February 27, 2010

Not the most stellar day

But I'm still putting it in the "win" column.

Sure, I didn't get any exercise — again. I drank more diet soda than H2O. And I ate a little more than I should have, starting with a burrito from my favorite burrito place for lunch (no breakfast because I overslept). The choices were a little calorie-heavy and nutrition-light, from the post-burrito TCBY 96% FF coffee-flavored yogurt to my burger dinner.

But I also kept track of every bite. Right now, the day's total stands at 29. I may or may not have a (very) low-Point snack when I get home from work. I'm leaning toward yes, because I'm a little hungry. Maybe BBQ soy crisps and salsa, to sneak in some more veggies.

And before choosing to eat that Whopper Jr. & onion rings for dinner, I thought twice. I knew I had the Points for the burger, and my FPs would pay for for the rings. (I still have 6 1/2 FPs left for the week, which ends Sunday.)

I know, I know. There's no rule that says I have to eat every last FP. But there's no rule that says I can't, either. And I say if it's helping me stay OP and not feel deprived, I will savor every single one.

Here's my pledge for tomorrow: Some kind of exercise. Maybe I'll see if the roommate wants to wii. And with the promise of more snow in the forecast, there'll likely be shoveling. Ugh. That's no fun.

Lesson learned — again

I know I've discovered this once or twice before, but when I'm tracking Points properly, I often find that things aren't as bad as I feared.

Case in point: Today's smoothie from Starbuck's — only 4 Points. But the last few times I ordered it (already in "what the hell, I've already shot the day" mode), I continued overeating for the rest of the day.

Today, armed with the knowledge of how many Points I was actually consuming — not as many as I'd feared — I managed to finish the day having eaten just 29.5 Points. (That's 5.5 FPs used, since I'm allowed 24 these days.)

And that was with eating out — TWICE. I had my favorite lunch, a slice of pizza and caesar salad from Picazzo's, and went to Taco Bell for dinner.

At Taco Bell, knowing that I'd only had 16 1/2 Points for the day, I ordered two grilled steak tacos (fresco style, for 6 Points). I even treated myself to an order of cinnamon twists, which took me to 25 1/2 total Points eaten. Usually when I go to Taco Bell on a Friday night, I'm already in that "what the hell" mode and I order something gooey, cheesy and really bad for me.

My after-dinner snack to carry me through the rest of the night at work was another package of those Special K Fruit Crisps. Then, when I got home from work, I had a Bagel Thin with 1 T RF cream cheese.

I avoided the Girl Scout cookies on the communal desk a few steps from mine, in part because I knew my Points total was under control for the day.

It's nice to know how much I've actually eaten, instead of fearing the worst. It keeps me from going off the deep end and eating everything in sight. And that, my friends, is a wonderful feeling. I'd like to have it more often.

February 26, 2010

A welcome surprise


Today is what Tina over at Carrots N Cake would call Cookie Friday.

Instead of a cookie, I decided to treat myself to a Vivanno Chocolate Banana Smoothie from Starbucks and was surprised to find that it's a much healthier choice than I thought.

I'd ordered one a couple of times before, thinking I was doing real damage to my daily Points total. But when I actually took the time to ask about its nutritional stats, I discovered it's really not that bad: Made with skim milk, it has 250 calories, 2 grams of fat and 6 grams of fiber, for a Points total of just 4.

Bonus: It has 18 grams of protein, so it's a snack with staying power. Cool, huh?

Guess that's what happens when I track the way I'm supposed to — I find things I thought were bad aren't so bad after all.

Points left for a late-night snack

I'm excited to say I still have 3 Points left to eat something when I get home from work. I'm thinking some Special K (Chocolatey Delight) with skim milk. Yum! I love that stuff.

Speaking of Special K, I tried those Special K Fruit Crisps today. Someone said they tasted like Pop-Tarts ... and they were right. Definitely something to add to my snack drawer at work.

More proof that my head is on straight, finally: There were snacks at the office today (including chocolate chip cookies and bagels w/ cream cheese) and I didn't partake. I did, however, grab a handful of baby carrots (but no dip).

You read right: I didn't eat any chocolate chip cookies. I avoided those suckers even though they were mere feet from my desk. And then, when I returned from dinner, they were gone — and I was glad. (I know my willpower wanes as the night wears on.)

Overall, I'd call it a very good day. :D















































FoodUnits
yoplait red velvet cake yogurt - tasty, but nothing like cake2
mcd's 4-piece mcnugget meal w/ sweet&sour, apple dippers & side salad w/ rf italian7
special k blueberry crisp bar2
hard-boiled egg2
pickle spear & 15 grape tomatoes0
ambrosia apple1
handful baby carrots0
healthy choice garlic lemon chicken & shrimp5
sf pudding cup w/ 1 tsp rf pb stirred in2
Total:21

Table provided by Roni's Food Tweet, Eat, Post Generator.

February 25, 2010

Finally back on track

I think my head is finally in the right place to take off the rest of this weight.

How can I tell? Today, when the Boyfriend and I were debating where to go for lunch, I told him we should go to McDonald's so I could order a 4-piece McNugget Happy Meal with apple dippers and a side salad on the side.

All that food was only 7 Points, bringing my total so far today to 9 ... and I'm perfectly satisfied.

This is much better than yesterday, when I had a Whopper Jr. with fries for lunch (11) and had eaten all but 1 of my 24 Points by 2 p.m. or so.

If I'm making those hard choices — the ones that taste good but not great — I'm well on my way. Not that McNuggets are a huge hardship ... but I'd still have preferred a burger. What can I say? I'm a red meat kind of girl.

February 23, 2010

A second good day

Today was another good day, due in part to the migraine-like headache that kept me from moving (or eating) for a good portion of the day. By the time dinner rolled around, I still had 12 Points left ... so I fixed some pasta, veggies, pasta sauce and RF parmesan cheese and had a homemade coffee drink for dinner.

My "frappuccino" was delicious: 1/2 cup coffee-flavored ice cream and 3/4 cup almond milk for just 3 Points. Yum!

Now, I still have 4 Points left. I'm trying to decide what I should eat. Something with nutritional value, probably ... but the Thin Mints in the kitchen seem to be calling me. I think they're 4 Points per serving. I'll have to check.

Of course, that's not the best snack to eat while catching up on last week's episode of "Biggest Loser." I keep thinking I should be working out while I watch.



FoodUnits
here goes nothing!
what's for lunch?
i'm thinkin' ... enchiladas. (sorry arby's.) now, if i can only find my hg recipe for healthy enchiladas, i'll be set.
#food half of the homemade enchiladas i made - head hurt 2 much 2 eat4
#food svg. spcl k & skim milk3
#food apple w/ 2t pb5
#food whole wheat pasta w/ zucchini, mushroom, onions in 1 tsp oil & 1/2 cup pasta sauce5
#food 1/2 cup coffee-flv. ice cream blended w/ 3/4 cup almond milk - yum!3
Total:20

Table provided by
Roni's Food Tweet, Eat, Post Generator.

Delightful dinner



Last night was the first time in I don't know how long that I planned ahead and made a healthy dinner at home. I hit the store in the morning and knew what I wanted for dinner.

Fish tacos. That's right — and they were both delicious and easy to make. I remembered seeing a recipe somewhere (though I have no clue where), so I improvised.

Here's my recipe:

1 can Bumblebee lemon-pepper tuna (3 Points)

3 corn tortillas (3)

shredded cabbage (0)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (less than 1)

1/2 tsp ranch dressing powder (o)

Heat tuna in microwave for 30 seconds; heat tortillas for 20. Put tuna in center of tortillas. Top with cabbage and yogurt mixed with ranch.

February 22, 2010

A decent day

FoodUnits
thomas' bagel thin w/ rf cream cheese3
california roll7
coffee drink - see below3
100-cal pk almonds2
nutrigrain cherry cereal bar2
homemade fish tacos w/ lemon-pepper tuna, 3 corn tortillas, cabbage, greek yogurt sauce6
zucchini, grilled0
sf boston cream pie pudding1
1 chocolate-cherry diet soda cupcake2
Total:26

Table provided by Roni's Food Tweet, Eat, Post Generator.

As you can see, it was a pretty great day overall. I gave myself some treats and sweets, but didn't overindulge.

What I find amazing is that it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm still full from dinner. Guess that's what happens when you actually plan a meal (of sorts) instead of grabbing something on the go.

OK, it's not all that amazing ... what with filling foods and all. ;) Eating real food is definitely the way to go. (Yes, I knew that before ... somehow, though, I'd lost sight of the fact.)

I might not even need to fix my after-work snack ... and that's a good thing, since I'm already 2 Points over the 24 I'm allowed for the day.

That's the good thing about being solidly back in the 190s: I get 24 Points a day instead of 23. Since I always struggled with 23 for some reason I still haven't defined (I'm sure it's a head game of some sort), I'm glad to get 24.

But I'll be even happier when I drop back into the 180s ... even if it does mean getting one less Point. :D

(Finally) ready to face the music

Well, I hopped on the scale this morning for the first time in at least a month. As I suspected, what I saw wasn't pretty.

At my last WW meeting on Jan 3o, I was 190.4. Today, on the home scale (because I still can't afford my meeting while my paycheck is being garnished), I was 198. That's a gain of 7.6 pounds in a little less than a month.

Bad, yes — but not as bad as I feared it might be. At least I'm still in One-derland. Barely, but it counts.

It's time for me to get serious again. I can't keep doing what I've been doing lately and expect different results.

Yes, I've been eating crap. I know my choices have been a problem ... I can't have a burger and fries from Wendy's for lunch and then have tacos and more fries (from Del Taco) for dinner. I can't have a brunch of pancakes from IHOP and then eat a slice of Godiva double chocolate cheesecake as an afternoon snack.

I could blame the Boyfriend. He certainly "helps" me eat things I shouldn't. He doesn't seem to understand that, when I put a certain amount of food on my plate, that's a portion and that's all I plan to eat.

But it's not all his fault. He's not with me when I buy junk out of the vending machine at work, or when I drink a diet Dr Pepper instead of the H2O I know I should be drinking. He's also usually nowhere in sight when I opt NOT to take a walk because the weather's crappy or I'd rather be writing or ... I can't think of the other excuses I've been coming up with lately.

I need to start moving more again. Lately, the only exercise I've been getting has been walking from the couch to the fridge. Not good, I know.

I've been in what Roni calls a funk. I've been feeling beaten down and stressed out by my finances ... and I've been feeling like "what's the point? Nothing I do matters anyway." I've been eating to compensate.

Logically, I can see this. I'm just having a tough time stopping myself.

Today so far, I've done pretty well. I had one of those new Thomas' Bagel Thins w/ light cream cheese for breakfast and lunch was a California roll from my favorite sushi place, Hiro's.

I even got some exercise, in the form of shoveling more of this damn snow we keep getting. The crap from our last storm was finally starting to melt, so of course we had to be "treated" to some more. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate snow?

Seeing that near-200 on the scale just might be the jolt I need to rein myself in and get my eating back under control. I certainly hope so.

February 18, 2010

Still struggling

In case you hadn't guessed, my silence means I'm still eating crap and avoiding the scale.

And I'm not happy about it. Yet, I can't seem to stop myself.

I'm not quite sure what to do. Roni might call this a "funk" — but I seem to have simply given up. Now that I can't afford to go to WW meetings, I seem to have lost the will to follow the program.

Worse, I know that just one good day will give me the shove I need to go in the right direction. Even so, I find myself thinking about starting the day with a donut from Starbucks and then having a big ol' burrito for lunch.

Maybe I should just get on the scale. If I see the damage I'm doing — I could be back in the 200s, at the rate I've been eating — it could be the jolt I need to get back on the ball.

February 9, 2010

A new, better day

OK, it's a brand new day ... I have at least six chances to make good decisions. Healthy choices.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, two snacks. Lots of water.

I can do this. I can! It's not that hard. Even though I'm still stressed out about my financial situation, I don't have to eat my feelings. I can take a walk, call a friend, read a book, write something.

One good decision down: A serving of Special K with skim milk for breakfast. 3 Points, leaving me with 20 for the rest of today.

February 8, 2010

You know it's never good

When I'm ignoring my blog, it's because I've been a bad, bad girl.

Despite writing that I was going to rein it in Saturday, I continued the free-for-all all weekend and into today. (Even though I woke up at 9:30, I skipped breakfast, so I was starving by the time I got to eat lunch ... and so I ate too much.)

I was afraid to face the music by getting on the scale this morning (and still can't afford my WW meeting, anyway. That doesn't excuse me from the home-scale check-in, however.

I started counting Points for dinner and after — I've eaten 10 so far. Don't want to think about the Points in lunch, though.

February 5, 2010

Spinning again

With three not-so-great days under my belt, I’m starting to spiral out of control again.

Must rein it back in. Now. I don’t want to undo all the progress I made earlier in the week.

Just for Friday, I’m going to track every bite. That always seems to help.

February 1, 2010

Great breakfast & a new blog


I know, I know .... I usually don't post until the end of the day. But since I had something to share, I figured, "Why not shake things up a little?" Blogging more than once today won't hurt me!

The Boyfriend called right before 9 this morning, so I was actually up early enough to make myself that French toast this morning. I'm psyched, because it turned out delicious.

Psyched? I haven't said that since about sixth-grade. Ah, let's not take that trip down memory lane.

Anyway, it couldn't have been simpler to make.

1/4 cup egg substitute
pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg & Splenda
1 Sandwich Thin

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Mix egg substitute, spices and Splenda. Dip bread into egg. Cook on each side until as brown as you like it.

Yum! And only 2 Points. (I added half an apple and a drizzle of SF syrup, making my total for breakfast 3 Points. Same number as a bowl of Special K w/ 1/2 cup milk, but a nice change!)

On to the blog. Thanks to Tonyne over at The Unlikely Success Story, I discovered a new blog this morning: T.J.'s Test Kitchen. T.J. has lost about 70 pounds on WW (which is where I'll be when I finally hit goal). Right now, she's doing a giveaway ... a great lunch bag filled with some of her favorite snacks.

And now I'm entered to win! :D (I never win this kind of thing, but it's always fun to try.)