Friday Morning Weigh In...and other stuff...

So, I faced the scale and to my surprise I didn't gain. I actually lost .2 pound...POINT 2. The meeting topic was about the all or nothing attitude that can so easily cause us to throw in the towel and have a free for all when we slip off plan. And we discussed strategies for ending that mindset. It was a very timely topic for me.

I am committed to being very diligent about staying on plan, tracking...and getting myself back to the treadmill at the gym. I am going tonight after work...PERIOD!!!

OK...Lesia my very best blog buddy...(who I am also very sure would be my best girlfriend EVER if we lived in the same city...or even the same state...LOL) asked what PB2 and Stevia are, after my last post. So, here you go...





PB2 is powdered peanut butter. It's made from the part of the peanut that's left after they squeeze all the peanut oil out of it. Well, 85% of the oil anyway. You mix 2 tablespoons of the powder with 1 tablespoon of water to get a spread similar to peanut butter. I'll be honest...it's NOT peanut butter...but it's a really acceptable substitute in my opinion. It seems to be one of those products that people either love or hate. I love it. It has 45 calories/1.5g fat/2g fiber per serving for 1 point. Real peanut butter has 190 calories/16g fat/2 fiber for 5 points.

I use it to make peanut spread...obviously. But I also use to to flavor my yogurt. I sprinkle it on freshly "baked" (nuked) apples. And sometimes I sprinkle it on popcorn.

I get it directly from the manufacturer, Bell Plantation. I order 4 jars at a time. I think you can also get it at Netrition if you want to try just one jar.




Stevia is an herbal sweetener that is way sweeter than sugar yet calorie free. I use it whenever I can to cut back on the amount of purely artificial sweeteners I use. I am not completely opposed to artificail sweeteners at all. I just like the idea of using more stuff that grows in nature than stuff that's created in a lab...LOL.

I buy my Stevia at Henry's Marketplace. I don't know if this is a local grocery chain or if they're nationwide. They have a bulk spice aisle and they have bulk, pure, stevia that isn't "cut' with dextrose or whatever. It's super strong and I use a tiny, tiny amount of it at a time. The trick with it is to learn to use just enough because it's so sweet that it's bitter if you use too much.

You can read more about Stevia here.