Houston, We Have A Problem

A communication problem.  A disconnect.  A MAJOR malfunction.

Remember that whole “listening to your body’s cues” and “paying attention to hunger signals” ? 

WHAT???  HUH????  WHAT DID YOU SAY???

Yeah, my body is so deaf and in need of a hearing aid right now.  I am just eating up a storm with reckless abandon.  Bad stuff.  I know I’m not classifying my food as “good” and “bad” anymore, but it definitely deserves a “bad” label when all the choices revolve around this…

and this…

I did manage a couple of semi-healthful meals… this…

and this…

But, the majority of the day revolved around junk.  And for no apparent reason other than the fact that it was there.

Exercise even fell by the wayside;  all I got in was a quick Shake…

Which does seem like a ridiculous contraption that wouldn’t do much of anything, but my arms do burn even after I’m done.

But, that was it. 

I’m a little disappointed in myself, however, I’m not completely discouraged and lost.  I can only try to bounce back and make good choices today.  Even if it’s just one meal, it’s better than nothing.  It all counts.  One meal.  One step at a time.

Houston?  Come in, Houston?  Copy that :)

ONE GOOD THING:  Even though I didn’t make good choices, I don’t feel a complete sense of fear and frustration.  I realized that I can get myself out of this pattern and back to eating right.  I don’t feel overwhelmed, so far gone and that “ I’ll never be able to do this” feeling.  For once, I didn’t have that fear that I’ll go back to the way I used to eat and gain back all my weight.  No going back.  Onward…

Have a great day, everyone!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Running On Empty

This was one of those days when I was running from morning to night!  It started with an early dentist appointment, so I had to eat a quick breakfast.  I decided on a Banana Nut Vitatop…

 

I really like these…

Can you believe I ate it without any topping??? 

Then brushed, flossed and headed to the dentist.  Which I hate.  But, ya gotta do it.  Thankfully, it was just a cleaning and I got out of there unscathed!  Until January, when the drilling will commence :(

I stopped home to pick up my BFF…

 

 

then made a pit stop at Grams’ house to say “hi” and off again to little daughter’s school to help with a book fair.  By this time, I was starving!  I couldn’t wait to get home for lunch, but it had to wait until after my 3 mile run.  Boo! 

I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it through the run without any food in my stomach, so I had a few bites of banana…

 

That’s about all I can handle before a run.  I can’t run with a full stomach or even a half full one, but a few bites seems to be okay. 

It was perfect weather for an outdoor run – sunny and 60 degrees!  I took advantage of it and did my run in my hilly neighborhood.  The first mile was a little shaky;  I haven’t done hills in a while, but I took my time, kept my breathing even and managed to crank it all out!

I felt really good when I was done.  And really ready to eat!!  It was a great opportunity to try out one of the Bean and Rice Burritos from the freezer.   My heating instructions…

• loosely wrap frozen burrito in a slightly damp paper towel
• place in microwave on defrost for 2 minutes
• after slightly defrosted, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes
• let stand for 1 minute or you will burn the bejesus out of your mouth

I served it with a Fuji apple butt…     :D

So hearty and filling;  I almost couldn’t finish the whole thing…almost…

I barely finished my last bite before I was out the door again to pick up the daughters for afterschool activities which lasted until dinner time.

I wasn’t super hungry, so I fixed dinner for the family and waited a bit until I figured out what to eat.  I finally opted for a Tofu Scramble using up some of the leftovers in the fridge.  In the mix…

• 1/2 package Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu
• diced red onion
• 3 baby carrots, sliced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/4 cup black beans

I came across this cheese in the natural foods section of Giant Supermarket and thought I’d add it to the mix (to practice for Vegan for a Day!)…

One word – funky.

I ended up adding an ounce of 2% cheese which made it all taste delicious :)

Served with a toasted whole wheat pita for crunch…

I thought I might have some dessert tonight, but ended up ditching that idea since I was full.  I even had to dig into the box of Cheez-its for big daughter’s snack and didn’t feel the need to dive head first into the box!  As if I would fit  ;P

ONE GOOD THING:  I felt really good about how I approached my food today.  Even though breakfast was on the light side, I didn’t use that as an excuse to overeat later in the day.  I felt more in touch with my body and my hunger cues today.  Honestly, I’ve been struggling with it for the past few weeks (more to come on that – I promise!), but today I tuned in!

Have a great day, everyone!

Random Question of the Day:  What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Minefields All Around

Rain drops keep falling on my head. Lots of them. It has been raining all day, nonstop! And it's chilly. This does not feel like June! But, I'm sure it'll be hot enough before we know it. Since the weather was not cooperating, I decided on some indoor activity this morning. For something different, I popped in the Shred DVD and let Jillian whip my butt for 20 minutes. I haven't done it in a while, but I wasn't as weak as when I first started it back in Feb. Such a great workout in a short amount of time!



Then, I dug into some breakfast. Today was a Banana Nut Vitatop with PB2 for 2 yummy POINTS...





I spent the rest of the morning at little daughter's school for a year end picnic. They held it indoors due to the rain. They had their beach towels set up all over the gym and we served them their lunch on their towels. Oh, the temptation! Fresh, hot soft pretzels! Fresh, hot, cheesy pizza! Thankfully, I was serving the pizza instead of handing out the pretzels. Both are trouble, but the pretzels would have done me in. I was able to dodge them. Funny how I watched all the skinny moms digging into the pizza without a care in the world. Can it really be that easy? Can you just eat a slice or two of pizza and let that be it? No triggering a foodfest of grand proportions? Ah, that is the life! While the kids were having sno-cones scooped out for them, I cleaned up and made a bee line out of there and straight home to make a healthy lunch. I went with a big chicken and white bean salad with tomatoes, basil and a sprinkle of goat cheese...

I dressed it with a homemade light vinagrette, all for 7 POINTS...

I still felt like having some crunch after, so I decided on this new TJ's find...

Isn't that interesting? They are made with lentil flour and potato starch. You get 31 curls for 2 POINTS...

I just had a half serving for 1 POINT...

They are pretty tasty. They have a bit of an aftertaste to them that I can't quite describe. Kinda fishy?? I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but I don't know how else to explain the flavor. Maybe more like some of those fried chinese noodles. Yeah, that's it! I'll try them again to see if I can come up with a better description :)

No afternoon snack. I'm "trying" to modify my behavior, so I just had some iced coffee today with REAL sugar for 1 POINT...

Well, the husband would like me to modify my behavior all right. I was a starving, nasty, huffy banshee by dinner time! I picked up the daughters from an afterschool playdate, came in and got all huffed up because the husband hadn't turned on the grill and gotten the burgers on yet! Poor guy! My head was pounding, so I grabbed a couple carrots while the burgers finished cooking. I started to feel better, then and more like a human instead of an animal! I munched down my Ranch Turkey burger on whole wheat bun with watermelon and carrots for 7 POINTS...

For dessert, I went with 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free French Chocolate topped with Hershey's Sugar Free Syrup for 1 POINT...

Blech! That sugar free syrup is absolutely gross! It had a strong chemical taste. Yuck. Ruined the ice cream; I had to chuck it :(

Glad I made it through the minefield today! Next up....another graduation party tomorrow!!! Aaaaahhhhh, get me off this party ciruit!!!!

Have a great night =)

The Scale Will Come Out...Tomorrow

Hey, it's tomorrow! That's what I said to myself first thing this morning. Not gonna dwell on the cookie/pretzel incident at the party. Gotta get back in the saddle. I was scared smart enough to avoid the scale so as to not ruin my day :) But, I can't keep running from it. I have to get on and see where I'm at to make sure I'm not going too far in the wrong direction. My clothes still fit, so I guess I'm okay. Although, come to think of it, when I first started on this weight loss journey, it took me having to lose 27 lbs. before I came down a pants size. How the hell tight was I wearing my friggin clothes??? So, what do I know! But, I will not go there. The scale will come out. There's always tomorrow :)


On this bright new "tomorrow" day, I had to head out first thing to get both my car and the husbands' car oil changed. No, I don't have a clone. I had to drive back and forth which pretty much took up the entire morning. A clone would have been nice :) Anyhoo, I grabbed a breakfast to go before heading out - Banana Nut Vitatop and a blueberry crackshake for 3 POINTS...

Many of you have asked how to make the crackshakes. You can click HERE and HERE for some ideas. The base is really just unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and a tbsp. sugar free, fat free instant pudding mix and ice! Add whatever fruit you are in the mood for and count the POINTS accordingly. Warning: they are addictive; hence the name!

Breakfast didn't hold me over long and I was starving when I finally got home around lunch time. I made a big plate of food. I went with a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on an Arnold Sandwhich Thin with a slice of 2% cheese, carrots, TJ's sour cream and onion rice chips and an apple with Lighthouse Reduced Sugar Caramel Dip. A huge spread for 8 POINTS...

That huge lunch carried me through until dinner. Mission accomplished! I made pasta for the husband and daughters and took out my homemade frozen dinner of the Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce from last week. I paired it with one of TJ's stirfry veggie eggrolls for a delicious 7 POINT dinner...

After dinner, the doorbell rang with a special delivery. A while back, I won Danica's Mac Pack Giveaway from Annie's and it came today! Yay! Thanks again, Danica!

I was craving a dessert tonight and decided to change it up a bit. I went with a ClifZ Chocolate Brownie Bar topped with PB2 for 3 POINTS. Super yum...

And I'm still trying out my counting "experiment". I'm going to give it a few weeks to see if it makes any difference for me. Or for the scale!

Have a great night everyone =)

Going Bananas Morning And Night

I continued my sunglass wearing conduct today in protest of the weather. It is just gray and dismal with scattered showers and it's getting on my nerves! More rain is called for tomorrow. When, oh when will it end??!!!


Before getting little daughter off to school, I had a quick breakfast. I broke out a Banana Nut Vitatop, heated it in the micro for 20 seconds and topped it with PB2 for 2 POINTS! Oh my greatness...


I found these Banana Nut Vitatops to be very moist. I was surprised at the amount of chopped walnuts on it, too. The only critique I would have is that I think the banana flavor is lacking a bit. More like a hint of banana, not a strong banana flavor. Still an excellent muffin for calories/POINTS.

After school drop-off, I headed to Starbucks to meet up with my good friend, Rosie. HI ROSIE!!!!! We don't get to see each other as often as we would like, so it was nice to catch up. She is such a wonderful person, inside and out! While chatting it up, I had a Tall Caramel Light Frappuccino -no whip for 2 POINTS...


I have to say that these fraps are awesome! I kind of feel that they are too good to be true in the calorie department. I guess the scale will tell!

After Starbucks, I decided to ignore the crappo weather and went for a run at the nearby trail. It was terrific! I ran for 45 minutes and I was in one of those moods that I felt like I just wanted to keep going and going. But, I had some errand to get done, so I called it quits after that and ended with 30 tricep dips using the picnic table. Then came the pain. My left hip gets sore sometimes after I run. Anyone have this happen or know why this happens?? I thought since my hip is attached to my big fat butt that jiggles around the entire time I run that it just may be the way my hip protests to this torturous activity. I know, not very scientific, but definitely a viable explanation ;)


When I got home, I tried this new SoBe Lifewater...

I saw this a while ago on someone's blog; I think it may have been either Kelly's or Connie's - sorry I don't remember! I really liked it. I tried the fuji apple pear flavor and it was a delicious 0 Points!

For lunch, I went with a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty in a Weight Watchers Pita with shredded lettuce, tomato and a slice of 2 % cheese. Some soy crisps and carrots rounded out this tasty 6 POINT lunch...




I didn't plan on an afternoon snack, but ended up nibbling on some cantaloupe and pineapple while I was cutting and prepping them(no pic). At least it was a healthy 2 POINT snack!



I haven't been very creative for dinner lately. I decided to try to use up all the veggies I have in the fridge and settled on another tofu scramble. This mix was...

• 1/2 block Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu
• 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
• 1/4 c. chopped red pepper
• 1 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1/8 c. chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 c. baby spinach
• 2 tbsp. salsa
• garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

And to spice it up, a slice of this...

A ginormous one dish meal with an Easy Roll for 6 POINTS...

Later, I went with this for dessert...

So good! A mix of chocolate, strawberry and banana froyo! A serving is 1/2 cup (68 gr.) for 2 POINTS...

Another good eating day in the bag! So far so good. I just keep thinking....GOAL! I'm ready for it, now :D

Just another reminder - there's still time to enter my cool DogToys Giveaway! You can click HERE to enter! C'mon, your pooch really wants those goodies!

Have a great night everyone!!!!