try to fill up on berries, grapes, and pineapple. But there was also quiche, and big sandwiches. And then.... cookies. Dang. I went overboard with the cookies.

And when I got home? Overboard again. My stomach was upset and I was craving salt. Instead of doing something sensible and having chicken soup or something, I went for a whole bag of chips for dinner. *Hanging head in shame.*

Don't worry, my stomach had its revenge at about 3 am. Not so pretty. And I still feel very queasy.... so I believe the chicken soup will be making its appearance today.

Yummy

Smart Start cereal is really quite tasty. 1 1/2 cups (a decent bowl for breakfast) is 5 points, plus milk. It's crunchy and sweet without being too sugary, and it doesn't taste like bark like some healthy cereals do. I've been known to just eat it out of the box before as a snack, but today I was glad to start my day with a nice big bowl of it. I got the "antioxidant" variety, which I guess is supposed to make it even better for me. Yum.

Such Restraint!

I just got back from another catered affair, this time at a friend's organization. No pressure, it was all social for me and I didn't have to work. :-) I did SOOOOO wel. I pre-ate a Lean Cuisine pizza, so I only had alcohol there and didn't even touch the tempting buffets. 2 glasses of wine and an apple-tini. So I'm a little buzzed now.... but so glad I didn't pick up any of the stuffed grape leaves/veggie pizzas/empanadas or many, many desserts that I saw.

Of course, when I got home I HAD to get some food in me so I could at least be coherent to watch LOST. So I ate a shrimp ring I've had thawing in the fridge. Did you know that 10 oz of shrimp - the whole ring - is only 6 points??? Love it! And that's why God invited flex points.

You Go, Girl!

I guess it's not just humans who find it hard to diet. Congrats to Maggie the elephant for losing 1,000 pounds! Eat less, exercise more.... it works across the animal kingdom.

Sorry, just had to post this! :-)

A Sushi Feast, Plus Some Wine Flexies

I had a pretty good day today, and that included a veritable FEAST for dinner. Thank goodness for sushi, the low-point indulgence! With a huge plate of happy hour priced maki sushi (or is it nigiri? I get them confused) and some cucumber rolls and tuna rolls, plus some chicken soup and 2 glasses of wine, I still only ended up using 7.5 flex points for the whole day. And this is one where I'd slotted to use some extras. Hooray!

I have plans out for the next 2 nights - a catered event and a happy hour - and my plan is to bring some Lean Cuisines to work for the pre-eat dinner trick. And I'm in the mood for some soup and salad lunches. Wish me luck!

Monday Night at the Safeway

I decided to hit the store tonight and buy a bunch of WW-friendly stuff to start the week off on the right foot. And luckily there were some great sales!

Today's WW-friendly deals:
Safeway reduced-fat wheat thin crackers - $1.50, reg price $1.99
Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop! 94% fat-free popcorn - $1.66, reg price $3.29
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - $2.00, reg price $3.29
Progresso Canned Soups - one was $2.45, reg $2.75, the other was $2.53, reg $2.83
Lean Cuisines - 6 for 12 dollars! That's 2 bucks apiece, with reg price of ~$3.29
Egg Beaters - $2.50, reg price $3.19
Yoplait light yogurt smoothies - $1.33, reg price $1.69

Happy cheap eats!

Sticking Up for My Diet

This is a little NSV on its own.... I had lunch plans with a colleague at another organization to "pick her brain" on how to grow my program. Because I invited her, I initially said she could suggest the restaurant. She wanted to go to Fogo de Chao, a new place downtown. Well, it's all meat, all the time. Lots and lots and lots of meat. I've never been there, but I just have these visions of people licking their chops and gorging upon skewer after skewer. After much internal debate this morning, I decided to email her and ask if we could switch restaurants. I actually said that I'm trying to stick to a diet, and then offered up a few other places that would be good for seafood or salad. Turns out she's trying to watch what she eats, too, so she was more than happy to make the change.

We ended up going to Cafe Atlantico, which was a good move. I'd been there for happy hours many times but this was the first actual meal I had there. I studied the menu online beforehand - ALWAYS a great trick - and stuck with what I had in mind. I got their mixed greens salad special, which was a very standard mixed greens salad with a vinaigrette, baby tomatoes, and cubes of watermelon. Very light and refreshing! And then I ordered the tuna and coconut ceviche appetizer, which came somewhat unexpectedly all nestled in a 1/2 an avocado. But it was very tasty and also pretty light. And we split a giant (expensive) bottle of still water, so I'm very hydrated.

I just calculated the points, and based on my estimate it was only about a 9 point lunch. Hooray! So much less than a meat extravaganza would have been! I'm so glad I stood up for my dieting needs! :-)

Cooking Fish?

I plan on buying groceries tonight, and I would like to buy some fish. I *love* seafood and I know I need to incorporate it into my diet more, but I have very little clue on how to cook it at home.

Any suggestions on the best way to buy and then *easily* cook fish at home? I love seared tuna, which I could try on my grill pan. I also really like white fish, like sea bass, tilapia, orange roughy, etc. Salmon's not my favorite. Thoughts on simple, one-pan ways I could make a healthy fish dinner?

Maintaining

I stayed the same this week. Not a surprise, considering I had a few good days and a few bad days. I'm finding the same challenges.... it's very easy to stay on plan when I'm just at home all day or when it's a workday where I get to plan all my meals. But all those work-related meals still pose a challenge (and yes, commenters, I know that work is *work* - but sometimes work involves food. I usually try to pre-eat or make the best choices, but there aren't always good choices to be had.) and an irregular social schedule also means having to plan well so that hunger pains don't play into the evening.

This week, I have one work meal (today), one social dinner (sushi), and one catered event in the evening (pre-eat my Lean Cuisine). Then I have an all-day Board retreat on the weekend....not sure what the food situation will be there, but I'm sure it will be a challenge. So my Flexies will definitely be needed. But I'm going to try to not go over for a change!

Disappointing

Today is the wedding reception / picnic that I bought a cute new skirt for.... I tried on the skirt last night. It's definitely cute, but not so much on me. :-( I'll wear it, cuz it makes for a nice fun, summery outfit, but I know I'll spend the whole afternoon thinking about how it makes my hips look HUGE. Which, really, they are... but I was hoping to have lost more by now to start out summer looking cute. Ah well. It is a really adorable skirt, so I'm sure people will still like it. But I won't feel as good as I wanted to.

Hangin' In There

It's been a rough couple of days, WW-wise, and I fully blame work-related challenges.

Thursday morning I had a breakfast meeting at 8 am. Well, I know that when I have to get up super-early in the morning, I usually can't eat at home cuz my tummy gets upset if I eat too early. So I didn't pre-eat before going, which I really should have. Of course, when I got there, there was this *fantastic* breakfast spread. I was expecting just bagels and fruit, thinking I could handle that easily on points. Instead, it was a full-on breakfast, with pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, and pastries. Since I rarely get *real* breakfast, I decided to splurge and enjoy. I had everything except pastries. Wow, pointalicious!

Now, I could have salvaged the day with lunchtime, but instead I just decided to have an *off-plan* day and indulge. So I hit the deli buffet bar for lunch, with fresh roasted turkey, scalloped potatoes, and meat lasagna. And I was *exhausted* so I allowed myself a real, delicious, now-super-sized 24 oz Classic Coke. That's a 6 point beverage right there. I thought about ordering in dinner when I got home, and really indulging with chicken tikka masala. But, actually, my tummy was so full from the first two meals of the day that I just ate a bag of microwave popcorn for dinner.

Then, on Friday, I was really on a roll and doing well. A tiny, 3 point breakfast, and a healthy lunch of roasted potato veggie soup and a mixed greens salad. Unfortunately, the soup and salad comes with bread and butter, which I went for. And then I got a cookie. That would've all been okay, but we had a big staff meeting Friday afternoon and my boss surprised us with treats - a HUGE plate of giant cookies. Did I resist? What do you think? So lots of cookie points on Friday. When I got home, I cheated a bit with some lime Tostitos and salsa, but then I did have a Lean Cuisine for dinner.

So I've now exceeded my weekly points allowance. All the flexies are gone and I'm at about -10 for the week. Today I have two parties - a picnic in the afternoon (which I may pre-eat for) and a party at Buffalo Billiards tonight (definitely will pre-eat for). Tomorrow includes lunch plans, too, at a place I love. So I think the best I can hope for with this week's weigh-in is to just maintain....

I really should get back to the gym!

Flexies = Alcohol Points?

Uh oh... another midweek work event that included both pre- and post-drinking. Between the two bars I had another 14.5 points of just alcohol! Sangria, martinis, and a shot, oh my!

So I've used a whole bunch of my flexies, and only have 13 left to get me through 'til Monday. I have another event tonight with catered finger foods....aargh.... plus 2 parties on Saturday! Lean Cuisine for lunch the next few days, I'm guessing.

Post-Conference Weigh-In

Well, I'm up one pound on the scale. Blah. What I think that means is that I was probably up a few pounds after the conference last week, and that by staying on plan this week I was able to lessen some of that damage. But it still never feels good to see the dial on the scale keep going up.

So now starts another week on plan, and it will be full of challenges. I have evening plans Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday so far, which means I have to be good about saving up Flexies and strategizing on how to make the best use of those restaurant menus. I'll keep you posted....

Breakfast for Dinner!

Remember when it was kinda exciting and exotic to have breakfast for dinner? Well, it's still fun, and it makes great sense point-wise!

I was really hungry a little while ago and I wanted something filling, but I needed a dinner that was pretty low in points. So I cooked up a protein-rich dinner that I would usually have for breakfast: an egg beater/egg white omelet with 1/2 cup of fat-free shredded cheddar and 1 slice of canadian bacon. It was very tasty! And very filling!

I admit that I'm still a little weirded out by seeing an egg white omelet... I love Egg Beaters but I usually still go for the yellow kind, so seeing an all-white omelet still looks odd on the plate. But it tastes good!

Points Don't Count at the Ballpark, Do They?

I did fairly well yesterday, considering it was my first time out for a baseball game this season (see my other blog for deets). I kept it light all day, including a Smart Ones for lunch. It was the tuna noodle casserole.... fairly decent, but trusty cat Cleo had a fit trying to get into my lap to eat it! I still had a decent amount of points available when I went out for the night, and I had a plan that would allow me to go slightly over if I wanted to. It's a lifestyle, right?

I did fairly well. Only 2 beers - when I could've had 3 or 4. And I did splurge and have TWO hot dogs. Due to my previous attempts at vegetarianism and/or no red meat as a lifestyle, I hadn't had a real all-beef hot dog since 1997. Was it worth the wait? Hells yeah! That dog was so tasty I had to have another.

But overall, the points were still pretty good. A hot dog with a roll = 8 points. So with my 2 dogs, my beers, and the combo of the major alcohol point consumption the night before, I ended up at -6 on Flexies for the week. I've stayed home all day today and am keeping it light, so I feel pretty good about this first week back on plan. We'll see how it ends up on the scale tomorrow.

Thank Goodness for those Flexies

Um, yeah, I went out for Cinco de Mayo last night... and I drank 27.5 points worth of alcohol! But at least I counted it all! 3 margaritas, 3 martinis, and a shot of tequila, oh my!

I still have 8.5 flexies left for the rest of the week, which is good cuz I've got big plans tonight. Dinner at Matchbox, where I have to be good and restrain myself, and then the baseball game! I was craving hot dogs all last year at RFK, and now that I'm back on beef I think I'll actually partake. So there go the rest of my flexies.

Another thing I learned today - 30 minutes of dancing is only 2 Activity Points! Darn. I thought it would be more....

An Alternative to Stress Eating

It's been another very stressful day here at work - one that saw my professional future being laid out for me unexpectedly via a conference call with the big boss (all good, but still very nerve-wracking!). As you know, my usual instinct on a draining day like this is to get rid of the stress by heading for chips, or cookies, or ice cream.

Instead, I grabbed a sympathetic friend from her cubicle and we headed outside. After a quick trip for a diet soda and its caffeine kick, we went for a long walk around the neighborhood. We even decided to drop in and surprise another friend at her office, cuz it's Friday and why not?

I felt much better afterwards - being outside, walking around and talking things through, plus the fun of a visit with an old friend. It was *MUCH* better for me than cookies or ice cream!

A Tasty Treat!

I got a great tip off the WW message boards yesterday. Did you know that the individually wrapped Rice Krispie Treats - the kind in the blue package - are only 2 points each???? Hooray! I picked up a box at CVS this afternoon, so I now have a new at-work snack. Love me some treats! :-)

Low-Point Comfort Food?!?!?

Ah, thank goodness for Au Bon Pain. On a day with a not-so-good tummy, they really came through for me. Their Low Fat Chicken Noodle Soup is a Godsend! This soup has 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber per 8 oz serving. So that means the 12 oz container - which is a decent size portion for lunch - is only 3 points! It's hearty and yummy, with big egg noodles, carrots, and big chunks of chicken. The broth is very tasty but still light.

With such a low point soup, that means you can get a small bag of potato chips to go with it with very little guilt!!!

Making Tight Pants Day Even Worse

From the category of TMI.... I was already feeling kinda squeezed into my pants earlier today, wearing an older, slightly more snug pair of khakis. But then I indulged in my favorite morning snack - a South Beach peanut butter cereal bar. I *love* these things. But, alas, my body is not so good at handling the high soy content, and it makes my tummy blow up like a balloon. Not comfortable. And it's really making me regret the snug pants!

I think I have to swear off my beloved South Beach bars. They taste so good, but make me feel so bad....

Today's After-Work Safeway Deals

Yes, I braved the store at 6 pm, and it wasn't so bad! Of course, I was super-hungry by the time I got there, so I did buy more items than I planned on... but they were all very WW-friendly!

Good deals:
Rice-A-Roni Rice Mix - $1.00, reg price $1.49
Quaker Rice Cake mini snack cakes (caramel corn flavor, of course) - $1.00, reg $2.19
San Giorgio pasta (cappellini for me) - $1.00, reg price $1.39
Campbell's Chunky Chili - $2.50, reg price $2.95
Lucerne Smoothies - $1.25, reg price $1.69
WW Smart Ones - 5 for 10 bucks! Even the pizzas! Score! Reg price $2.49 - $3.49.
Yoplait Nouriche Smoothies - $1.50, reg price $1.99
Athenos hummus - $2.79, reg price $3.29

I just ate one of those little Safeway pre-made salads - the kind found in the bagged salad section, not in the deli. It was the cobb salad, which could've been bad news. But since it's a pretty small portion in that bowl, I got lots of bacony and bleu cheese goodness for only 9 points!

WW is all new and funky!

I just logged on to WW online for the first time in a few weeks, and guess what? They've launched this fancy new "beta" version of a souped-up Points Tracker. It's all kinds of crazy cool! It'll take me a while to get used to it, but I think I'm gonna love it. It has everything all on one, much more easy to navigate screen. Your favorites are stored and easily accessible, there's a points calculator right on the main screen, and they can show you weekly charts of your points - including Flexies and Activity Points. I hope my super-slow dialup at home works well with this new format. It's kinda fun!

I'm back. In more ways than one.

So conferences are bad! I feel like I've been eating nonstop for 5 days and I truly feel like I've gained several pounds back. Yikes. I'll wait to weigh myself on Monday to see if I can reduce some of the damage over the next week.

I'm back on WW officially - I'm going to try and do it the real way again, not the half-way method of just recording what I eat here. I will still report in on certain meals, especially any good finds, but I'm going to do most of the work on the WW site. I think that is what works best for me, even though I have to force myself to do it.

The weather is getting better.... which means it's cute clothes time! I have to make sure I fit into them all!

To Be Expected

I just weighed in, and as I thought I have gained back another 2 pounds. So that's 3 pounds that I'm back up, and I did expect it. I could actually "feel" it, in that weird way where you can sense things happen with your body.

Like I said, I did this knowingly. I'm going to spend the next 3 days here trying to be good and tracking things. Then when I leave for the conference, I'll pay attention to what I'm eating but will allow myself to go with the flow of the 5 crazy days. Then, when I get back I will start in again in earnest. So Tuesday, May 2, will be my day for recommitting. Which is fitting, cuz I started this all on January 2.

I am still down 10 pounds, so it's all good!

Checking In

As you might have guessed, I ended up taking a slight break this week from the WW world. I sort of decided by default to just enjoy the week, still trying to eat sensibly but not obsessively. And I have had a good time! I'm proud, though, that I didn't go hog-wild and order 8 pizzas and 2 dozen donuts or anything like that. I've still eaten mostly the right things, just a little more of them. :-)

I've had a few cookies and a piece of cake for a coworker's birthday, plus a whole lot of alcohol the last two nights... but other than that, I've still had pretty much the same kind of food I have been eating. Some pork chops, some spaghetti, some vegetarian chili (I did splurge on a deelish fatty corn muffin!), a steak, and some gourmet thin-crust pizza. But, like I said, no marathon Ben & Jerry's sessions or Velveeta shells & cheese.

I feel pretty good about this, and if I see another pound or two on Monday, I can accept that. I think I'll continue this break next week - though I'll plan to post more often - cuz I'm going away on a conference and it will be very hard to manage my meals over those 5 days of events, lectures, and hotel food....

So my plan now is to recommit in the month of May and see how well I do at slimming down a bit for my cute spring and summer clothes. Stay tuned!

Not so Bad

I just weighed in for the first time in 2 weeks, going back to before the big allergy/sinus attack and the couple of boxes of mac 'n cheese I ate when sick. And I was somewhat relieved. I gained back 1 pound, but I expected it to be much worse. It's really just a slight fluctuation, and I can live with that.

I'm gonna continue to do a sort of hybrid plan this week, recording what I eat here and tracking the points but not freaking out if I go over my daily allowance. (So that means I can enjoy Thursday night!) We'll see how that works for another week.

What I Ate Yesterday

Scintillating info, I know you don't want to miss it!

Breakfast:
An egg beaters and cheddar omelet

Lunch:
8 oz orange juice
The 6-point Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Monterey (pretty tasty)

Snack:
my tummy was upset, and I don't know if this helped or not:
One turkey hot dog, with a slice of cheese on a bun

Dinner:
my attempt at a pseudo-Easter dinner for 1:
3 ~1/4 inch slices of turkey ham
1 pkg of Green Giant cheesy rice & broccoli

Dessert:
2 Jello sugar free pudding cups

Easter Sunday Safeway Deals

Wow, 9 am on Easter Sunday is the *best* time to go to Safeway. There was no one there! Seriously, I think I saw less than 10 other customers. Good times.

Today's good deals:
- Lean Cuisine - $2.50 (4 for 10 bucks), reg price $3.29 (this sale includes most of their regular entrees and the pizzas, but not the paninis)
- Crystal Light big canister - $4.59, reg price $4.99
- Tropicana o.j. 6-packs - $3.50, reg price $4.29
- The Great Meat Markdown - between sales and the instant-coupons that the meat dept. had put on the packages, I scored!
- 1 pkg of boneless pork loin chops - $2.17, reg price $3.65
- 1 pkg of Perdue fit & easy chicken breasts - $5.04, reg price $6.54

There were other good diet items on sale that I didn't pick up cuz I couldn't carry any more, including Lean Pockets, boxes of oatmeal, and Silk brand light chocolate soy milk.

It did occur to me this morning that if Clinton and Stacy were to ever secretly videotape me on my early morning grocery trips, I'm screwed. I usually go before I take my shower - the only time I'll *ever* leave the house without showering. So I have my hair pulled back or in a baseball cap, I'm wearing my big brown glasses, and my outfit is terrible. Yes, I admit it, the t-shirt I slept in - it's a free Humane Society t-shirt with a big kitten on it - plus my gym shorts, a big denim overshirt, and my beloved pink Speedo flip-flops that squeak with every step. I'm a walking billboard for What Not to Wear!

It Is Easier At Home

I've said it before, but it's still true that I find it much easier to eat healthier stuff - or at least smaller quantities of bad stuff - when I spend a whole day at home on my own. It's simple: If I don't buy it, I don't have it in the house, and therefore I cannot eat it.

There was a slight change to what I ate yesterday - as we were unable to get seated at Matchbox, we ended up going for Thai food. So I didn't have mini burgers and a big salad. Instead I had green curry chicken (love that fatty coconunt milk) and 2 glasses of riesling, followed by 2 glasses of sangria after the movie.

Today's intake:

Breakfast:
On weekends, I don't really eat breakfast food. I had a handful of reduced fat wheat thins and garlic hummus.

Lunch:
A Lean Cuisine steak and cheese panini

Snack:
A bag of O.R. Light Natural popcorn

Another snack:
Another handful of wheat thins and hummus

Dinner:
The Safeway Select Light (blue box) Meat Lasagna. It's technically 2 1/2 small servings, but I ate the whole thing. So it was very filling and I haven't had any snacks since.

Doing Okay Today, But Having Fun Tonight!

So I'm still on my "pay attention to meals but don't obsess over points" plan. We'll see how it works when I weigh in on Monday.

Is it boring for you to hear what I ate during a day? I know, the ultimate in tedious subject matter. But maybe you can help me figure out if I've got problem trends that you can see - or maybe I can give you ideas on new things to try that are fairly diet friendly. We'll see.

So far today:

Breakfast:
Another Egg Beater omelet with cheese and 1 slice canadian bacon

Snack:
Grande skim chai

Lunch - at La Tasca - fun!:
The lunch combo, which features 3 mini-tapas, that yes, are even smaller than regular tapas. I had:
patatas bravas
chicken in garlic and white wine sauce
vegetarian paella
and a regular size sauteed spinach with raisins and pine nuts

Snack:
100 calorie pack

Plans for dinner? Fun times at Matchbox!
I *will* allow myself to eat mini burgers. Maybe even 3 of them!
My favorite Bistro salad
Probably 2 glasses of viognier

Movie time.... any food? Probably not, cuz I'll be full from dinner.

After movie:
I'm planning on sangria, back at La Tasca. At *least* one glass. It's a Joyous night, after all! :-)

What I'm Thinking

I'm trying to think about ways to get myself out of this vicious cycle of stressing about what I'm eating and then feeling guilty about what I ate. I love Velvet's idea of taking a break for a week, but I'm gonna try to take just a 1/2 step down and maybe take a break from the counting of points for a little while. What am I saying, I've been taking a break from that for a while! But actually thinking about what I'm eating, focusing on healthy stuff and portion sizes, without stressing over the point value each time.

And maybe for a while I'll just record what I eat here, for all of you, so there's still some level of accountability? There's less silent shame (seriously) if I'm sharing my good choices and my mistakes. I hope it's not too boring for you. But I think I'll try it for a little while and weigh in on Monday and see how it goes.

So, what I've eaten so far today:

Breakfast:
An omelet of egg beaters, 1 slice of canadian bacon and some shredded cheese

Snack:
South Beach peanut butter bar

Lunch:
cup of tomato vegetable soup
1/2 ham and cheese sandwich
handful of tortilla chips
oatmeal raisin cookie

Snack:
100 calorie pack of those peanut cookies
(Wohoo - successfully avoided cake at the staff meeting!)

Splurge Snack at Home:
the rest of last night's Tostitos and black bean dip

What I'm planning for actual dinner:
Lite Caesar salad kit

Dessert:
Maybe a sugar free pudding cup

Not too bad, actually, in terms of healthy items and decent portion sizes. Other than that chips and dip snack, of course, but I did eat that knowing it was a splurge. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

I'm Having Trouble

Geez, how was I so good in January? I'm having a very hard time getting/staying on track. Today, for example, I was really good, UNTIL...

Breakfast:
Egg beater omelet with a little shredded cheese

Snack:
South Beach peanut butter breakfast bar

Snack 2:
4-pack of Snackwells vanilla cream cookies

Lunch:
Tuna bento box from Teaism

Uh oh.... getting very, very hungry Snack 3:
Another South Beach bar

Oh my God, I'm starving, stressed and have a raging headache after-work and after grocery-store snack:
1/2 bag of Tostitos
A lot of low-fat but still pointy black bean dip

Dinner still to come.... I'm guessing it will be the one item I picked up based on a pure craving: Turkey Hot Dogs. Why? I have no idea. But I want one really bad. With lots of ketchup.

It is kind of that craving time of the month (TMI) and my allergies are still bad and my head is killing me and all that... but those are just excuses, and they're even starting to sound tired to me.

I need new motivation. Perhaps the spring clothes will help me get back in the swing of things? I want to look cute in my skirts and sandals!

Back on Track(ing)

Well, it's Monday and I have my computer back, so that means I'm back on the Points Tracker and recording my Points for the first time in weeks. Amazing how easy it is to fall out of the habit, eh?

I'm still sick (blah) and haven't been to the grocery store in about 2 weeks, so I'm eating a fairly bizarre combo of things from the pantry and the freezer. Not the most appetizing stuff, but I'm making it work. I did splurge and got a Snickers bar, which turned out to be a very tasty but indulgent 7 point snack. Eeek.

Today is actually my WW anniversary. It was Monday, April 8 (the second Monday in April) in the year 2000 when I first started WW. Between April 8 and August of that year, I lost 42 pounds. Wow - that doesn't seem possible! But the fact that I've done it before makes me believe I can do it again. I'm not setting that as my real expectation, cuz why self-sabotage?, just as my own example of how it can be done.

The Sickness Clause

Ugh, I feel awful. I spent all day in bed yesterday with a horrible, raw sore throat. My throat feels better now but it has all evolved into a full-blown head cold / sinus infection, complete with throbbing face pain and swollen glands. Day 2 of being in bed.

So, my policy is that I do not count points when I'm sick. I just go for what my body craves, which in this case has been starchy, soothing food that's either hot or cold on my throat. I'm drinking juice and Power-Ade, and eating lots of bread and pasta and hot soup.

I think I'm gonna take a pass on weigh-in this week. Or maybe I will step on the scale, but just not beat myself up if I gain. I do finally have my computer home, so assuming that I feel better on Monday I will start anew with counting and tracking my points. If this rain ever stops, which is aggravating my mold allergy, maybe my head will clear up.

My Dogs Are Barking

You ever have an experience where suddenly you are forced to realize just how out of shape a certain muscle group might be??? Well, last night the BIG LONG down escalator at Tenleytown was out, so I found myself walking down about 100 steps while carrying my big computer bag. It was no big deal while I was walking down, other than my fear of heights which had me holding on to the railing and only looking at the steps, not ahead. But by the time I made it down and then rode 3 stops on the Metro, my outer thigh muscles decided they weren't too happy about it. When I got out of the train and started walking, my legs were actually a little *shaky* -- waddafa? And walking up stairs on the way home made it clear that those muscles were a little sore. And, if you can believe it, they're still a little sore this morning!

Either I'm getting old or I *really* need to do some more thigh work at the gym! We do have an adductor/abductor machine, but I don't like doing it when anyone else can see me.... it's not the prettiest set of movements in the world!

Remember My Coworker?

The one who has started on a hard-core weight loss plan, with a nutritionist and everything? Well, she had her first weigh-in last night. She's lost 14 pounds in 4 weeks! That's so awesome! It was so cute, she texted me at home to tell me the news. It's the first time she's ever called or texted me for anything personal, and it really made me smile. Good for her!

I, on the other hand, am another story. I've not been tracking points this week at all. I'm making some lunchtime choices that aren't so great, but I had 3 nights in a row of super-healthy, and super-fiber-rific (thank you Beano) turkey chili for dinner. I've been having hunger pains for the last few days, though, so I don't know what that's all about.

Stage 1 in getting the computer fixed is now complete, and I have to head to Best Buy this afternoon to give them the disks for an OS restore and installing all the new anti-virus software. I hope to have it back home by Friday evening, so then life gets back to normal and I can get back on to the WW site. Here comes accountability again!!!

Things I Should Not Have

In my house, cuz I will eat them all in 2 sittings or less:

• Honey Teddy Grahams
• Kettle Chips
• French Onion Dip
• Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies
• Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream
• Desert Pepper Trading Company Black Bean Dip (although sometimes I can't resist)

Weekend Setbacks, but Okay Overall

Well, I kinda sorta stayed the same over the last week. Nothing lost, and the scale kinda wavered around last week's weight so I'm gonna call it a draw. I'm still at 13 pounds down, but I know that I need to pick up the pace a bit.

I had an extremely stressful week last week, both mentally and physically, and that's what took its toll. Stress Eating 101, I could teach that class!

I did make it to the gym on Saturday, though. I tried the elliptical for the first time, and could barely do 5 minutes. That thing kicked my a@@!!!

Detox

Wow. I had a crazy, exhausting day yesterday with the head-spinning trip up to NYC and back. It was a good day but there were some major decisions made that are gonna lead to lots more work (and work stress) for me in the future...

But, that's really beside the point. As I kinda predicted, yesterday was a total wash when it came to anything remotely close to dieting. Quick travel and day-long meetings don't lend themselves well to healthy eating. So I just allowed myself to eat whatever was easiest and am not counting any of the points. I'd be afraid it's in triple digits anyway.

So, if you want to live vicariously through my total non-dieting day, here's the rundown (don't judge me!):

Breakfast:
At Union Station. My gate was right next to McDonald's. What did you think was gonna happen?
Bacon, egg and cheese McGriddle's Sandwich (omg, so delicious!)
Hashbrowns
Small orange juice

On the Train:
A full-calorie 12 oz can of Sierra Mist

Lunch:
At a meeting where the other group we were meeting with provided the lunch spread.
1/2 a ham and swiss sandwich on wheat with mayo
2 big pickle spears
a handful of red grapes
a pink-frosted donut

Strategy Session:
Yes, it happened to be at a bar, but we had to go somewhere with just our internal group to talk.
1 glass of chardonnay
a handfull of peanut/party mix

Dinner:
I had to pick up something quick at Penn Station that could be eaten on the train. My colleague wanted to go to this deli, Zaro's, so I went with and just got whatever sounded best.
A delicious curried chicken salad sandwich with cranberries and a honey-mustard spread on pumpernickel
A bag of salt and vinegar kettle chips
A banana (my conscious decision to eat something remotely healthy)
A Coke Zero (hey, at least it's no calories!)

Snack:
When I got home, I still had to have something to settle my stomach and wind down...
1 cup of Jello sugar free creamy caramel pudding

Yikes, this was a lot of food. And I didn't feel very good after eating it all. Although that chicken salad sandwich was amazing! Today I want to go back to eating light, tasty good stuff!

Another Night Meeting

Harrumph. Sometimes I hate that my job includes so many off-hours commitments. I've got another meeting tonight that starts at 6:30. I sure as heck hope I can get out of there by 8. I'm going to be offline and traveling all day tomorrow, catching an 8 am train to NYC for meetings and then catching the 6 pm train back. So that means 3 whole meals out of my control... either a bagel or some kind of cereal or something on the train for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch at the meeting, and then a train dinner. I just can't even consider those points. Being offline is definitely having an effect on my diligence in tracking...

But, back to tonight. I am being good and heating up a Lean Cuisine right now before I go to the meeting, so that should stave off the hunger pains that often lead me to make bad decisions. I should still be able to do a salad when I get home and then call it a night.

I'll be back on the blog on Friday!

By Popular Request

Whatever Asian Mistress asks, I do.... well, maybe. ;-) When it comes to giving good at-work snacking advice, though, I can happily oblige!

I tend to work best with pre-packaged snack items, but I'll include some suggestions for snacks that might have a little more assembly required. My best options for at-work snacking:

- Granola bars. I keep a box of South Beach bars (3 points each) and/or Quaker Chewy Granola bars (2-3 points each depending on flavor) in my desk drawer.

- 100 Calorie Packs. These come in assorted varieties. My favorites are the Chips Ahoy, Oreo, and Nutter Butter varieties. Another coworker of mine tends to have the gummy fruit snack kinds. But it's a lightweight box with about 6 days' worth of snacking inside. They're all 2 points each.

- Fruit cups. I do buy those Dole Fruit Naturals things and usually keep 1-2 on hand in the work refrigerator. When you really want something sweet, it's nice to have a little cup of pineapple chunks to steer you away from getting real cookies or ice cream. These are usually 2-3 points.

- Yogurt cups. Ditto. Non-fat yogurt is 2 points.

- Clementines. When I remember to bring my big tote bag to the store, I try to pick up a box of Clementines. So tasty! And I give 'em just 1 point each.

- Yogurt-covered raisins. A pack of these things will last me forever, but it is nice to have them around for the occasional sweet tooth craving. They're 3 points per 1/4 cup serving. I sometimes also go for yogurt-covered peanuts.

Now, I did learn an important lesson this week. It's a *BAD IDEA* for me to keep a bag of sugar free mini chocolate candy in my desk. I bought a bag of the sugar-free Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - available in the diabetic section in the drugstore - and I should not have. It's WAY too easy to pop a few of those into your mouth without even thinking about it. It's 4 points for 5 pieces, which does translate into about 1 point apiece. That sounds ideal, but trust me, it's VERY hard to stop at just 1 or 2 of those! Buyer beware. :-)

For a few more labor-intensive, but maybe more interesting, snack ideas (though I haven't figured out the points). Note, these will probably require Tupperware:

- Reduced fat wheat thins and hummus, or a little peanut butter.
- Veggie sticks with fat free ranch dip.
- Celery sticks with a little peanut butter and raisins. (Yay for bugs on a log!)
- Fresh fruit salad.

And, when all else fails, if you've got a microwave at work... you can bring in a box of the 94% fat-free microwave popcorn and have at it. A whole bag is only 4 points. And they even make those little snack size mini-bags, too! (Who are they kidding? A WHOLE bag is snack size for me!)

Denial of Responsibility

I cannot be held responsible for what I eat when I drink. Particularly if I drink four raspberry martinis. If there's a $1.95 cheeseburger and fries special, then it's practically a moral imperative to order it, right?!?

Snack Attack

Uh oh. One of the definite side effects of not having a home computer is that I get bored while watching tv, and need something to do with my hands. Usually, that is when I'm trolling online and blogging or shopping or something. But last night, I used those hands and that boredom to consume a whole lot more snacks than normal. The fact that I went home from work early to get a bunch of laundry done meant I had even more hours in front of el boob tube. So, after getting home from work, I ate:

- hummus and reduced fat wheat thins
- a pepperoni pizza lean pocket (officially dinner)
- an entire bag of 94% fat free popcorn
- a sugar-free chocolate pudding cup

Now, none of these things were that bad for me at all....it was just the quantity, combined with the fact that I had a bigger Au Bon Pain lunch. So, just out of bored snacking, I ended up using SIX flex points yesterday. Ah!!!

This is why I need a home computer. Or some other diversion.... my friends keep telling me I need to take up knitting, but I don't see that happening. Maybe I need to do my nails. Wet nail polish is a real deterrant to snacking.

Hooray!

I lost another pound this week! Phew, that's the first loss in a while and it feels good. It's nice to see actual validation on the scale for all of my efforts in trying to control what I'm eating. Even better, that was an actual weigh-in *today* and not just yesterday. I did a precautionary weigh-in Sunday morning, cuz I knew I was going to a foodie feast (check in on the other blog and Scotte's site later today for details) and wanted to just log my Sunday weight and not worry about what I ate. I did that, but then I also stepped on the scale this morning just to see. Still down one pound! Hooray!

This was my first weekend of no computer access at home, while my laptop is away at the service center being fixed. I did notice a difference in how well I was able to stay on plan. I didn't have the ability to log in and record my points during the days, and I'm sure that meant I forgot a few little things along the way and probably ate more than I should have. But it worked out okay, because I was very good during the week and even my little splurges on the weekened weren't horrible.

Onward!

It's Been a Good Week

I have stayed on plan all week, and I actually did bring my lunch for several days! I treated myself to a takeout dinner last night, but it was still all good stuff, sushi and tom yum soup. I've been feeling more hungry this week, but that's a good sign that I'm actually cutting back.

This weekend will be a bit of a challenge, with 3 nights of plans that could have a lot of points (Scotte, I'm saving the rest of my Flexies for you on Sunday!). And this will be my first weekend of no home computer, so I won't be able to log anything into the Points Tracker and I'll just be keeping score in my head.

But I feel pretty confident that I'll stay on track for the weekend. Then it will be the test to see how it all shakes out on the scale Monday morning!

Temptation Resisted

Well, mostly. :-)

I survived the happy hour at Buffalo Billiards with only 2 lite beers. My friends and I then decided to move on to Cafe Luna for what turned into a long, laugh-filled dinner. (And we happened to run into AS and her gang! I hadn't seen her in ages, so it was great to see her!)

I allowed myself to dip into the Flex Points tonight so I did actually have a good tasty pasta dinner. I was good, though, and didn't go for my favorite tomato and cream sauce, and got the plain tomato basil instead. I love the spinach fettucine, and I get it with spinach and mushrooms on top. Basically the same thing I make it home, but so good!

I just tallied up the points, including the 1 slice of garlic bread, and I ended up being 9.5 over for the day. But with the Activity Points I earned by walking home from Dupont, I only used 7 Flexies. Hooray!

Temptation Tonight...

Uh oh.... a happy hour at Buffalo Billiard's coming up! And I won't have time to eat a little Lean Cuisine beforehand. I'm doing really well this week, so it's no problem to tap into some Flex Points. I just have to stick to a light beer or two and avoid the wings/cheese fries/mozzarella sticks/etc. Wish me luck!

I Have a New Addiction!

I want to kiss whoever it was on the WW message boards who told me that Jell-O Sugar Free Pudding Cups are only 1 point. The Fat-free kind are 2 points, which is still good, but you certainly can't beat 1 point for a great snack.

And I am now totally addicted, nay, obsessed! with a new flavor I just tried. Oh, sweet heavens, I am in love with Creamy Caramel. I want to mainline the stuff! Since it *is* only 1 point, I've been known to go for the double-header... ;-)

I hope it's still on sale at Safeway the next time I go. I've got a Creamy Caramel monkey on my back!

Have You Seen This Thing?

Lane Bryant has just announced its brand new, "patent pending" BRA6 - with an invisible back?!? Check this thing out. It's convertible, as in can be worn 6 different ways. But that invisible back thing is weird. Are you supposed to wear it that way with backless tops? Are they suggesting that people won't SEE that you're wearing some weird see-through plasticy bra thing? I for one think I'm gonna hold off on this for a while.

Panini Taste-Test

I did it, I brought my lunch today! Well, at least 6 points of it. I may still head out for some soup or fruit or something light.

But with my lunch today, I believe I have now sampled all 4 flavors of the new Lean Cuisine panini sandwich line. My thoughts:

Chicken Club - this was the first one I tried and it's still my favorite. Those little bacon bits are tasty!

Southwest-Style Chicken - today's lunch. It was pretty tasty, I liked the combo of cheese and southwest spices. I'm not a fan of peppers, and it did have green peppers on it but they are not very strong in taste so it didn't bother me. I'm saying this is my 2nd place flavor.

Steak, Cheddar and Mushroom - this is a pretty decent sandwich. The "steak" is very processed though, in sort of rubbery-looking grayish cube form. Tastes good but not all that attractive. The cheese is tasty, and there's a hint of onion in there. This one gets the bronze.

Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom - this is the one that sounds the best, but I actually didn't like it that much. As I've mentioned before, I *hate* roasted red peppers. And this one is covered with them. The pepper taste was way too overpowering, so this is not the sandwich for me.

Hmmmmmm

I just weighed in, and I stayed exactly the same. 12 pounds down. That's good news, of course, but I was expecting something different. In fact, I was kinda hoping that I would have gained a pound or two as a kick in the pants that I really need to get me motivated again. But I was right on the money at -12, when even last week the scale wavered a little bit. I haven't been great this past week, but maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought, either.

Another Sunday Morning at Safeway

I decided on a strategy for today's grocery trip before going. I think one of my bigger problems lately - among the many - has been getting back into the swing of portion control. Even when I'm making tasty homemade stuff that's healthy and low-fat, I have a hard time stopping myself at a reasonable-sized portion. So, I went into the store with the plan of buying more of the prepackaged, small portion light entrees than normal. Of course, the kinds I like weren't on sale, but I bought a bagged salad kit and a bunch of Lean Cuisine pizzas and paninis anyway.

The challenge for me this week will be to actually eat a couple of these for lunch, rather than going out and buying my lunch every day. I've been making fairly good choices at lunch, but it doesn't hurt to save some money and cut back on the amount of food a bit by eating maybe 2 or 3 meals from home.

So, on to the Safeway deals for today:
- Classico spaghetti sauce (don't yell at me, Scotte!) - $2.00, reg $2.99
- South Beach peanut butter cereal bars - $3.79, reg $3.99
- Healthy Choice canned soup - $1.75, reg $2.39
- Barilla pasta, all cuts - $1.00, reg $1.50
- Weight Watchers Smart Ones, assorted - $2.00, reg $2.79 - $3.49
- Jell-O Sugar-Free Pudding Cup 6-packs - $2.50, reg $3.49
- Yoplait Nouriche Smoothies - $1.66, reg $1.99
- Lean Pockets - $2.00, reg $2.75
- Lucerne Non-Fat Yogurt - 50 cents, reg 60 cents
- BEANO! 30 count - $3.99, reg $5.99

Stay Away from Rich Yellow Food

That's my lesson of this week. After yesterday's corn muffin shocker, today I was beaten down by temptation at the movies.

I had been doing really well, a good breakfast and lots of walking around the neighborhood running errands. Then I went out for lunch at a sushi place and did well, too. It's amazing how much food you can get for relatively low points! I got a combo meal, of miso soup, salad, and 13 pieces of sushi. Good stuff.

But, dammit, then we got to the movie theater. I don't know why I didn't stop myself, but I went ahead and got a small popcorn with butter. Now, at least it was at a Landmark theater which still has decent, human-size portions. But still.... I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what the points value is, cuz the WW boards are showing all kinds of crazy answers. But it looks like at the very least the killer butter concoction put me somewhere in the 11 - 17 points range. And that's for a small! Some people were saying as high as 42, but I find that really hard to believe. That's like 2 steaks.

Anyway, lesson learned. Avoid the popcorn, which is another buttery yellow food. If I really needed a snack today, heck, I could've gone for a candy bar and it would've been a lot less!

Where Have You Been All My Life?

In the category of TMI:

I just this week, at the ripe old age of 31, learned of the magic of Beano. It's a miracle!!!!! Bring on the high-fiber diet food!

Such Sweet Pain

I finally made the commitment to get back on track today, including logging everything into the Points Tracker. Hooray! Recommitted!

But, of course, there was a slight hiccup at lunch.... I was really good with a low, 4-point breakfast, and I went to good old standby Au Bon Pain for lunch. I had a really hard time deciding what to get, cuz I wanted soup but I didn't feel like the usual small side salad. So I decided to get the medium, 8 oz size of beef stew, which is delicious and which I approximate at 6 points based on WW online info. Not bad! But the stew wasn't enough on its own, so I thought I'd get some sort of bread item to go with it. I passed over the usual breadstick choices, cuz something caught my eye and I just had to have it. In fact, I'd been craving it for a while, and I felt like it would be a great companion to the beef stew. Which it was. And I just came back and checked the nutritional info in order to tally the points and I was SHOCKED. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the TEN POINT corn muffin!!!!! TEN POINTS! Oh my, it was delicious, but I guess that's what 16 grams of fat tastes like.

So lunch was a bit heavier than I expected. That's okay, though, cuz I'm just going home tonight (no St. Paddy's day fun for me, which is just fine) and will eat something small on my own. But now I've definitely learned my corn muffin lesson!

Tough Love

I haven't been very good lately. I wouldn't say I've been *bad* - it's not like I'm chain-eating pizza and ice cream. I just haven't been as motivated and this week, for the first time, I've fallen out of the habit of journaling everything I eat. Part of it is that my home computer is being difficult, part of it is lower motivation. Sigh.

But, I had a great conversation with a coworker this morning. She herself just decided she wants to get serious about losing weight, and this is a take-charge woman who does what she says. She's a mother herself and is very good at lecturing people the way a Mom does, and she gave me a little figurative kick in the pants to try and be better myself. She's being very hard core about this, meeting with a dietician and making the real changes needed to eat healthier. It was pretty inspiring, actually.

So today I'm trying to use her as my example. When I woke up this morning, I was really craving Indian food and thought "Maybe I'll just order take-out tonight." That would mean a really huge order of fatty, super carb-loaded food. After I had this conversation, though, I decided to feed my craving for curry by getting the Spinach Curry at Teaism for lunch. Sure, it was a big portion and wasn't exactly a fruit salad, but it means now I have no desire to order Indian tonight. I still haven't decided what I want for dinner -- but maybe I'll compromise and order sushi instead. Still the fun of takeout, but so much better for me!

Well, to be Expected

As I said, last week was a bad week. So I'm not surprised that I just kinda maintained. I say "kinda" because the scale bounced around a little bit between last week's weight and a little higher, but when I squinted really hard and stood very still, it did settle on the same as last week. So I'm calling it that, but I know I've got to be better this week to make sure I don't gain.

With this weather today, I can not imagine what I'll possibly want to eat at lunch. I'm so not ready for 84 degrees and storms.... maybe Teaism will be in order?

Guess What???

I went to the gym! That's an NSV all on its own. :-)

Seriously, after 2 straight days where all I did was watch DVDs (see my other blog for details), I had to get up and do something. So I dug out the sneakers and headed downstairs. I did about 25 minutes on the recumbant (sp?) bike, which equates to only 1 Activity Point. Aargh, but I still feel great.

This was the first time I've been to the gym with my iPod, and it's amazing the difference it makes. I was riding harder and faster than I ever have on that bike before, and I know it's cuz the music is motivating. Much more so than watching tv or reading a book while on the bike, which is what I had done before. Remember how I said "Billie Jean" is my ultimate walking song? Well, I think Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" is my favorite bike song. How can you resist?

Seriously, though, it's amazing how psychological going to the gym can be. You all know that I've been avoiding it for the last 2+ months that I've been doing this. There's something about a gym that is very intimidating to the out of shape. Yes, it's totally counterintuitive, but there's this socialization thing that (I project) makes us all feel that gyms are for skinny, athletic people. How do you get that way without a gym? You don't, which is why the logic doesn't make sense. But there it is.

So I really did have to psyche myself up to get down there. Once I was in the gym, of course, it seems utterly ridiculous to have let that intimidation factor stand in the way. When I first joined my gym (conveniently located in my basement) I was really disciplined. In the fall of 2004, I went something like 5-7 times a week, and I really saw results. I wasn't officially dieting at the time, but the exercise was taking the weight off and reshaping my legs and hips. I'd love to have that happen again. I don't want to create any false expectations, cuz I know that 5-7X a week time period was fueled by a totally different psychological situation (can you guess?), but I do really want to start going at least semi-regularly. I know that the diet will be much more effective if I'm doing this to boost my metabolism. So I've taken my first step.

A Good Day for a Salad

It's so warm today, both outside and in my apartment (where I can't control the heat), that I'm craving all kinds of cold food. I've always found it's much easier to diet in the spring/summer, when you usually want lighter, healthier things. So in that way, this little heat wave is helping me get back on track with the diet. It's been a bad week so far, so here's hoping I can recoup a bit on the weekend.

I just had a great big salad for lunch. I bought one of those Fresh Express bagged salad kits - the Caesar Lite version. It's tasty, crisp and refreshing on a day like this. I just calculated the points based on its official nutritional info, and the entire salad, with dressing and croutons, comes to 7 points. Excellent!

I also learned an exciting tip from the WW boards recently. I have waxed poetic here before about my love for Jello Fat-Free Pudding Cups, a delightful 2 point snack. Well, it turns out that Jello's Sugar-Free Pudding Cups are only ONE POINT EACH! So I've made the switch.

Today's Safeway Fun

Going to the grocery store on a day off is great - it's totally empty!

Today's WW-friendly deals:

- South Beach granola bars - $2.00, reg price $3.99
- Lean Cuisine pizza - $2.20, reg price $3.29
- Kraft reduced fat shredded cheese - $2.50, reg price $3.29
- Yoplait Nouriche yogurt smoothies - $1.66, reg price $1.99
- Fresh Express bag salads - $3.00, reg price $3.59
- Bagged Micro-ready Spinach - $2.50, reg price $3.99
- Lucerne Non-fat Yogurt - 50 cents, reg price 60 cents
- Safeway light pink lemonade drink mix - BOGO! 2 for $3.99

Lean Pockets were also on sale but I didn't see my favorite kind, so I skipped it. I'm looking forward to a good weekend of friendly food!

Remember

how I said that I'm a stress eater? Yeah, this week has not been so good. I tripped and stumbled and landed on my ass as I fell off the wagon.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow....

If Anything is a Motivator...

for losing weight.... it's pantyhose! Goddamn I hate wearing them! No matter what size I am, I feel like a tube of sausage.

But I'm in total stress mode at work over the next 3 days, so I anticipate using all of my Flexies. I have a beyond-my-control Board dinner tonight and a beyond-my-control Board breakfast tomorrow. Plus we're anticipating a major, major bit of news tomorrow about a $5 million proposal. So if we get it, there will be drinking and celebrating. If we don't get it, there will be drinking and crying.

Yeah, it's a week of minefields. But all I can think about is how much I hate pantyhose!

Slow but Steady

I lost another pound! Sure, I wish it would've been more cuz this was the first week that I was really back on plan for a while, but I'll take it where I can get it. I did use most of my Flex Points this week, and I think I'm gonna stay with this strategy. I know some people who never, ever use their Flex Points, but I know they are what give me the flexibility (natch) to be able to stick with this plan.

So, I'm 12 pounds down overall. It feels good!

I Exercised!

Yeah, yeah, I should've been doing it all along. And I actually haven't even been walking as much as I should be, cuz it's been cold enough that the darn bus right in front of my door is way too tempting.

But today I sucked it up and decided to get in some actual exercise. I still couldn't bring myself to go down to the gym (I didn't want to shower beforehand, cuz... why?) so I dusted off one of the many exercise videos that I have laying on the shelf.

I spent 30 minutes with Neena and Veena, the Belly Twins, doing a beginning "Bellydance for Fitness" tape. This is an oldy-but-goody that's actually kinda fun. I'm so glad no one can see me shimmying around my apartment. I'm sure it's a sight to see, but one I'm not ready to show anybody! This is a good low-impact workout that really focuses on the mid-section, and it always stretches some hip and ab muscles that I never knew I had. So, while I won't be ready for an evening at Marrakesh anytime....ever... it is a good workout.

I'll try to dust off another exercise tape again soon. Or one of these days I'll find my feet taking me into the gym for real!

Mmmmmm..... Tasty!

So I ended up going for broccoli, stirring in about 1/2 bag of frozen florets into the package of risotto. Oh my God, it was so tasty. I absolutely ate the whole entire thing. But, guess what? I just calcuated the points, figuring it would be around 12 or so, and the entire thing was only 8 points!!! I think it's cuz it's fairly low-fat, with just a little bit of olive oil in there. This dinner will be making a repeat appearance for sure.

Stir-In Ideas?

I've been scanning the pantry trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight. I don't want to make a grocery run, partly because I'm having a lazy Oscar Sunday and partly because I've got to use up stuff from the freezer and pantry.

I have 2 options as I see it for dinner tonight: my big bean & corn Spanish rice dish, or something risotto-related. I love my Spanish rice, but since I did eat that turkey chili for several meals last week I kinda think I need to give my tummy a break. And all of those ingredients keep forever, so there's no rush.

Which leaves me with the risotto idea. I have a box (don't scream, you homemade risotto people!) of creamy parmesan style Lundberg risotto mix. What I'm wondering is if I can make it a little healthier and make it stretch further by mixing in some veggies. I have tons of frozen broccoli and I also have some frozen spinach. I'd be willing to use either to mix in, and I'm not sure yet which sounds better with a Creamy Parmesan flavor. Maybe the spinach?

Actually, I also have a box of garlic couscous mix, which could be used in much the same way. The same veggies could be stirred in there, as well.

Ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?

One of My Food Quirks

Here's a silly little secret I've decided to share with you...

On weekend mornings, when I'm feeling lazy and all snuggly in my pj's, one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is.... spaghetti! I just love hot, warm pasta on a comfy morning.

I think it's because my usual weekday breakfast routine is fast and low-point, so I really only have yogurt, egg beaters, and oatmeal around in the house as breakfast food. So on weekends, when I normally would love something big and filling like pancakes, I don't have any of those ingredients in the house. (And, really, I don't want them - WW is much easier with no maple syrup in the kitchen.) But I still crave a hot, starchy meal. So, voila! Spaghetti for breakfast. I've been doing it for years.

My Next Reward!

Thanks to Lady B's good suggestion, I have decided on what my next reward will be. When I hit the 15-pound mark, I'm gonna splurge and buy myself some cooking supplies! I want a good chef's knife and a new skillet. Depending on prices, I could go for a knife set. Scotte and Dancer in DC were giving me some good tips on what to look for in a knife, so I feel a little more confident as I'm trolling around looking at the options on Amazon. I may make it a whole-day reward, and plan to take a day off, hop in a ZipCar, and head to the big Cherry Hill Road Target for my cookware shopping. I'm not promising that having better equipment will suddenly, magically turn me into a chef - or even someone who truly enjoys cooking - but I do think it'll help give me more options. Just being able to chop vegetables and cube a chicken breast would be an improvement!

My Diet-iversary!

Today marks two months of being back on WW!

As you all know, the 2nd month was much harder than the 1st, but I maintained all of my progress and I now feel like I'm back on track after all of the diet challenges in February. As they say, "it's a lifestyle, not a diet" - so it's all about learning to live this way over time and not trying to do any crash, quick changes.

Now it's time to start planning my next reward. I think I'll consider myself having "earned" it when I hit 15 pounds lost total. I'm not sure what I want this reward to be, though. Any suggestions???

Home Court Advantage

I had a whole combo of "not feeling great" things going on when I woke up this morning, so I decided to use some of my mountains of accrued time for a day off. I'm sorry it means I had to cancel on dinner/movie plans for tonight, but that actually helps with both my points and my wallet for the day. (Yikes, a March 1 rent increase.)

Anyway - I'm amazed today as I often am on weekends how much easier it is to stick to the points when I'm eating all of my food at home. Since I bought a lot of groceries this week, my kitchen is still really well stocked and I've had all kinds of choices at my disposal.

I had a yogurt smoothie for breakfast, leftover turkey chili for lunch (is it possible that it tasted better now than it did on Sunday? the flavors were so rick!), and some hummus and reduced fat wheat thins for a snack. I think I will probably drink an entire pitcher of Crystal Light pink lemonade, as well. I am so much better about drinking water/crystal light at home than at work.

For dinner, I really want some protein. I may crack open the Butterball turkey kielbasa (Lady B, you know how good those are!) and have that. Or I've got a bunch of LC/SO options in the freezer. With a low point dinner like that, I could still have some popcorn later....

I could never stand to stay at home all the time, but it is nice to have a break and suhc a guilt-free day. And the fact that I've been watching Food Network all afternoon hasn't even affected me. But, I do already have lunch plans with friends tomorrow.... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

Exciting Dinner Plans

I'm going out for dinner tonight, and luckily my gal pals are fellow fans of the best possible WW-friendly dining out fare: SUSHI! I'm excited! I plan to have some tom yum soup and a couple of orders of rolls, plus a glass of wine. It's a lot of food for relatively low points.

I did have a big lunch today, but it was reallly tasty. I went for that Au Bon Pain steak salad and a cup of blueberry yogurt. ABP changed their salad dressings! It's not in the little tubs anymore. Now it's Marzetti brand dressing in the little foil packets. Oh well, it was still tasty. I did decide to treat myself a bit today with a 5-point ABP cookie. But, I counted it and plan to use my Flexies wisely to cover that plus a little of the dinner. Good times.