POINTless

Greetings from the beach! I have been busy celebrating, packing and doing lots of eating. I'm not sure what's going on with me, but counting POINTS has been pointless lately. I am disappointed in myself. I have been gaining and losing the same 10 pounds since January. I know I need to buckle down and just do this, but I keep getting detoured. I will never give up, though. I have come too far and still have a ways to go, so I will ride this out and keep trying every day to be a little bit better than the day before. That's all I can do right now. So, I have some catching up to do! Let's start with...


FATHER'S DAY


Breakfast (for me) was 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt topped with 1/2 c. berries and a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin for 4 POINTS...


The fresh fruit and veggie stash was dwindled down in preparation for going to the beach, so I dug out a Ranch Turkey Burger ,only topped it with cheese and put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I had it with some leftover crinkle potatoes and an apple for 7 POINTS...

Later in the afternoon, we headed to my parents for Father's Day dinner. The daughters wanted a snack when we got there, so they helped themselves to some fresh raspberries that they picked from Mom's garden...

Then, the food fest began...

Cheese raviolis with marinara sauce...

grilled chicken sausages...

Crunchy Asian Slaw (yay, a low cal dish!). Mom used THIS recipe...

Lots of "Turf" for the guys (ribeye and bbq ribs)...

And yummy "Surf"....

so corny...

My "plates".... ravioli...


and the rest....

Of course, there were desserts...

In an effort to minimize the damage, I made Hungry Girl's Double Chocolate Trifle...

It was really good. Like a healthier version of "Dirt Dessert". The recipe made 4 servings and came to 3 POINTS for each serving.

My 3 POINTS worth...

and I had to taste the apple pie...

It was a great day honoring my 2 favorite guys...

Love you both!!

BEACH EATS

We left early this morning to come to the beach for a mini "School's Out" vacation. Every year when the daughters are finished school, we come to the beach with my parents and Gram to hang out. Before we left, I grabbed a bowl of Puffins with the last of the blueberries for 3 POINTS...

We got to the beach house at lunch time and everyone was immediately hungry. Something about that salt air! Mom brought lots of leftovers from Father's Day dinner, so I had much to choose from. I decided on a Lobster Asian Slaw Salad using a leftover lobster tail and 1 1/2 c. of the Asian Slaw. A delicious 5 POINTS...

Alongside, I had a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin and carrots for 2 POINTS...

I spent the afternoon unpacking and grabbing handfuls of snacks here and there. A little Goldfish crackers, half muffin, watermelon. Just stuff.

We decided on a healthy dinner of roasted chicken, broccoli and potatoes. I added a small slice of wheat bread to this plate, too...

Mom forgot the leftover apple pie (thank goodness), so I got to have one of these for dessert...

A smooth and creamy 2 POINTS...

So, since I've been here, I have been drowning myself in water in an effort to curb my appetite that has been majorly stoked by all this overeating. I'm also hoping that it will help the scale come down a little. I got on this morning and it was a hideous sight. I can't believe the number I saw. I'm hoping that I am retaining a major amount of fluid. I'm thinking that might not be the case, though. All this whooping it up is catching up with me. And the scale. This could be a wake up call for sure!

Sorry for the super long post! See ya tomorrow!

Best Laid Plans

I had all intentions of starting off anew by attending my Weight Watchers meeting this morning, but little daughter got a cold so, I kept her home from school to rest. I didn't let that stop me. The sun was shining and I felt happy and excited to get "back to basics" today. I got out my tracker (whenever I go to my meeting, I grab a few extra just in case I can't get there for a while), put the date in and kept it out the whole day so that I could journal everything I ate.


The first entry was a breakfast of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin topped with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese and 1/2 c. fresh pineapple. I had a robust cuppa joe with Silk Soy Creamer to go with it. A 4 POINT fresh start...

Oh, and I should have started out by saying that you may notice my pics look a little different. My camera was involved in a fatal freak accident this morning! I had it on my upstairs console table in the hallway and the husband came out of his office, threw a box on the table which knocked my camera off. The camera fell onto the carpet then bounced up in the air and through the spindles of the banister and fell to the first floor! May it rest in peace :( It surely wasn't the greatest quality camera, but it's done me well enough for the time that I've had it. I had been thinking of getting a new one, but it was an unneccesary expense...until now. So, I'm in the market for a new camera, but until then, I will be using little daughter's Kodak Easy Share! At least it's got 8 MP and I have to say that it seemed to do a much better job with close-ups than my old guy. I do notice that the picture lighting isn't the greatest, but I'll have to make due for the time being.

Lunch was a Buffalo Turkey Burger on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce and 1 tsp. Marie's Chunky Lite Blue Cheese Dressing. Along with it, I had 2 crunch, 1 sweet (trying to cover all my bases of possible munchie cravings); 1/2 oz. Penny Sticks Honey Wheat Pretzels (I love these which may be a problem:), strawberries and yes, Mom - carrots! A terrific 6 POINT lunch...

It was such a beautiful day so I got little daughter out for a tiny walk in the neighborhood and went to visit a neighbor for a bit. She was tired so we didn't stay out very long. After big daughter came home from school, we were all ready for a snack. I decided to try out the Blueberry Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt that Kristina from Stonyfield Farm sent me...

I topped it with 1/2 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch for a yummy 3 POINTS...

I have to say that I LOVED the Blueberry flavor!! It was definitely sweeter than the Vanilla and had quite a few tiny blueberries in it. I realized that I am not a fan of plain unsweetened yogurt. I think it's an acquired taste, and I HAVE TRIED, but it's not for me. I need the sweetness to fully enjoy it. This Blueberry flavor fits the bill! Now, I'm looking forward to trying the Honey flavor (if I can find it - haven't seen it yet)!

Dinner was heat and eat tonight. I have lots of leftover Easter ham, so I heated that and served it with leftover Gram's green beans and mashed potatoes (Diner's Choice Brand). My plate came to 6 POINTS...

And for the grand finale, a Chocolate Skinny Cow for 2 POINTS...


This was a good day! I decided I wasn't going to think so much about exactly what I'm eating. By that I mean, I'm not going to drive myself crazy with making sure that I'm only eating "clean" foods (though I think I prefer them now) or worrying that I might be eating too many bread-type items, chips or even dessert! I'm just going to do my best to get in my Healthy Guidelines, stick to my Target POINTS and eat whatever I'm craving while doing all this. It worked when I first began this journey and I think it will work for getting me over this hump and to goal. I am regaining that same enthusiam as when I first started. I put up some "visual aids" (pics of women with rockin , but attainable bods) in various areas of the house - mirrors, refrigerator, etc. to help me keep my goal in the forefront of my mind. It's a soft porn convention around here! The husband is thrilled =) Hey, whatever works ; p

Recoginizing What Works And What Doesn't

My focus today is on getting in more filling foods. Weight Watchers classifies these foods as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. They are foods that keep you feeling satisfied for longer and keep hunger in control. I think it will also help with my cravings and munching in the afternoon. We'll see! I will keep tweaking and rearranging to get me to goal. I'm looking forward to get to my Lifetime status!



Breakfast was an open-faced omelette. I used 3 egg whites and topped them with canadian bacon, chopped green pepper and a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge. Leaving it open-faced made it look like more food than it was; a great trick! It was suprisingly filling for 3 POINTS and left me full for hours...







After breakfast, I did a 45 minute weighted walk on the treadmill. I have a weighted vest that can hold up to 20 lbs. and I used to use it all the time when I was walking. Since, I have progressed to running, I haven't been wearing it. My Mom reminded me of it yesterday, so I decided to suit up today! I put in 12 lbs. (so heavy!) and did brisk walking while watching TV. I really enjoyed it. It was nice to do something different. Not sure if I burned as many calories as running, but it was still a good workout. I also realized I have been chintzing out on the workout time lately. I have only been doing 30 ish minutes running and I think I need to keep it at least 45 min. for weight loss.



More filling foods were on the menu for lunch. I went with some Stuffed Pepper Soup that I had in the freezer topped with 1 oz. Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar, carrot sticks with 2 tbsp. homemade hummus and a Golden Corn Vitatop. A big lunch for 6 POINTS...



I started feeling a little hungry around 3:30, so I made a Strawberry Smoothie with 1/2 c. skim milk, 4 oz. container of Activia Strawberry yogurt and 1 c. fresh strawberries. Very yummy and very filling for 3 POINTS...

The daughters had dentist appointments (no cavities!) and we got home right around dinner time. They were starving! I fixed them a quick chicken, mac n cheese and peas. I had planned on salmon for myself and also, wanted to try this Shibolim Whole Spelt Couscous for my side dish...

These are the size of Israeli couscous which is more like a pasta. I was interested to try this because it was made with spelt which I have never tried. The nutritionals were impressive with 195 cal., 0.5 gr. fat, 7 gr. protein and 9 gr. fiber for a 2 oz. serving. That's a huge serving for 3 POINTS!

It was the perfect side for my Salmon Roulette and green beans. A wonderful 8 POINT dinner...

The husband and daughters were having leftover birthday cake for dessert, but I had enough yesterday! Well, not really, but I'm telling myself that!!! I did have a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich as a sweet 2 POINT treat...

Another realization that I came to today was that I am getting lax with my bites, licks and tastes. I recognized this when I was making the daughters' lunches, cutting off crusts and about to pop them in my mouth. And then again, when I was scraping the peanut butter off the knife and about to lick it off my finger. Yet again, when I was throwing away their plates and about to nibble on what they left on it. I used to not do any of that, but somewhere along the line, I got myself into this pattern of mindless nibbling. I became very conscious of that today and made it a point to stop myself before I ate those things.

Overall, I felt happy and satisfied with the changes made today. I'll try again tomorrow to incorporate the filling foods. I'm taking it one day at a time and I know the changes that I'm hoping for with the scale will come!!!

Oh, by the way, I am way overdue in updating my blogroll! I have so many blogs that I love to read and haven't listed yet. I hope to get to it this weekend; if you would like me to add you, let me know and I'd appreciate if you would add me to yours, too!

Have a great night!!

Yucko

That is how I am feeling. I am coming down with a cold and I feel like do-do, so please excuse my mundanity tonight. I'm just not feelin it. So here's the lowdown on the chowdown...

Breakfast went completely down the drain. Literally. I made this wonderful bowl of TJ's High Fiber O's with strawberries and unsweetened vanilla almond breeze for 3 POINTS...

I started eating it and cleaning like a maniac at the same time because the husband had some business execs coming to the house for a meeting. It was multitasking at its finest; a spoon in one hand and a toilet brush in the other! I walked over to the table to take another spoonful and it was gone! The husband had walked by the table and thought it was cereal left from the daughters' breakfast, so he dumped it down the sink drain! UGH!!!! He got the MAJOR STINK EYE from me !]

I ordered sandwiches for the meeting at lunch. There was a half turkey left, so I made that my lunch. With REAL KETTLE CHIPS!!! What I am doing????!!!!!


I have no idea what possessed me. I was starting to feel crappy and I just didn't care what I was eating. I didn't even count it which started an afternoon of "who gives a crap"!!! I ate cheese, chocolate and cookies. The 3 C's! As you can imagine, this made me feel soooooooo much better. NOT! I swear the sugar rush made me feel more achy and lethargic.

I wrangled it in for dinner. I made chicken brown rice soup. This was actually a doctored up tortilla soup mix that just needs water. I think the brand is Bear Creek. I would not buy this again because it is FULLY LOADED with an exorbitant amount of sodium - 870 mg. per serving - yikes!!! I added some leftover chicken and cooked brown rice to it to bulk it up. It was tasty and hit the spot for my chills and sore throat. I served it with cheese toast. I think this was a 9 POINT dinner...

And because I needed something cool to soothe my throat afterward, I had one of these...

These are a great 2 POINT treat...

Okay, I'm gettin in my jammies and cuddling up with a good book. Nite =)