A Do Over

So glad that’s over!  Anyone else feel that way about Halloween?  The influx of candy had been building all week, then big daughter got sick with the flu and my stress/emotional eating spell began.  Friday and Saturday were a blur of chocolate, sugar, cheese, bread, pizza and chips.  There was no semblance of health involved in any of the choices I made.  Actually, there were a few meals that I attempted to pull together something healthy, but ended up eating other things because eating something healthy didn’t even taste good.  I even ditched the exercise.  I have to say that I was scared for a minute.  I thought that I had gone completely off the deep end;  you know, that slippery slope that sends you back to old eating habits and 70 pounds heavier in no time flat.  *insert horror movie scream*.  Terrifying.

Saturday afternoon, I was doing some cleaning of clutter and came across a few pictures of myself.  There aren’t very many of me during the “fat years” which was a span of 10 years.  I was the one usually behind the camera.  I often joke to the husband that he could easily “off me” and there would be no evidence that I existed because most of the pictures of our family vacations and outings with the daughters are just of him and the girls!  I did happen to come across a few while cleaning out a bookcase and I was stunned to see the pictures of myself.  In the pictures, I had a smile on my face, but I knew that I hated the way that I looked…

  I realize while looking at these, that there is no going back for me.  I cannot be that person again.  I won’t do it.  But, when I have gone this far off the deep end this weekend, it is so hard to get back on track.  How do I go back to trying to eat intuitively when I dropped it like a hot potato?  A fried one?  There was only one answer…

Nike knows their stuff :)

That brings me to today.  I am stoked for a new month!  It’s gonna be a busy one and I’m going to think long and hard about how I will manage the eating season.  I know the issue is not the food, it’s how I react to the emotions and stress in my daily life.  I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I will keep on keepin’ on:)

First thing on the agenda was to fill up this guy…

I’ve been really slacking on my water which is weird since I’ve always been a huge chugger.

Then, I tackled the first meal of the day –breakfast.  Nothing was appealing to me.  I still had sugar coursing through my veins!  I was going to skip it altogether, but know that usually comes back to haunt me!

I decided on a tasting breakfast plate…

It got better from there!  Lunch was a bowl of black bean soup…

and a good hunk of cornbread…

The afternoon was long and filled with bowls of candy in every room!  I opted for some skim milk and a Ginger Apple Oat Breakfast Cookie…

Dinner was a family favorite – Chicken Cutlets and broccoli.  Instead of offering rustic Italian bread on the side, I decided to try out this Beer Bread mix from Trader Joe’s…

Just calls for a  bottle of this to make it…

I haven’t had much luck with Beer Bread before.  The husband and daughters have not been fans, so I held my beer breath on this one!  It baked up beautifully in only 45 minutes and I didn’t detect much of a beer smell or taste at all.  Everyone loved it!  It was a nice, dense and slightly chewy bread.  I think it would make for a great grilled cheese, too. 

I served myself  a small slice with dinner…

but dug into another slice before putting the remainder of the loaf away! 

JUST DO IT!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I realized today that I can do this.  I can get back on track.  I can keep the weight off.  I can do it…for life :)

Spice It Up

It’s here!  I picked up my new laptop.  It’s an HP something or other.  I’m very technical, can you tell?  Anyway, the husband said it was a good one and the price was right which was the most important thing!  So shiny and new…

No more ghetto monitor hook-up :)

 

I skipped the gym in favor of meeting a friend early for coffee.  I had planned on getting a treat at the Starbucks, so I just had a Chobani nonfat blueberry yogurt before leaving…

At the Starbucks, you know what was calling my name…

I love Pumpkin Spice Light Frappuccino !!!

Lots of gabbing went on, then I had to leave for a call about some “blog stuff”.  More on that soon ;)  Tease!

I ended up way late for lunch again.  I was past the starving point and starting to get shaky.  The easiest thing that came to mind was a wrap, so I quickly threw together  turkey, chipotle pepper hummus and baby spinach in a high fiber tortilla.  Some POPchips and grapes and I was good to go…

Gobble, gobble.  I don’t even know if I tasted any of it, except for the hummus which, WHEW, did I say this was mild before?  It seemed pretty spicy today and basically overpowered the turkey.  I really do like it, though.  I’ve never been a fan of spicy things, but some do grow on me.  I just like to taste all the components of a sandwich or wrap, otherwise what’s the point of putting it in there, right?

Since lunch was so late, I didn’t feel the need for a snack and I kinda had a stomachache anyway.  Probably from scarfing down my lunch!

I decided on a simple dinner of Chicken Cutlets and Zucchini with Beans.  The chicken cutlets are always a hit with the husband and daughters, but I knew the zucchini with beans were going to be a tough sell.  For this easy dish, I pan-fried some fresh sliced zucchini and added in a can of Trader Joe’s Marinated Bean Salad.  Before serving, I added some sliced mozzarella (2 lite string cheese, cut-up) to try to entice the haters…

Very tasty!  I think it would make a great topping for pasta, too.  The husband was good with it;  the daughters not so much.  Try, try again.

I ended the night with THE HOMEWORK WARS and a few Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites…

Have a great one!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I’m starting to think in terms of planning for certain treats.  If I know I want something, I cut back somewhere else to accommodate for the treat and I’m not doing it in a way that seems threatening or depriving.  It’s starting to feel like a natural progression.

Question of the Day:  Do you like spicy food?

Lazin' Around

I got in too late to post last night, so here's a little update on my day yesterday...


I was slow going in the morning. My hips (now my left side hurts, too) were still sore, so I bagged exercise today. I wanted to get in some weights, but that never happened :( After lazing around, I got up and had breakfast. I wasn't very hungry, so a CranBran Vitatop and fresh pineapple with shredded coconut was just the right meal...


Still slow going after breakfast, but I managed to do some de-cluttering of various rooms in the house. By lunch time, I felt more like eating. I had some leftover zucchini and some chickpeas that sounded good to me, so I combined them and made a Zucchini Chickpea Quesadilla using a store brand high fiber tortilla (La Tortilla Factory clone) and some asiago cheese. The fruit and veg stash is seriously low (need to go to the produce store), but I managed to scrape up some grapes to go with it...


The asiago cheese makes it! I am loving this cheese lately. It is full of flavor and only 50 calories per slice so you get a lot of taste for not many calories...

I had an eye doctor appointment in the late afternoon and then a meet-up with an old friend ( hi Teresa!!!) from high school! It was so good to see her and catch up. We gabbed away, sitting at her kitchen table over some delicious espresso.

I finally left realizing I was way late for dinner at the parents! Big trouble!!! Our dinner was in honor of my nephew going off to college. Sniff..sniff. Mom and Gram made all of his favorites: tortellini, chicken cutlets, green beans with garlic and evoo and green salad. They were finished eating by the time I got there, but there was plenty left to eat! I was starving by this time and dove right in...

Right before bed, I felt a little hungry, but it seemed too late to eat and I felt too lazy to go down to the kitchen, so I headed off to sleep! I'm sure my body will make up for it today as I am already starving!!!

See you later tonight!

Have a great day everyone =)

Ride On

Finally!!!! Some sun! We woke up to a beautiful morning. The husband and I decided to ride bikes to go get some bagels for the morning's breakfast. It was a nice 2 mile ride in the sun! While everyone chowed down on giant bagels, I made my cereal bowl of 3/4 c. Puffins, 1/2 c. Almond Breeze and strawberries for 3 POINTS...



After breakfast, I took another 2 mile bike ride to return a movie. I am loving this bike riding! I was thinking during my ride how nice it would be to live in a little town where you could ride your bike everywhere. I would have one of those cruiser-type bikes with a cute wicker basket on the front. I might even wear a big hat with a giant flower on the front! LOL!


Before heading to the pool for the afternoon, I made an easy lunch of leftover roasted chicken breast with lettuce and a half slice of cheese on a small whole wheat roll. I had more carrots and pineapple to go with it. A quick 5 POINT lunch...

We spent the afternoon swimming in the toasty pool. I love heated pools! I took the opportunity to do more pool exercises (about 40 min.) and then goofed around with the husband and daughters in the pool. It was a great time!


We headed home late in the afternoon and I was starving! I dug into some pretzel sticks...

and some Annie's Cheddar Bunnies...

Mom and Gram made another wonderful dinner tonight. I was feeling hungry, but I mentally prepared myself before sitting down. I took a few minutes to "talk to myself" and figure out what my game plan was going to be. I thought about exactly how I wanted my plate to look with the prepared food and told myself to stick with my plan. My plate looked just like it did in my mind...

I enjoyed every bit, passed on the bread, and put my silverware on my dish and pushed myself back from the table when I was finished. I was still engaged in the table conversation, but wasn't tempted to add more food to my plate. I felt good about that =)

And after dinner, guess what I did?? Big daughter and I went for another 2.5 mile bike ride! I'm a ridin' fool today! When we got back, I dug into a bowl of Breyer's Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream topped with about 1/4 c. freeze dried blueberries and a squirt of Hershey's Special Dark syrup for 3 POINTS...

Another day of sun is on tap for tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to some beach lounging! See you tomorrow; have a great night!!!

Food And Family

It was another early morning. I really wanted to sleep in a bit, but for some reason I am waking up at 6:30 a.m.! I'm still on Florida exercise time. So, it was up and at 'em. I caught up on some blogs, then headed to the treadmill for 5K Saturday. Sadly, I only made it 2 1/2 miles due to an aching ankle. Don't know what's up with that, so I didn't want to push it. I may try again tomorrow if time permits.



After my run, I ventured to the scale for the "after vacation weigh in". I was up .2 lbs. I was completely pissed for a minute. I thought after all that walking, extra morning exercise and basically making healthy choices that I might lose a little. But, after mulling it over, I can't be mad. I didn't journal, count POINTS, drink my regular amount of water and eat my normal portions of food, so I really shouldn't complain or be upset! Just being so close to goal is making me nutty! I want to GET THERE!!!!!! Alright, enough of my boo-hoo-ing; let's GET to the food...



As you can tell lately, I am in love with Ezekiel buns/muffins. While I was in Trader Joe's yesterday, I found this "Ezekiel" knockoff...







The nutritionals are great (click on the picture to see ...)




I toasted up 2 slices and topped it with 1 tbsp. lite cream cheese. Mmmmm! Loved this 3 POINT brekkie...

I spent the rest of the morning making marinara sauce and prepping for dinner this evening. I finally got around to lunch which was another Trader Joe's find...

I never met a canned soup that I loved until this one! It is so delicious and only 2 POINTS per serving...

Along with the soup, I had a tasting plate of carrots, Kashi TLC crackers and a light string cheese for 3 POINTS...

It was such a filling lunch, I made it all the way to dinner without a snack! I am noticing since I have been trying to eat "cleaner" and more of what Weight Watchers calls "filling foods", I have had less cravings for junky things, have a lot more energy and have been sleeping better/more deeply. I really like the way my body is feeling eating this way!

I invited my in-laws over for dinner tonight. I decided to try out a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook, Simply the Best Italian. It was Rigatoni with Three Cheeses. I used ziti since I had some on hand and it was delish! Like a mac n cheese, but not as creamy. Everyone liked it! I liked that it was only 5 POINTS!! I doubled the recipe so it served 8. Now I have some leftovers for later in the week. I would definitely make this again, next time with whole wheat pasta...

I also made the family favorite, chicken cutlets...

and Gram's green beans...

Can't forget the rustic Italian bread...

The family table...

My plate...

I also snagged a slice of bread. I tried to resist, but it jumped out of the basket and on to my plate! It landed in the juice from the green beans/tomato, so I had to eat it ;)

For dessert, I made No Pudge Brownies. I seriously love these. They are all natural and taste so rich and fudgy, just like a brownie should! I paired mine with some strawberries and a tbsp. of freshly whipped cream for 4 POINTS...

I ended the night with some coffee and Wii Bowling which I supremely stink at :( Well, I'm off to spend some time with the husband. Have a great night =)

Shot Myself In The Foot

Or in the rear, depending on how you want to look at it :( What this means is that, my main meals had all the components for a good 'on program' eating day, however I completely messed up in the snack department. The first thing that threw me off, was that stinkin book, Twilight! It was so good, I had to finish it this morning. So I lounged around all morning reading and didn't get around to breakfast or working out until way late. I ended up just having a slice of pumpkin cranberry bread and an orange ...



I decided to save working out for later. I was even debating on bagging it altogether today! Shocking, I know! It seems that if I don't "just do it" in the morning, I can easily talk myself out of it later! I did end up doing about 35 half -hearted minutes on the elliptical.

Anyway, lunchtime rolled around and I went with a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce and a smear of TJ's red pepper spread. I was in the mood for lots of crunch, so I had carrots and a serving of Kettle Baked Potato Chips. Not bad for 5 POINTS...

Then came, TOM. I know that is TMI; sorry :0! I knew that things may go downhill from here because I was feeling 100% munchie and I had not many Weekly Allowance Points left. I thought maybe I should make some popcorn for volume and saltiness craving, but I went against my initial instinct and had a Weight Watchers Berries and Cream Yogurt with 3/4 c. Puffins for 2 POINTS...

I also had a cup of coffee and then had about 200 snacks!!! Okay, not 200, but A LOT! Way more than I have POINTS for. It was a bad scene. It's very embarassing to admit to all this, but I am trying to be as honest as possible in documenting this weight loss journey. I wish I could say I eat perfectly and on program all the time, but there are times I am just WAAAAAY out of control. I was semi-aware of what I was doing at the time. Sometimes, though, it almost seems as if I am in a trance; moving from pantry to fridge, munching and munching. Then, I become too far gone to care and I just finish it off. I snapped out of it at dinner. I planned some chicken cutlets, baked sweet potato chips, broccoli and 1/2 garlic roll. Back to "healthy", right???

No dessert tonight! Not even sounding good at this point. I do this dumb thing every once in a while where I'm almost to my next milestone (this time it's only 1 lb. from a 70 lb. loss) and I end up going overboard with eating which makes me miss the target. Ugh. So frustrating! But, this is a journey. I know I'll get passed it. I'll refocus and I'll get there. Just maybe not this week :( Boo:(

Making It Through

I ended up making it through the day fairly well. Thankfully, the way my body was feeling was a constant reminder to stay on track.

For a snack today, I decided to try one of these bars that I had picked up a while ago...



This bar was actually developed by a weight loss surgeon! The package says to eat a Fullbar with glass of water, 30 minutes before your mealtime and you are supposed to want to eat less and be satisfied at your next meal. Hey, I'm game! The nutritionals were pretty decent for this fairly large bar: 150 cal., 2.5 gr. fat and 5 gr. fiber = 2 Points. Here it is, up close and personal...

This bar was o.k. It was a little chewy and had a strong cinnamon flavor. This bar flavor was supposed to be cranberry almond, but there weren't many almonds, mainly sunflower seeds. Not sure I would buy these again. Not sure if I could say I wanted to "eat less" at my next meal either, but I didn't follow the directions exactly since I had this more like 1 1/2 hrs. before my dinner. In any event, it did o.k. as a snack bar.

Dinner tonight was chicken cutlets for the family. I am so glad I found a way to make these so that I can enjoy them, too. My main trick is to "pan fry" my breaded cutlet first in just cooking spray. Then, I fry the rest for the family in olive oil. My breading is the same for all, so it's just as tasty and a 4 oz. cutlet comes to only 5 Points this way! I also made some roasted cauliflower which I loved and could have eaten the entire batch of. I decided to have the last 2 tbsp. of white bean dip with a few carrots and some New York Style 96% fat free garlic mini bagel chips. It was a filling dinner, all for 10 Points...

I had 2 Points left for dessert and these guys were calling my name...

I used a half serving of them to top my 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churned Chocolate Ice Cream...

It was yummy and very sugary, which scared me a little, but I seemed to have survived without incident! Yeah, one day down. I made sure to journal/track everything I ate and I even got in a little extra exercise on the trampoline with the daughters. All in all, a day I can feel good about. Hopefully, my body will get the message and I won't feel so yucky tomorrow!

See you in the a.m. =)

What's In There

I have been really good about eating my meals at home. When I am out most of the day running around, I am tempted to eat whatever is out there. I tend to not make the healthiest choice and I don't usually feel satisfied . My new strategy has been to take a "lunch break" at home. Sometimes it's a royal pain to do this, but I make out better with my healthy eating goals when I follow through with it.



The Power Pumpkin Pancakes stayed with me for a lot longer than I thought this morning. But by 1 p.m., I was starving! Funny how it happens all at once. I headed home for my "lunch break" and tried to figure out what looked good to eat. My first thought was a quick wrap, but then the leftover potato skins jumped out at me. I looked around for something to top them with and I found a Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Sante Fe in the freezer. I don't normally eat these dinners; they aren't usually that great and are super loaded with sodium. Plus, it's just not enough food for me. But, I figured I should eat what's in there before stocking up on more food. See, I'm getting better at not wasting!!! This frozen meal is not too bad taste -wise and it was only 2 Points...





I heated the potato skins in the toaster oven. Meanwhile, I nuked the Chicken Santa Fe for the required time. I filled the skins with the Chicken Santa Fe and topped them with a slice of 2% cheese divided over the 4 skins. Carrots were a nice side...




I weighed the skins before filling and they came to 3 0z. which is only 1 Point! With the chicken and the cheese, these only came to 4 Points! So great and filling.



I packed a snack for the afternoon. I had grapes and a Curves Strawberries and Cream Granola Bar...

Thursday nights are usually breakfast for dinner since we get home late, but I was prepared tonight! Before we left for afterschool activities, I made Chicken Cutlets -a family favorite. I decided I would have the same dinner as the family, so I breaded the cutlets as I usually would except I used egg whites instead of whole eggs. Also, I pan fried my cutlet first and used only cooking spray in a nonstick skillet. Then, I added the oil to fry the rest for the family. It worked out great! I still got the taste of a homemade Chicken Cutlet without all the fat! I used the leftover scooped out potato (from the skins) and made mashed potatoes for the family. I had a bit of leftover butternut squash and we all had salad (mine dressed with Marie's Light Blue Cheese). Awesome dinner...

In my fridge exploration, I also found these biscuits...

I'm not sure why I have these! No one in this family really likes them. I figured I would play with them and see if I could make Mini Apple Turnovers. I peeled and diced(small) one large apple and placed it in a bowl. I added 1/2 tbsp. sugar and 1/8 tsp. cinnamon. I flattened out each biscuit (dust with flour, they can stick) , added about 1 tbsp. of apple mixture and folded over. I crimped the edges with a fork and placed on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. I sprayed the tops with cooking spray and sprinkled a little more sugar and cinnamon. They baked for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Here's how they turned out...

I ran these through my Weight Watchers Recipe Builder and they came out to 1 Point per turnover! One of these biscuit tubes makes 10 turnovers.

These tasted fine on their own. They do have that "biscuit taste", but the apple flavor was good. I thought this dessert would be MUCH better, if it was apple turnover A LA MODE!! Since I had the Points, I added a serving of Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream...

Leave it to me to add more calories... :)

Hope everyone had a great day!