Vickie's Voice

Aaaack! Time management....

2011-04-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Obviously I am sorely in need of better time management skills! I never seem to have enough time to get everything done in a day. I have had the thought that I need to cut something out but I'm not sure what that would be..

So anyway, I realized this morning that I need to change my aproach to my blog. I need to think of it as an extension of my tracker and I need to update it every night or I get behind and then it's daunting! So that's the new plan.

I had my weigh in yesterday. I gained .4 of a pound. I wasn't surprised. This week will be better. I am making adjustments and moving forward.

So...Happy Saturday! I'll be back tonight!

Uh-Oh!....

2011-04-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

First week back and I'm falling behind already! Owning my own business and having a life seems to be a bit of a challenge for me! So anyway...

I'm still on track with Weight Watchers. I am tracking my food on my phone...I'm just not findng a lot of time to be on line. Sorry...no photos for this one. No time to post them.

Monday was one of thse weird, snacky days. I wanted to graze all day long. I tracked it all and was within my PointsPlus allowance when it was all said and done (used some more weeklies)

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries

Monday, April 18, 2011
Morning
4 serving(s) CoffeeMate SugarFree French Vanilla 1 TBS 2
Subtotal
2
Midday
1 serving(s) Amy's Soft Taco Fiesta Entree 6
1/2 cup(s) fat-free canned refried beans 2
1/3 cup(s) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 1
2 small mango(es) 0
2 large banana(s) 0
Subtotal 9

Evening
8 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 3
1 serving(s) PB2 Peanut Butter Powder 2tbs 1
Subtotal 4

Anytime
5 serving(s) Potato Straws 1oz 17
5 medium orange(s) 0
Subtotal 17
Food PointsPlus values total used 32
Food PointsPlus values remaining 0
Weekly Points Allowance used 3
Weekly PointsPlus Allowance remaining 22

Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity PointsPlus values earned 0

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Morning
2 serving(s) CoffeeMate SugarFree French Vanilla 1 TBS 1
1/3 cup(s) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 1
1/2 cup(s) Egg Beaters 1
1 large banana(s) 0
Assorted Veggies - Quick-added food 0
Subtotal 3

Midday
1 serving(s) Healthy Choice Chicken Pesto Alfredo entree 7
1 serving(s) Yoplait Light Black Forest Cake 6oz 3
Subtotal 10

Evening
1/2 cup(s) cooked brown rice 3
1 cup(s) cooked brussels sprouts 0
6 oz roasted chicken breast 6
1/2 cup(s) Carrots 0
Subtotal 9

Anytime
6 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 2
1 serving(s) PB2 Peanut Butter Powder 2tbs 1
2 serving(s) CoffeeMate SugarFree French Vanilla 1 TBS 1
Subtotal 4

Food PointsPlus values total used 26
Food PointsPlus values remaining 3
Weekly PointsPlus allowance used 0
Weekly PointsPlus allowance remaining 22

Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity PointsPlus values earned 0

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Morning
1 serving(s) CoffeeMate SugarFree French Vanilla 1 TBS 0
2 medium orange(s) 0
1 cup(s) fat-free cottage cheese 3
1 large banana(s) 0
Subtotal 3

Midday
1 serving(s) Healthy Choice Classic Meatloaf Entree 9
1 large banana(s) 0
6 oz Light Boston Cream Pie Yogurt 3
Subtotal 12

Evening
1/3 cup(s) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 1
Spaghetti - Quick-added food 10
Subtotal 11

Anytime
8 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 3
1/2 serving(s) Peanut Butter, Natural 1 TBS 1
1 muffin(s) VitaTops Double chocolate dream 3
1 serving(s) Brummel & Brown Spread 1 TBS 1
1 large banana(s) 0
1 cup(s) cherries 0
1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk 1
Subtotal 9

Food PointsPlus values total used 35
Food PointsPlus values remaining 0
Weekly PointsPlus allowance used 6
Weekly PointsPlus allwance remaining 16

Sunday April 17, 2011

2011-04-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Day three of being 100% back on plan...DONE!!! And I did it at Disneyland!! Yay me!!

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries
Sunday, April 17, 2011

Morning
I ate this in the car on the way to church...no photo
1 large banana(s)0
1 serving(s) VitaTop Apple Crumb 3
4 serving(s) CoffeeMate SugarFree French Vanilla 1 TBS 2
6 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 2
Subtotal 7

Midday

Chicken Breast Skewer - Quick-added food 3
roasted Veggie Skewer - Quick-added food 2
Subtotal 5

Evening

Chef Salad W/O Drrssing - Quick-added food 9
Subtotal 9

Anytime
1 serving(s) Churro 6
6 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 2
1 serving(s) PB2 Peanut Butter Powder 2tbs 1
2 large banana(s) 0
Subtotal 9

Food PointsPlus values total used 30
Food PointsPlus values remaining 0
Weekly PointPlus values used 1
Weekly PointsPlus values remaining 25

Activity
Walking - Activity I created 4
Activity PointsPlus values earned 4

Saturday April 16, 2011...

2011-04-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of those "hit the ground running" days! I was literally busy from early in the morning until late night...but it was a great day.

The morning started with a "Laundry Date"... When Vern and I were dating we used to gather up our laundry and go down to Ocean Beach, an ecclectic little beach town here in San Diego, and do laundry together...every Saturday morning. We hadn't done it for a few years but we have been super busy and putting our chores off...and off...and off...So, we had a laundry date. We got up early in order to get there before the Saturday morning crowd. It was fun and we had all of our laundry done in a couple of hours. (I still haven't put it all away...lol)

After the laundry we came home and I had breakfast and showered and headed out for my "Knit Together" group. I get together with a group of ladies from my church, once a month, and we knit or crochet for charity.

After Knit together I went to my parents' house for a visit and to pick up my sister, Joyce, for a "Sister date Night." We went to dinner and then to the San Diego Symphony for the evening. The special guests were The Temptations and we had a ball!

I got home at around 11:00pm...whew! What a day!

So....here's my tracker entries for the day. I dipped deeply into my weekly points allowance. I'm still getting used to being in the blogger mindset again so I forgot to photograph my dinner. We went to the Sizzler and I had the Classic 6oz Steak, with a baked potato and the salad bar. Honestly, I thought the points totals were going to be much higher than they actually ended up being. I'm satisfied with my choices. The weekly points allowance is one of the things I love about Weight Watchers!

One more thing...I didn't have "lunch" yesterday. I had a huge bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and fruit mid-morning and then dinner with my sister. I had the fruit and peanut butter when I got home last night. The peanut butter is one of my guilty pleasures lately. I was tempted not to track it...that "cheat voice" in my head...but I tracked it anyway. The psychological advantage foor me of tracking it all is the realization that I'm still "on plan" ....that's what the weekly points are for. So Yay me!! Day 2 back on plan completed!

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries

Saturday, April 16, 2011
Morning

6 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 2
1 large banana(s) 0
1 cup(s) cherries 0
1 serving(s) Coaches Oats 1/3cup 4
1 cup(s) unsweetened frozen blackberries 0
Subtotal 6

Midday
No entries for this meal time.
Subtotal 0

Evening
1 serving(s) Sizzlin' Steaks Classic 6.25 oz. USDA Choice Sizzler Steak (Without Sizzling Veggies, Choice of Starch & Cheese Toast) 7
1 serving(s) Plain Baked Potato 6
1 serving(s) Sizzler Cheese Toast 7
1 serving(s) Sizzler 6oz Steak 6
1 serving(s) Sizzler Baked Potato 7
1 serving(s) Sizzler Spinach Cranberry Salad 2oz 0
1 serving(s) Sizzler Vegetable Steak Soup (1 bowl, 6 oz) 2
Subtotal 35

Anytime
2 item(s) Kiwi(s) 0
1 small mango(es) 0
6 oz Total 0% nonfat Greek Yogurt 2
1 large banana(s) 0
1 medium orange(s) 0
2 serving(s) Peanut Butter, Natural 1 TBS 6
2 serving(s) Brummel & Brown Spread 1 TBS 3
Subtotal 11

Food PointsPlus values total used 52
Food PointsPlus values remaining 0
Weekly PointsPlus Values used 23
Weekly PointsPlus values remaing 26

Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity PointsPlus values earned 0

It's a New Day...

2011-04-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

That's the new Weight Watcher's Points Plus Plan slogan. It hangs on the wall in a couple of differn't places at my meeting. This morning I noticed it again and i took a deep breath and said to myself, 'yes, it is." And I was relieved. I had been looking forward to my weekly meeting because it marks the end of the old week and the beginning of the new. So when I looked up and saw the poster this morning I agreed in my heart that it is, indeed, a New Day.

It's been 7 months since I have blogged. It's been about the same length of time that I have been screwing around...on plan one day and off the next. I haven't stayed consistently on plan since Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I have been on plan enough and my habits have changed enough that I haven't really gained weight. I'm up about 2 pounds in 7 months...so that's not awful.

But this morning as I was driving to my meeting I realized that I miss the anticipation I used to have before my weigh in. I miss being excited that I've been on plan and the numbers are dropping.I realized I have awakened too many mornings feeing sluggish and ashamed because I ate to much the night before. Yes, as I was driving to my meetings this morning I realized that I miss truly being on Weight Watchers. I walked into that meeting ready to get serious again, ready to stop making excuses for going off plan....ready to start fresh. Yes...it is indeed a new day!

Somewhere in my thinking and driving I also realized that I need this blog. I need the accountability (even if only to myself) of blogging my journey.

So here I am...here at my blog to step in to that new day.

PointsPlus™ Tracker entries
Friday, April 15, 2011Morning

1/2 cup(s) fat-free cottage cheese 1
1 item(s) Kiwi(s) 0
6 oz Light Apple Turnover Yogurt 3
1 large banana(s) 0
1 medium orange(s) 0
Subtotal 4

Midday
1 serving(s) Tyson Mesquite Chicken Breasts 1 piece 3
2 pancake(s) Spinach pancakes 4
Mixed Veggies - Quick-added food 0
Subtotal 7

Evening

5 1/3 oz roasted chicken breast 6
5 oz cooked yams 4
Mixed Vegetables 0
Subtotal 10

Anytime

1 large kiwifruit 0
1 large banana(s) 0
1 small mango(es) 0
1 medium orange(s) 0
Subtotal 0

Food PointsPlus values total used 21
Food PointsPlus values remaining 8
Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity PointsPlus values earned 0

Sunday November 7 2010...

2010-11-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those lazy, hang out around the house kind of days. It was great.

I wanted a big hearty breakfast so I had this...
Scrambled egg substitute with veggies and FF cheese, Potatoes O'Brien, and a bowl of fruit. Vern ate breakfast with me and conceded that the egg substitute tastes different but isn't awful.
6 points

Lunch was some leftover pasta something or other that I made the other night. It was whole wheat pasta with a bunch of veggies, a leftover turkey meatball chopped up in it and some butternut squash pasta sauce. It had some FF cheese in it too. It was one of those dishes that you just kind of throw together with whatever you have on hand and it was really good. I had some leftover spaghetti squash too.
5 points

I had some fruit during the afternoon which I didn't photograph. I had a big plum and a banana.
2.5 points

Dinner was inspired by someone who told me she was making Jambalaya for dinner and I thought to myself, "Hey! I could make that too!"...so I did. It was quite good. I used some brown rice mixed with riced cauliflower and vern couldn't even tell there was cauliflower in it!
5 points

After dinner I had some yogurt mixed with a banana and some fruit I had frozen in popsicle molds when my granddaughter was here yesterday. It was yummy and cold.
5.5 points

I thought that this photo of my on line tracker would show up better than this...oh well...

Ok time to get back to it....

2010-11-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

...to blogging that is.

My life isn't quite as overwhelming as it was a couple of months ago. (Well at least it isn't on most days anyway) So I think I'm ready to start blogging again.

I'm still doing Weight Watchers. I still love the plan. Here's a recent before and after comparison...I think it's an appropriate way to restart my blog!

The first picture was taken on February 1, 2010 before I started Weight Watchers. The second one was taken at the end of October. I love how much this photo encourages me to keep on keeping on!

Monday August 30, 2010...

2010-08-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

So, I have been seriously overwhelmed with the busy-ness of my life recently. I had a few things happen last week...things like forgetting appointments with customers, finding myself in tears because I can't keep up with everything that's on my plate right now, missing deadlines...

So, the realization that, right now, I have too much on my plate and some things have to change, is very real to me. One of those things is going to have to be the amount of time I spend on the internet...so...for now...I really am going to take a break from blogging.

I am NOT taking a break from Weight Watchers, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle....just from the internet for a bit.

Friday August 27, 2010...

2010-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post this morning to say ...

I am down .6 this morning, bringing my total loss to 32 pounds..

My crazy week is over....whew!...now I should have some time for my blog soon!

Wednesday August 25, 2010...

2010-08-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

Good morning blogworld!!!

I am taking a break from blogging....but not a clean break! I just don't have time for long posts with photos and details.

I never imagined our lives would be so busy as they are these days! Vern and I are involved in a lot of activities, many of them involve our church. Once in a while the things we're involved in all fall in the same week and we end up have something going on every night. This is one of those weeks.

I am on plan with a couple of slip-ups this week....nothing major...a bite of this a piece of that...but definitely not the way to make it to goal!

Tonight is the last BBQ of the summer with our church. We gather at Mission Bay Park. The church provides the meat, (fish, burgers or hotdogs,) and everyone brings a dish to share. We will go by Costco on our way there and pick up a vegetable tray so there will for sure be some healthy choices for me to go along with the fish. The fish isn't very good but it's low in calories...LOL. We are going to take our bikes and park in the far lot and ride in. It should be fun.

Tuesday August 24, 2010....

2010-08-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

...I'm taking a bit of a "break" from my blog for the next day or two. I am having one of those insanely crazy...have to be someplace every night...have to work every day....kind of weeks....I'm not dead in a ditch someplace....just thought I'd better let everyone know...I'll be back at the end of the week....sooner if I can.

Saturday August 22, 2010...

2010-08-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

I met with a trainer on Saturday morning. It was a good meeting. He was very helpful in giving me suggestions to make my treadmill walk more effective. He also showed me around the circuit training room and suggested that I try the circuit a few days a week in addition to my treadmill walk. After our meeting I did my walk and tried the things he suggested. One was to increase the incline of the "rolling hills" setting. With this setting the treadmill automatically inclines and declines every few minutes. I simply pushed the button each time to make it incline just a little bit more. The other thing he suggested was to increase the speed for short intervals. I normally walk at 3.5 mph. This time I walked at 3.5 or 5 minutes and 3.7-4.0 for five minutes throughout the walk. I was sweating like crazy at the end of the time!

I had a light breakfast an hour or so before I went to the gym. I had a peach and a half cup of Fage 0% Greek yogurt.
2 points

Lunch was sort of a brunch that I threw together in a hurry after coming home from the gym and before heading out for my "Knit Together" group. (I meet with some ladies from my church and we knit or, in my case, crochet. I make "chemo caps" for donation to cancer patients)

Omelet with veggies and fat free cheese and a mango chicken sausage. I ate a piece of reduced fat string cheese while I was cooking as well.
6 points

Dinner was pizza. I found this "Western bagel Alternative Pita" bread at the store and decided to give it a try. Each pita is 1 point. I split it into 2 pieces and then used the same toppings that I normally use on one large tortilla. I simply put half on each piece of pita. This was good but the tortilla holds the toppings better without getting soggy in the middle. I was hungry so while this was in the oven I nuked some broccoli and munched on it while waiting for my dinner to cook. It was so funny...I was texting back and forth with my son while I was doing all of this and, at one point I said to him, "OMG, I have lost my mind! I am munching on steamed . salted broccoli and it tastes like the BEST THING EVER!"...lol
7.5 points

After dinner I snacked on popcorn. I also had some frozen yogurt but forget to take a photo.
7 points

Daily Points used 22.5
Target 24

Friday August 20, 2010...

2010-08-21T06:40:00.001-07:00

Because yesterday was my weigh in day and because I FINALLY crossed that 30 pounds lost threshold, I took a quick progress picture. The first two were taken in April after I had been on Weight Watchers for 1 week. The bottom one was taken yesterday. I love being abe to look back and see the difference!

I had the sweetest thing happen yesterday. I went by my parents' house after work. When I got there my mom could hardley wait to show me an ad in a magazine she had been flipping through that featured a Weight Watchers recipe. It was so cute! She was excited to share it with me. I love that she is so on board with what I'm doing. She is pulling for me, excited about my progress and proud of the changes I am making. She calls me on Friday morning to see how my weigh in has gone. I absolutely love that she is so engaged in my journey!

OK...so breakfast yesterday was an omelet with broccoli & FF cheese (It's tiny because I didn't realize I was almost out of egg beaters so that's all I had), sliced tomatoes, half an apple, and a banana nut Vitatop.
4 points

Lunch was a Boca Burger on a sandwich thin, FF cheese slice, lettuce, tomato, snap peas on the side and a couple of mandarin oranges.
5 points

Dinner was 3 oz of roasted chicken breast topped with a couple of tbs of spaghetti sauce from a jar, steamed broccoli, corn on the cobb (x2) and 1/2 cup brown rice/quinoa mixture.
8 points

I wanted desert so I diced an apple and nuked it in the microwave (in an omelet maker...lol) until it was tender and cooked through. I added a tbs of Brummel & Brown butter spread, 2 tbs PB2 powder and some Walden farms maple syrup (0 calorie). I mixed that all together and put it in a cute little polka dot bowl...have I mentioned that I love my polka dot dishes?....I topped it with a scoop of vanilla Golden Spoon yogurt....Oh.My.Goodness!!! This was crazy good!
7.5 points.

Total daily points used 24.5
Target 24
Weekly points allowance used .5

This morning I am meeting with a trainer at the gym to talk about my goals and have him/her help me to design a workout. I am not going to be working out with this trainer on a regular bass. The gym I use doesn't sell personal training plans. They simply have trainers on staff to help you get started and to answer questions, etc. I love that it's this way! I hate, hate, hate going to a gym that's ALL ABOUT selling training sessions and supplements....can we say 24 Hour Fitness?....I despise that place!

The gym I am using now is a new local place called "Chuze Fitness" (at least I think it's only local) it's $10.00 a month to join, no contracts, simply a month to month agreement. It's big and clean and I love it there!

Friday Morning Weigh In...

2010-08-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

I lost 2.6 pounds this week which brings me to a total of 31.4 pounds lost!

Thursday August 19, 2010...

2010-08-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Breakfast was a huge bowl of cereal. Seriously, if you choose the right cereals you can have a BIG bowl full! This was 1 cup puffed corn, 1 cup of Kix, 1/2 cup of Fiber One, 1 cup blueberries (frozen but thawed in the microwave), and 1 cup of almond milk. I also had a cup of coffee with non-dairy creamer. I mostly drink my coffee without cream these days but once in a while I treat myself to a cup with creamer.
5 points

Lunch was spaghetti that I made a couple of weeks ago and froze. I froze the sauce and the noodles in separate zip lock bags. The sauce was 4 points and the noodles were 3 points.
7 points

Snack after lunch was this yummy peach
1 point

Dinner was tacos again. SURPRISE....after I said yesterday that Vern won't eat any of the healthy things I cook, he asked me if I would make him some tacos like I had eaten the other night. Shhh...nobody tell him it was lean ground turkey instead of ground beef! He doesn't read my blog so he wasn't prompted to ask because of what I said...so maybe he really is ready to try some of the things I'm cooking these days! He even ate the "refried" beans which were a combination of pinto and black beans. He has steadfastly refused to try black beans before now!
Those corn tortillas are Mission extra thin corn tortillas. Three of them are only 2 points and they are quite good.
8 points

After dinner snack was a peach and a cup of frozen grapes.
2 points

Daily total 22 points
Target 24 points.

I went to the gym after work and walked for an hour on the treadmill.

Wednesday August 18, 2010....

2010-08-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another really long day at work. In my efforts to get caught up, we worked until 7ish or so. I can get so much more done when we're closed and I can let the phone go to the machine and lock the front door!

I'm still working on getting used to the way money flows from an owner's perspective rather than from the perspective of an employee. We're crazy busy right now but the money for these jobs is not in yet. Sales tax is due on Tuesday, American Express is due in a few days after that....the bills to be paid are piling up and the receivables are still "out there" somewhere. I tell myself not to worry and for the most part I feel like I'm not.....but I kept waking up last night doing math in my head and paying bills in my dreams...or maybe it was just living with three nocturnal cats...lol.

So anyway....

I get a lot of comments about my food and how good it looks. It's funny because if I was asked to describe myself, being a good cook is not something I would ascribe to myself. But, I am a good organizer and that has affected my meal planning. I am also the QUEEN of the microwave...LOL.

Here's what I do...

First of all, I love to flip through cookbooks and recipes. I rarely ever make a recipe from a book but I get ideas on foods that go well together by flipping through recipe books.

Second, I subscribe to daily emails from Hungry Girl and I have 3 of her cookbooks. There is a wealth of information on "eat this, not that", and easy low calorie recipes in her e-mails, on her website, and in her cookbooks.

Lastly, I spend a little bit of time every couple of weeks or so cooking bulk batches of things like taco filling meat from lean ground turkey, poached and/or roasted chicken breast meat, spaghetti sauce with lean ground turkey, etc. I allow it to cool and then portion it out in single servings in zip lock bags, label it with weight and point value and freeze it. That way I always have something on hand to create a meal from in a hurry.

I also keep, Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Hot Dogs, Mango Chicken Sausages, and Carmelized Onion Chicken Patties, Boca Vegetarian Burger Patties, and Black Bean Chipotle Burgers,(all from Costco) on hand in the freezer.

I keep low fat lunch meat, fat free cheese slices, and Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges in the fridge.

I keep Bagel Thins and Sandwich Thins in the freezer. I go once a week or so and stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I buy most everything from Costco because it's packaged in such a way that it's already trimmed, and for the most part cleaned, so that I can grab it, rinse it and nuke it.

I keep several different kinds of canned beans in the pantry so that I can quickly throw them togther with other things to create a meal. I buy pinto beans by the case at Costco and I smoosh them up in a skillet to make "refried" beans. Black beans are also a favorite of mine. I buy popcorn kernels in bulk and pop it in a microwave popcorn bowl. I keep an olive oil sprayer on the counter and I have one with balsamic vinegar in it as well.

I also have a basket with measuring cups and spoons it out on the counter next to my Weight Watchers Food Scale.

So, because I have everything on hand and organized, I can come home from work and throw a meal together in about 10 minutes. I rarely spend more than a few minutes putting my meals together.

I do have a bit of an advantage because Vern is the junk food KING. He pretty much refuses to eat anything that isn't pure crap...(ok, I do sneak some real food in him occasionally)...for the most part he gets a huge crap meal at lunch time from whatever fast food place strikes his fancy that day and then just snacks on chips, candy, cheetos...whatever....at night. So, I don't have to fix a meal for both of us. But, if the day ever comes that he wants to eat what I eat it will be easy enough to nuke two portions and make a meal for us both.

OK...so that's probably way more information than anyone wants but there you go!

Finally...
My menu for yesterday...

Breakfast was 1/2 cup egg substitute cooked in a microwave "egg patty" maker, topped with a large apple, diced and cooked in the microwave with cinnamin then mixed with Walden Farms Pancake Syrup. I put a tablesppon of Brummel and Brown Spread. This was delicious, much like french toast topped with apples. I also had 3 cups of black coffee. Who knew that coffee registers as points if you drink 3 cups!?
4.5 points

Lunch was a sandwich made on a Sandwich Thin. Turkey breast lunch meat, fat free cheese slice, lettuce and tomato. I had some sugar snap peas, that I nuked for a minute or so, and a peach.
5 points

Dinner was a pizza made on LaTortilla Factory 100 calorie, multigrain tortilla. I used 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce from a jar, some mushrooms, onions, turkey pepperoni, and reduced fat mozzarella. I also had an ear of corn.
7 points

After Dinner Snack was a Deep Chocolate Vitatop, topped with Fage Total 0 Greek Yogurt mixed with PB2 and sweetened with stevia. This is such a satisfying desert!
4 points

On Monday the most beautiful girl in the world started kindergarten. This child is my HEART!!! and she is growing up way too fast for this Grandma Honey...

Tuesday August 17, 2010....

2010-08-18T05:56:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was one of those nonstop, crazy busy days! Work seriously feels out of control lately. I am grateful that we're busy but feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all right now! Whew!!!

So anyway, once again I got to work and the day was off and running before I could even catch my breath after my impromptu treadmill walk.

Once again, I kept thinking I would grab a bite for breakfast "in just a minute" and before I knew it, it was noon. So breakfast was a cup of Chai Latte that I made with almond milk and a sugar free chai mix. This is so good!
1 point
I am seriously going to take Shane's advice and maybe stock some sort of fiber bar at work...oh wait! I have a bunch of Vitatops in the freezer! That would be a great, quick breakfast. So now if I can remember this the next time the morning is a crazy whirlwind of activity there will be no more skipping breakfast!

Lunch was easy because I had thrown some leftover taco stuff in a baggie and taken it to work with me on Monday. On Mondays I try and haul a bunch of food to work for meals throughout the week. So anyway, I had left over tacos for a quick lunch.
4.5 points

Dinner was this bean dish I threw together when I got home from the dentist. It was 2 mango chicken sausages (Costco), a half cup of canned small white beans, a laughing cow cheese wedge, and a tablespoon of BBQ sauce. I had a piece of corn with it. Another great, satisfying meal!
8 points

Snacks were:
Popcorn 7.5 points

Peach, Plum, and Fage Total 0 yogurt
3 points

Total daily points 24
Target points 24
Activity points earned 2

Update from this morning...

2010-08-17T10:16:00.001-07:00

So rather than sitting around bemoaning the fact that I didn't work out last night, I got up and went and walked on the treadmill before work. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked but at least I did something. I'm working on losing that mentality that tells me if I can't do it all perfectly then why bother. So even though I couldn't walk for the full hour I did it anyway. I walked for 40 minutes with the treadmill set at "rolling hills" with an average speed of 3.3 MPH. I actually had it set for 3.7 for most of the walk but it factors in the warm up and cool down portions in the totals.

I also made an appointment to meet with a trainer on Saturday to begin to help me plan a workout.

I had to dash into work and do something with my hair and make-up on the fly but I don't have to spend the day WISHING I had gone and walked.

I have a dental appointment after work so it was this morning or nothing.

Monday August 16, 2010......

2010-08-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Ok...here we go.
The third Monday of each month is usually a day that we're off from work. It's a schedule we started a few years back when I was an employee of the business we now own. We love 3 day weekends and this was a way to get at least one each month. Yesterday we decided to work in spite of it being the third Monday. We are simply too busy to take off. I really missed having my Monday off but we got a lot of work done.

Breakfast was a peach, a plum, 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal, and 6oz of Fage Total 0 Greek Yogurt sweetened with stevia and flavored with cinnamin.
4 points

Lunch was lettuce wraps made with 2 slices of turkey lunchmeat, 2 fat free cheese slices, both cut in half on 4 lettuce leaves, with tomato, salt and pepper. I also had a half an apple and a mandarin orange
3 points

At 5pm when I was quite ready to go home, but Vern was on a roll with some hats we were doing and wasn't ready to leave yet, I had a Vitatop Corn Muffin Top with Brummel and Brown Butter Spread on it.
2points

Dinner was a bunch of stuff I pulled out of the fridge, microwaved, and piled on a plate...
3 oz baked Chicken topped with a tiny bit of BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup of reduced fat mozzarella, some cooked baby carrots, some green beans, 1/2 cup of Texas Caviar (costco), and 2 pieces of corn on the cobb. (There's only one in this photo but I had a second one)
9.5 points

After dinner I had another peach topped with some Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt
3 points

After dinner I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up and rather than stumbling upstairs to bed like I should have, I stumbled into the kitchen and ate this....I ate it standing at the kitchen sink, half asleep, not even enjoying it! How stupid is THAT!? I didn't even take a photo of it...I didn't track it...I just ate it.

This morning I woke up and went back and added it in my tracker. And because I committed to posting a photo of everything I eat, I re-created the scene of the crime, took a photo and then threw the dastardly stuff in the trash!!
5 points
(I have the weekly points to cover this so I'm good there. It's just that I wasn't even hungry or awake enough to enjoy it!)

I didn't make it back to the gym again last night because it was so late when we got home. In reality it really wasn't that late. I could have gone. But it was late enough that I didn't want to go. One more not so healthy choice I made yesterday

Menu for Sunday August 15, 2010....

2010-08-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today got started a little late. Last night I had just crawled into bed and laid my head on the pillow when my phone rang. It's never a good thing when my phone rings after 9pm because all my friends and family know that I am not a night person so no one calls me just to chat at night. It's always because something is wrong. Last night was no different. I picked up the phone and my oldest son, Chris, was on the other end of the line saying, "Mom, I think Courtney's (my middle son) hurt. He broke his ankle or something."

You know, can I just tell you...it makes very little difference if your child is two or thirty two...those words hit your heart the same way! Your child is hurt and your heart kicks in to "I need to get to him" mode!

Chris explained to me that Courtney had somehow hurt himself at the bowling alley and his friend Mike had taken him to ER. But Mike couldn't stay because he had his little boy with him and Chris couldn't go because he had Autumn...of course, at the words, "Mom, Courtney's hurt" I was already putting my clothes back on and getting ready to make my way to the hospital!

So, to make a long story short, I spent a few hours in the ER with my son. It turns out his ankle wasn't fractured, just badly bruised. He smacked himself in the ankle with his bowling ball while he was bowling...OUCH!!! When I got to the ER he was in so much pain he was shaking. But a good dose of narcotic pain reliever injected into the muscle of his upper arm, some x-rays, and a very pretty young nurse had him on the road to recovery in a few hours.

I slept in a little bit this morning...I made us almost late to church...

So....I skipped breakfast. Not the healthiest way to start the day but it happens. I was making us late and Vern was playing on the worship team so I had to just go...So breakfast was coffee....and more coffee when we arrived at church. Thank goodness our church serves coffee!

After church we had to go to Costco to garb some fresh fruits and vegetables for the week. My cat Fred LOVES tomatoes and he won't leave them alone when they're on the kitchen counter...and putting them in the frige makes them yucky. So I had the brainstorm idea to store them in the plastic container that the apples come in! I felt pretty clever for coming up with this solution!

Lunch was a wrap made with a LaTortilla Factory Multigrain Smart Wrap, a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese, a couple of slices of turkey breast lunch meat, lettuce, & tomato. I had some snap peas, carrots and apple slices on the side. This was a very filling lunch and I didn't finish all the snap peas or carrrots.

While I was at Costco, these caught my attention and I picked up a bag. I munched on a handful...actually I munched on an exact, weighed out portion...while I fixed my lunch. These are pretty good and have a nice crunch.

After lunch I went over to vicit my Mom and my older sister. We sat and drank Iced coffee and chatted for a couple of hours. Honestly i forgot to take a photo of my iced skinny vanilla latte so I found one on line...mine looked just like this one and set me back 4 points....and it was worth every single point!

After I came home I made up a big pot of lean ground turkey taco filling meat and of course made tacos for Vern and I for dinner. I found some extra thin corn tortillas at the grocery store that are 80 calories and 1 gram of fat for two tortillas! SCORE!! The "refried" beans are just some canned pinto beans that I dumped in a pan and smooshed up. These were really good and Vern didn't even know that I fed him lean ground turkey! I was left with lots of taco meat to portion out into individual portions and freeze for meals on the go. That is one of the things that helps me to stay on track....making up meal componants and freezing them in individual servings sizes with the points marked on the outside of the freezer bags.

Lastly, for an after dinner snack I had a peach and a plum cut up in a bowl and topped with greek yogurt.

These last two photos are simply here because I think I have the most adorable cats in the world! These are two of the three cats we share our home with, Fred & Ethyl.

Earlier today I walked into the living room and found Ethyl snuggled down into a shoebox watching televison very intently. I thought it was completely adorable so I captured the moment to share here!

Here are the two of them watching the world go by outside our window. See...I told you they are the cutest cats ever!

Saturday August 14, 2010...

2010-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

We had some work stuff to take care of in the morning and then spent the rest of the afternoon down at Mission Bay, riding our bikes and having a picnic. It was so nice!

Breakfast was a Vitatop, apple crumb flavored with 4oz of Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt mixed with PB2 and drizzled with Walden Farms 0 calorie pancake syrup.
3 points

We rode our bikes along the bike path for 7 or 8 miles and then stopped, spread our picnic blanket on the grass near the jetty and had a picnic lunch I had packed. We are getting this whole bike ride/picnic thing down to an art. Maybe I should write a post about our picnic stuff and how we have learned to carry it all in the baskets of our bikes!

Now I wish I would have taken photos of our bike ride and picnic...note to self...take more photos! I snapped this photo so I could have it in my phone the next time Vern asks me, "Do you remember which bike I put on the car first?" I can never remember!

Anyway, lunch was a sandwich on a multigrain sandwich thin spread with a wedge of laughing cow swiss cheese spread, with Turkey breast lunch meat, lettuce, tomato, and a tiny smear of mustard (I like just a touch...I hate too much mustard!)

I had some baby cut carrots, and a half of a pink lady apple as well.
4 points

I wanted a little something more after lunch so I had some pretzels
2 points

Dinner was a chicken quesadilla. A 100 calorie tortilla spread with 1/2 cup leftover black beans, 3 oz diced, baked chicken breast, 2 oz fat free cheese, and pico de gallo. This was so good and really hit the spot as I was hungry after our long bike ride!
7 points

This photo taken after I ate some of my quesadilla shows what was in it a little bit better.

Of course there was popcorn after dinner....it's becoming sort of a habit...LOL.
6 points

I don't know how we managed to do it but we found ourselves riding against the wind BOTH ways! I am always amazed at how much harder it is to ride against the wind. It feels something like I imagine riding in mud would feel like. By the time we finished our 14-15 mile ride my legs were like rubber! The activity tracker said it was a six point ride but that seems awfully high to me so I gave myslef 4 activity points.

Total points used 22
Target 24

Friday August 13, 2010....

2010-08-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

So did anyone else notice that Monday's date was 8/9/10...
and Friday was Friday the 13th..in the same week...I just find that to be interesting and cool!

Ok Yesterday's Menu...
Breakfast was another pumkin concoction. I needed to use up the rest of that crazy expensive can of pumpkin that I bought. It was the small can, the one that's the size of a soup can or a vegetable can...and it was $3.49! Yikes!! But I wanted it.

So anyway...

2/3 cup of pumpkin
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup Fiber One
1 large apple
Walden Farms Pancake Syrup
3.5 points

Lunch...I almost forget to snap a photo! It was a crazy busy day and I threw this lunch together and started eating before I realized I hadn't taken a photo! So, the plate, before I snapped the photo included 3 oz of baked chicken breast. A serving of green beans and some mandarin orange segments.
4 points

Dinner...Can you tell I've used up all of my lean protein choices I had prepared and stocked the freezer with, except for baked chicken? I need to take a day and cook up some stuff and freeze it.

3 oz Baked Chicken Breast
1 cup "refried" black beans (This photo shows 1/2 cup but I added more after I took the photo)
Steamed broccoli
Pico de Gallo
6 points

Snacks...

Popcorn and a diet cherry limeade
3 points

Golden Spoon frozen yogurt and PB2 powder
4.5 points

Total Daily points used 21
Target 24

I planned on going to the gym and walking on the treadmill but we had to work late to meet a deadline. I swear...we are working so much harder now that we own the business than we did when I was an employee!!

Today we are going to take care of some work stuff on the morning and then we are going to head out for a bike ride and picnic.

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

2010-08-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Thursday August 12, 2010....

2010-08-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

....so that means that tomorrow is Friday the 13th you know...just sayin... :)

Ok...today's menu...

This absolutely does not look as delicious as it was! Notice that this was cooked in my handy microwave omelet maker!

This was a half cup of egg substitute, a cup of canned pumpkin, a dash of stevia, and cinnamin all mixed together and poured into the omelet maker which had been sprayed with non-stick spray. I popped it in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes until it was cooked through. I topped it with a half cup of Fiber One Cereal to give it some crunch, and then drizzled the whole thing with Walden Farms 0 calorie pancake syrup. It was so good! And it's a big, satisfying breakfast! It ends up being sort of a cross between a custard texture and a pumpkin pie.....so good and only 3 points

A little later in the morning I had a cup of chai tea made with almond milk and sugar free Chai tea mix. I had forgetten how much I love this! 1 point.

Lunch was 3oz of baked chicken breast, broccoli (also steamed in the microwave in my omelet maker), sliced tomato and a reduced fat string cheese stick. 4 points

My afternoon snack was Fage 0% Greek Yogurt mixed with PB2 and stevia on top of a deep chocolate Vitatop and drizzled with a touch of Walden Farms 0 calorie pancake syrup. I love this snack! 4 points

Vern and I had a date to meet with my son, Colin, and his wife, Christina, at Ikea for Swedish Meatballs after work. Christina and I split a plate of meatballs and I added a salad to my meal. Dinner was 9.5 points

Total daily points 21.5
Target 24

I have a couple of points left and I just might use them!

Thursday August 12, 2010...

2010-08-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

So, I'm most probably going to be all over the place with this post. I have lots of thoughts tumbling around in my brain...I actually have a mental image of clothes tumbling in the dryer as my jumbled thoughts go around and around...

Here's one thought that keeps coming around. I took this photo in church on Sunday. We we getting ready to take communion and I looked over at the communion cup in Vern's hands and was immediately awestruck at the goodness and faithfulness of God! Vern and I were both so lost, wounded and battered when we met. I was fresh out of a horrible marriage and an awful church experience....I was a Christian.....or maybe I hadn't REALLY bowed my knee yet. That's one of those things I'm not really sure of in life.....was I backslidden or had I not completely surrendered yet....I don't know. As I get older I am less and less sure that I have all the answers. Funny how that happens. But anyway, I was a mess. Vern was an athiest...well, at least he claimed to be but he was awfully angry at a God he didn't believe in. He was angry about a lot of things. Somehow in the midst of all the heartache, pain, anger, and woundedness we found each other....and we clung to each other like one clings to a life preserver in troubled waters.

Fast forward 9 years and somehow God has taken all of that, turned it around for our good, drawn us to Himself, and set our feet on solid ground. As I looked over and saw Vern's hands cupping a communion cup I was reminded in an instant how far God has brought us....

Then there's the situation with my sister that I mentioned here. My sister has a lifelong history of "running." She began running away from home as a young teen and at 49 years old is still "running." This has caused considerable heartache to our family....especially to her sons. This time she chose to sneak out of town without telling anyone. She mailed card to her sons saying basically, "I love you and I've moved to Arizona to build a new life." Her sons live ten minutes away and she couldn't be enough of a mom to go and face them and tell them what she was doing. She moved out while Vern and I were at work and left a note on the table. (We had given her until the end of the year to find a place)

I am deeply disappointed in her for the way she chose to run away once again...chasing after rainbows or the greener grass...or whatever it is she's looking for that she will never find until she stops to realize that SHE is her own problem and that wherever she runs off to to "build a new life" it's not going to be any different because she takes herself and all her issues...that she refuses to come to terms with...along with her. Actually, "deeply disappointed" isn't really the right terminology to express how I feel about my sister right now. I am mad. I want to be done with her. I am so tired of watching how she hurts everyone who has the misfortune of caring about her. I think she should have to see the pain on her sons' faces as they realize that once again their mother has cast them aside to go chasing after a fairytale. I know that I have to forgive her as Christ has forgiven me...but I am struggling with some really ugly feelings toward my sister right now...sigh...

Finally, there's this...I have been sort of screwing around this week...being on plan one minute and off the next. I haven't been going to the gym to walk on the treadmill. I've been having a bite of this and a bite of that. It has to stop!

I need to get myself back on track and DO THIS! Life is always going to throw things in the mix that threaten to detract and derail me from my committment to live a healthy, controlled life. I can't control what life throws my way but I can control how I live and the choices I make in the midst of everything that happens. So this morning I am re-committing to staying on track, eating healthy foods, staying within my points allotment,meeting my Weight Watchers "Good Health Guidelines" and exercising on a regular basis. Yes, that's it....another line in the sand but this time it's for myself!

Here are some photos I've taken of the HEALTHY choices I've made over the past couple of days. I haven't taken photos of the "not-so-healthy" choices...so that's another committment I am making. If I eat it, I photograph it...the good the bad the stupid...it's all going to be recorded here!

Tomorrow is my weigh in day. I am pretty sure I will show a gain. I feel boated and full. Part of me wants to skip my meeting and not face it. But I will not do that. I will not hide from my poor choices and pretend they will go away. I will go to that meeting. I will step on that scale. And I will face whatever it tells me.

Microwave Omelet Maker...

2010-08-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

Debbie asked me, in her comment on my last post, about the microwave omelet maker and where she could get them. I added a couple of photos below so you can see what I'm talking about. The photos are just photos I found on the internet but mine are exactly like this.

I bought my first one at Walmart but I haven't been able to get any there for a while now. I actually found my most recent ones at the grocery store. They were hanging from hooks in the bread aisle, of all places! You know, how they have stuff hanging on the shelves for impulse buying. Anyway, I paid around $4.00 each for them and I have two at work and two at home. I use them all the time!

I freeze leftovers in sandwich size zip top bags that I sort of roll down so that the food freezes in a long cylinder shape so I can heat them up in these little omelet makers. They are also the perfect size for green beans, asparagus, carrots, etc. I also microwave Broccoli Slaw mix in these and add a little Brummel & Brown butter spread for a quick side dish.

I don't have a photo but I also have a round egg cooker thing, similar to these, that I use for cooking egg substitute into a "patty" for breakfast sandwiches. Oh...and sometimes I actually make omelets in my microwave omelet maker!

Menu for Monday August 9, 2010...

2010-08-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

So here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast was a toasted Bagel Thin with a mixture of PB2 Peanut Butter and fat free cream cheese (oh yum! This was so good!) and a sliced apple. I had a cup of coffee with creamer in it as well. Total points 5.5

The day was crazy busy and lunch sort of got away from me and before I knew it, it was after 2pm! I had a sandwich made from a Sandwich Thin & a caramelized onion chicken patty. (I cooked two last night and saved one for today) I paired it with some fresh green beans that I microwaved. These are so much tastier than any french fries I have ever eaten! Here's little secret. I keep several of those plastic, microwave omelet makers around both home and work. They are the perfect size for microwaving vegetables and heating up leftovers. I throw the green beans in one, give them a very quick spray of non-stick cooking spray, close it up and stick it in microwave for 2-3 minutes while I make the sandwich. When I take them out I sprinkle them with sea salt. Lunch was 4 points

Dinner was leftover spaghetti and a huge salad of spinach leaves, lettuce, tomato, broccoli (leftover),mandarine orange (fresh, "cuties", from..you guessed it...Costco!) I sprayed it all with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also had my own home version of a diet cherry limeade. Diet 7-up, sugar free cherry syrup and a squeeze of lime.
Dinner was 9.5 points

I love an after dinner snack! Last night it was Golden Spoon fat free frozen yogurt, raspbery cheesecake flavored, with a Vitamuffin chocolate brownie cut up in it...Oh my!!! 5 points

Daily points used 24
Target points 24

Oh! I almost forgot this! Christine commented on my blog yesterday and said that she had never heard of Jicama and asked what it is.

Jicama is a root vegetable, like a turnip or a potato. It is crunchy and sort of sweet. It's super tasty and low in calories (or points if you're a Weight Watcher) It's really common in Mexico and maybe that's why it's so prevelant here in Southern California?

Sunday August 8, 2010 Menu...

2010-08-09T07:08:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning, running late, "breakfast" was coffee.

Lunch was this quickie bowl I threw together from stuff I had in the fridge. I was in a hurry and just needed to eat something quick before I ran out the door. This was some "broccoli slaw" that I microwaved until it was crisp tender, some "Texas Cavier" that I got from Costco...(it's so good! It's black eyed peas, corn, onions, jicima, and a few other things. It's 1 point for a half cup serving)....some canned chicken breast, fat free cheese, and a dab of low fat balsamic vinegrette. It ended up being a huge bowl of food and was 5 points.

Dinner was a Carmelized Onion Chicken breast patty, also from Costco. They are ready to cook, delicious, and 3 points each. I had more broccoli slaw, cooked and mixed with Brummel & Brown Butter Spread, and some Rice & Quinoa with garlic sauce (also from Costco...LOL) 7 points

My snacks were...

A big bowl of cereal with almond milk. 4.5 points

"Chocolate covered pretzels"...Petzels dipped in Walden Farms 0 calorie chocolate dip. I had about a half a serving of pretzels as I just wanted a little something. 1 point.

I had some coffee with creamer in it at church so I'm figuring 3 points or so for that.

20.5 points for the day.
A little shy of my 24 point target but still a good day. I am back on track and ready to start my week!

Saturday August 8, 2010....

2010-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we spent the day with Vern's kids at the San Diego Zoo. Vern's Daughter, Jasmine, lives in New York and she's out here visiting for a couple of weeks. His son, Joe, is here in San Diego. It was so great to get to spend the day with them! Jasmine's boyfriend, Mike, and Joe's girlfriend, Diana, were also with us for the day. All four kids are just delightful kids!

This is the first time since I have known Vern that they were all together for the day. It's a long story but divorce, distance, cancer, emotional issues...all combined to cause Vern to not have much of a relationship with his daughter. This day is truly an answer to much prayer that someday they would be able to begin to bond and forge a relationship. It was a bit awkward and both of them were nervous and unsure of how to connect or what to say to each other...but they hung in there and spent the day together! Joe was absolutely a godsend with his easy banter and relaxed manner! He really helped to keep the conversation going and provided comic relief so many times throughtout the day. Just look at the huge smile on Vern's face in this first picture of all of them together!

I knew it was going to be a long day and good, healthy, low points food was not going to be easy to get. So I started the day with a vitatop, a couple of "Cutie" oranges, and a half a cup of Fage Total 0 yogurt. I also had coffee with creamer for a total of 4.5 points.
(I can't figure out why Blogger insists on turning this one photo sideways. It was right side up when I uploaded it...twice!)

We walked around the zoo for around 5 hours. The weather was gorgeous! It was in the upper 70's with a wonderful, cool breeze. Just an incredibly beautiful San Diego day!
I can't find my Weight Watchers Pedometer. It's somewhere in the house. I remember bringing it in from the car after the Disneyland trip but I can't find it. I'm guessing I either forgot where I put it or Fred (the cat) has carried it off somewhere. Anyhow...I gave myself 3 activity points for the day.

The following are a few shots we took throughout the day...

Can I just tell you...the Meercats are my very favorite animals in the entire zoo! I could watch them all day long! Check out that whole pile of Meercats in the background! They are so cute!

Apparently there is no place like San Diego for Mexican food...that's what people keep telling me, anyway. So, of course, being from New York, where according to Jasmine and Mike there is no decent Mexican food, the kids wanted to have Mexican. So we left the zoo and all met up again in Old Town where we had lunch/dinner at Fred's Mexican Cafe. It was a good time and we lingered a long time just talking nad eating and laughing together.

I had this...I was at a complete loss as to how to really count the points for this. It was veggie tacos. The tacos were filled with portabelo mushrooms, roasted corn, tomatoes, oaxaca cheese, avocado slices, and salsa fresco, on corn tortillas. There were refried black beans and rice on the side. I probably should have...no, make that, I DEFINITELY should have, had them pack half of it into a "to go" container when they first brought it to the table. But...I didn't. I ate every bite of it. Gulp!! It was delicious! I counted it as 25 points.

What I didn't photograph and you can't see here is what I ate later that evening. I had a big bowl of cereal, kix, cheerios, and fiber one, with almond breeze. Would have been FINE if I had stopped then! But noooo...I also ate a sandwich thin with peanut butter and jelly on it, and some Quaker Quakes Cheddar Cheese flavored rice snacks...Yes, I had sort of a binge, freak out, lose my mind moment! i hate when I let this happen, I hate the feelings, both physical and mental that these binges bring on. I am realizing that I am at risk for the binge behavior after I find myself at a restuarant where there seem to be no clear cut, choices for me. When I don't know how to count the points and I have to just do my best to pick...that seems to be when I am at risk for completely losing control. Realizing this, I hope to be better prepared, no, I am DETERMINED to be better prepared, mentally and emotionally for the next time I find myself in this situation. In retrospect, I could have had them put half of the meal in a "to go" container and then I wouldn't have felt like I had cheated. I could have gone home and snacked on fruits, vegetables...or any one of the tons of healthy options I have stocked my kitchen with! I could have gotten busy doing something else...like updating my blog...when the desire to eat everything in the kitchen hit!

OK..today is a new day and I am back at it. I'm glad this is a journey that is going to last a lifetime and times like last night are only bumps in the road, aren't you?

So...my points for the day were 47.5

Did it, tracked it, now I'm moving on!

Menu For Friday August 6, 2010

2010-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I can get back into the swing of things with blogging my daily menus again...

Breakfast was scrambled egg substitute, sliced tomato, mandarin orange segments, and a bagel thin with fat free cream cheese. Believe it or not, this big breakfast is only 3.5 points!

Lunch was a sandwich of turkey breast lunch meat, a fat free cheddar cheese slice, Lettuce, and tomato on a sandwich thin. I nuked some broccoli slaw until it was tender crisp and mixed it with some Brummel & Brown Buttter Spread...OMG!!! This was so good. I will be having this as a side dish on a regular basis! I also had a 'Cutie" mandarin orange. 5 points

Dinner was spaghetti that I made. I used whole wheat pasta. I made the sauce with lean ground turkey, a jar of spaghetti sauce, two cans of Italian style stewed tomatoes, and a diced onion. Next time I'll add a can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce more. The Pasta is 3 points for a cup and the sauce is 4 points per cup. I made a ton and froze the leftovers in individual serving sizes.

I had steamed broccoli and a fresh spinach salad on the side. I sprayed the salad with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and topped it with a diced Laughing Cow, Blue Cheese flavored wedge. If you haven't tried the Blue Cheese Laughing Cow...DO!!! It's awesome. It really tastes like blue cheese! Dinner was 10 points

After dinner I had some Fage Greek 0% Yogurt sweetened with sugar free almond syrup and flavored with a dash of fat free, sugar free chocolate pudding mix, and topped with a few blueberries. 2.5 points.

I also snacked on some grapes while I cooked dinner, cleaned the fridge out, and started the laundry... 1.5 points

Target points 24
Points used 22.5

August 6, 2010..Friday Morning Weigh in...

2010-08-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

...so I had my weigh in this morning. I stayed exactly the same. I didn't gain and I didn't lose. While it would have been fun to reach my 30 pound milestone this week, I am basically happy with my results. We spent 4 days at Disneyland and I didn't gain. I didn't use it as an excuse to eat everything in sight. So I'm satisfied.

This morning in my Weight Watchers meeting the topic was "Sneak Eating." That led to the topic of the "diet police", you know, the people in your life who say things like, "Are you supposed to eat that?" That seems to come up a lot in our meeting and people seem to be really irritated or put off by it. As I sat there and listened to the comments and complaints that other members voiced, I realized that I don't feel the same way about it as many others do.

When I first joined Weight Watchers I didn't tell anyone for a long time. I had tried and failed so many times and I was embarrassed to admit what I was doing lest I fail again. But somewhere along the way, I began to open up to my friends and family about my plan. As I have included the people in my life in my Weight Watchers journey I have found a wealth of support. Sure, sometimes they ask questions...but they are just questions because they are trying to understand my plan...they are not judgements or accusations. I am grateful to my friends and family for the support thay have offered me along the way and I'm glad when they ask questions like, "Can you eat that?" I often find that explaining the plan to my curious friends or family members cements it more firmly in my own mind.

So...I hope my friends and family members stay interested in my lifestyle change. I hope they keep asking questions. Most of all, I hope they keep cheering me on in my efforts to change my lifestyle...

We're Back!!....

2010-08-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 31, 2010...

2010-07-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm finding that it's becoming more and more difficult to find time to keep my blog updated! Now that Summer is here we are busy living life on the weekends. And, ever since we bought the business in January I have worked harder than I ever did as an employee!

So anyway, it's been two weeks since I was here last. Here's some of what I've been doing...

Picnics & bike rides with the most adorable granddaughter in the world! (and her Daddy!)

Eating loads of healthy foods...

And continuing to lose weight.....
Last week I was down .2 pounds...yes, point two. This week I was down 2 pounds. I am 1.4 pounds away from 30 pounds being gone! Wow! Just Wow! I am eating almost whatever I want and my body is continuing to shrink. I am so excited!
(My actual starting weight was 226 pounds, but I didn't take a week one photo...I know, what was I thinking!?)

So...here's the challenge for me for THIS week. We are leaving this morning for a mini vacation. We will be spending the next four days at Disneyland and California Adventure. I am within 1.4 pounds of being 30 pounds down. I think it would be the coolest thing in the world to lose that 1.4 pounds and hit my 30 pound mark on the same week as the Disneyland trip. That will be my motivation to make it a vacation for my mind and my spirit...but not a vacation from my healthy lifestyle. I will not be heartbroken if it doesn't happen...but it really would be so cool! I can just see myself telling the folks in my meeting about it!

OK...and we're off to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Saturday morning update...

2010-07-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! 2 posts in one morning! I am on a roll here!.

Yesterday was my weekly weigh in. I lost .4 pounds. I am finally under 200 pounds!!! Yay!! I'm so thrilled to be under the 200 pound threshold!

Versatile Blogger Award!...

2010-07-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

I got this cool blog award from Patrick over at Resonsibility 199. I only recently discovered Patrick's blog and I'm so glad I did. His blog is a down to earth, honest, inspiring blog. If you aren't already following Patrick, head over there now (well, finish reading MY blog first...LOL) and check him out!

Here are the rules of the award...

1. Thank the person giving the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

OK...Thank you Patrick! I'm honored to be included in your list of 15 newly discovered blogs! I'm looking forward to visiting the other blogs you listed.

Seven things about myself...Hmmm..

1. I am a Christian. I came to the Lord late in life, after a very tumultuous, confused, self-destructive early adulthood. I love the Lord Jesus with my whole heart and I am determined, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live a life that's worthy of the redemption He's given to me!

2. I have 3 sisters and I am one of the middle siblings. I am second to the youngest. I am convinced that the reason for my Dad's dementia is that he lived in a house for so long with 5 females!...LOL

3. My husband and I bought the business I have worked at for the past 14 years. We took ownership in January of this year and we are still walking around pinching ourselves to make sure we are awake and this is real...well, that's when we have TIME to pinch ourselves in the midst of the increased responsibility!

4. I have 3 sons. Chris is 35 and is daddy to lil Miss Autumn, who is my HEART! Courtney is 32. He is the middle child and owns a very special niche in my heart, He was born on my 20th birthday, in the same hospital I was born in. Colin is 30. He is newly married to Christina whom I have grown to love like my own daughter. They just bought the condo across the street from us and I love, love, love having them as neighbors.

5. Vern and I share our home with 3 completely indoor cats. Agnes is a long haired, grey tabby. She is about 5 years old and she takes her role as grouchy old cat very seriously. Fred and Ethyl are littermates that we got just over a year ago. They are adorable and mischievious and they keep us laughing at their antics every single day. Fred is a short haired, white with orange striped patches and he is absoulutely, hands down, my FAVORITE. He is so darned cute and has his lil paws firmly wrapped around my heart. Ethyl is long haired, white with black striped and orange striped patches. She is a tiny little beauty of a cat! She is our diva, drama queen, girlie-girl cat! Most of my friends and family simply shake thier heads over my affection for and complete lack of discipline with, my cats! I love, love, love my cats and if I had a big place out in the country I would have oodles of them.

6. Vern and I have been married for almost 6 years. Before I met Vern I had stopped believing in soul mates. Vern has taught me to love and be loved again. He has taught me how to play and how to ride a bike again. We have had some very rocky times in our time together but we have grown to love each other more deeply and become more committed to each other and to our marriage as we have worked through the rough times. I thank God for the life we have together.

7. I mentioned her in number four, above....I am "Grandma Honey" to the most amazing little girl in the entire world. Autumn Ann Marie. Autumn is almost 6 years old. She was born on the day Vern and I got married...that's a whole 'nother story!...I got the nickname "Grandma Honey" because I call people "Honey" and it differentiated me from her other Grandma. Becoming a Grandmother is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. Before she was born, people tried to tell me how amazing it is to become a grandmother...but I could not have ever imagined it until it happened to me!

Now...I really hate to break the rules of the award...I really do...but all the blogs I know about have already received this award. I'm sorry to drop the ball here. I guess I need to get around blogland more....

Thanks Patrick...this was fun.

Tuesday July 13, 2010...

2010-07-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

So....things have been a little tense and unsettled here at our house....

The time came for me to REALLY ask my sister to find another place to live. It was a huge, ugly scene. I lost my temper with her. I am not proud of some of how I handled the situation. On the other hand, I am 100% convinced that it was time to draw a line in the sand...and that I did.

So, I gave her notice, I gave her time to make the necessary arrangements...she has chosen to be out by the end of the month. Whatever....

I am, for the most part, eating on plan. I find myself not tracking as closely as I normally do. I haven't walked all week. My sister has been my walking partner.....
(and, Vern and I have had appointments in the evening almost every night recently so it's been too late for me to go...I know..sounds like a bunch of excuses...maybe it is...) So anyway...new plan...I am going to join the fitness center near my house so that I can walk on the treadmill. That way it won't matter if it's dark outside...I can just dash over there and walk. They are running a special right now and it's only $10.00 a month. I have stuff after work tonight and tomorrow night...but Thursday will be perfect for me to go, join, and walk.

Tracking...I am on it...no more eating a bite of this and a bite of that and not tracking it. I am committed to going back to being the tracking QUEEN that I have always been!

So that's it....I'm ready for the end of the month to come. I am ready to have my house back. I hate being uncomfortable in my own home...

2010-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Mirror Challenge Award

I received this really cute blog award from Lesia at "Here We Go...Hold On Tight!
In order to fulfill my requirements for this award I have to do the following:

1. Thank the giver: Thanks, Lesia!!! I'm so glad we met through our blogs and have formed a bond of friendship that is growing stronger each day!

2. Link back to the giver: Right Here.

3. Look in the mirror and find 10 things I like about myself. Hmmm..Why is that a scary thought!?

4. Pass it on to 3 people.

OK...here we go. Lets see if I can find 10 things I like about myself!

1. I'll start with the easy one. I love my eyes. They are the one feature I have that I really, really believe to be beautiful. My Dad has big, beautiful blue eyes and I was fortunate to inherit that trait from him!

2. I love my eyelashes...is that different from loving my eyes? I think it is. I like that I have long, thick eyelashes.

3. I like my hair. You would have to know me to know what an amazing statement this really is. The whole time I was growing up and throughout most of my adult life I was told that I had "bad" hair...I kept my hair very short for most of my life because I believed that it was ugly. A couple of years ago I decided to let it grow and see what happened. At the same time I also stopped coloring it. It's now shoulder length or a little longer. It's completely my natural color, streaked with grey...and I really like it. I see my hair in the mirror and I think it's pretty. Wow!

4. I like that, even at 200 pounds, I have a feminine shape. I like my curves.

5. I like my height. I like being 5'5"...I'm not tall and I'm not short...I like that.

6. I like my legs. Right now they are a little too white and my veins are really spidery as I get older...but I like the shape of my legs. And, I like that they are strong enough to carry me on my 5 mile walks and peddle my bike for as many miles as I choose to ride.

7. I like my nose. I NEVER thought I would be able to say that! My nose is rather long and even a little "beak like"...but it's my nose. My Aunt Minnie had the same nose and I LOVED my Aunt Minnie (R.I.P. Aunt Minnie) and my nose reminds me of her so I've grown to not only accept my nose but to love it.

8. I like my skin. When I was young I hated my skin. I wished so much for flawless skin with no freckles! I have come to a place of peace with my skin.

9. I like my cheekbones.

10. OK...this one's a little strange...I like that my butt is big even when I am not overweight. I like my butt!...LOL (I can't believe I said that!)

It's so hard to make a list of ten things you like when you look in the mirror with out making a mental list of the things you don't like!!!

Thanks Lesia...this was such a good, healthy, thing for me to do!!! Great idea!

Now for the three people I'd like to pass this on to....

1. Joy at Nuggets of Truth I discovered Joy's blog a few weeks back and I love reading about her journey!

2. Karla at Daily Thoughts Karla is a fellow weight watchers blogger. Her blog is full of great photos of her menus and she inspires me with her "can do" attitude and no nonsense approach to weight loss!

3. My dear Friend Amy B at Our Daily Blessing...Life Amy is an amazing woman who is battling cancer and has a son with some significant, severe, health issues and somehow manages to move forward with a faith and hope that I admire deeply.

Friday July 9, 2010...

2010-07-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

So this morning was my weekly weigh in and are you ready.....I hit my 25 pounds lost goal!!! It's actually 26 pounds but the token is for 25. I am almost embarrassed by how crazy excited I was to reach this goal and get this token! I really wasn't expecting it at all.

The key-ring/charm holder was my token for my 10% goal. The 5K charm was for walking in the 5K challenge....and today I got to add my 25 pound token!

Happy Independence Day...and a couple of other things...

2010-07-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

My plan was to publish this post yesterday..on the Forth of July...but the time got away from me and I found myself busy preparing food and getting the house ready for a BBQ get together with my sons, my daughter-in-law, and my beautiful grand daughter...the get together was wonderful and it was after 11pm when we sent everyone home with packages of leftover food.

So anyway...this is what I was going to post yesterday..

We went to a ball game with my youngest son, Colin, and his wife, Christina, on Saturday. We had such a great time!!

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to get some complimentary Weight Watchers Cheese and review it here on my blog. I was sent two coupons for any of the Weight Watchers Cheese products that I wanted to try. How cool is that!? (I feel like a "real" blogger now!)

Honestly, I was a little bit surprised to find that these products were not as easily available as I had thought they would be. I normally buy groceries at Costco, Walmart, Food 4 Less, and Vons. None of these stores carried the Weight Watchers Cheese products. I finally found them at Albertsons.

I decided to try the cream cheese and smoked provolone varieties of the product.

I loved the cream cheese! It is packaged in little single serving containers which I really, really like because it's like automatic portion control! I incorporated it into my breakfast by spreading it on a toasted Bagel Thin. This cream cheese was very good. It was rich and creamy and I would not have known it was reduced fat by the flavor. I will buy this again, inspite of the fact that it's a bit inconvenient to find.

I used the provolone variety in my lunch menu. It was decent but I was not as impressed with it as I was the cream cheese. I used it on a sandwich with smoked turkey and it didn't have a strong enough flavor to hold its own on the sandwich. I'm thinking that it might be really good eaten with apple slices though. The other thing with it is this...I felt like the 1 point label on the package was a little bit misleading when coupled with the nutritional information on the back. Frankly I was surprised that Weight Watchers would present it with a one point per slice label on the front and then the serving size in the nutritional information is 2 slices. I think for someone who simply skimmed lables rather than reading them fully, this could be an issue.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to try these two products!!

This last photo is simply here because it's cute and it made me smile. This is my cat Freddie resting up for a long night. Apparently, having enough energy to bug your humans off and on all night long requires some catnapping during the daylight hours.

Saturday July 3, 2010...

2010-07-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day Weekend!!! Vern and I spent the morning cleaning house and doing laundry. Now that all the chores are done we are ready to begin enjoying the fun stuff!

We are going to the Padre game tonight with my youngest son and his wife. I am looking so forward to it! We are actually sitting in the "all you can eat seats." This should be interesting! Our seats include all we can eat of hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and soda. I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll be ok. I have tons of activity and weekly points allowance so I can enjoy at hot dog or two (they are 6 points each) and popcorn and as much diet soda as I want. Ourseats also include bottled water, which is awesome! I had a vitatop, half an apple and a latte made with almond milk for breakfast after we finished our housework and I'm banking the rest of my points for later. It's not even that I'm really so crazy about hot dogs...it's more sharing the experience with my family.

Tomorrow we will be having the kids over for the 4th. We'll grill some food and hang out and then watch the fireworks. We have an awesome view of the firewoks from our yard so it's a perfect time for us to all get together. This year, since my youngest and his wife have moved in across the street, we'll be in both places. I got some great "Mango Chicken Sausages" from costco. They are 2 points each and they are absolutely delicious! We'll also grill burgers, hot links, hot dogs, and Boca burgers. But I'll post more of that menu, along with photos afterward!

I had my weigh in on Friday morning. I love, love, love, my Friday morning meeting! I lost 1.4 pounds so now I am down a total of 23.2 pounds. I am so happy with the results I'm having...not just the weightloss...but the lifestyle change!

I'm still trying to get in a five mile walk most days. Vern and I are riding our bikes to work more and more. I walked with my sister last night. We drove down and walked along the bay because it's just so nice there!

So, here are some photos I've taken over the past few days. .....

Tuesday June 29, 2010...

2010-06-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

So, I don't really have any photos to share. But, I'm on plan, eating healthy, exercising, and living life.

Yesterday we rode our bikes to work, taking a longer route rather than going straight there. So all in all, round trip we rode 3 or 4 miles. Then I walked with my sister 5.25 miles after we got home. Can I just tell you how much WILLPOWER it takes for me to get out and walk after a long day at work!!??? But we did it and I'm proud of us...LOL.

OK...off to work. I WILL take photos today! I hate blogging without photos

Sunday June 27, 2010.....

2010-06-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on our ride yesterday! No photos of me though because I am always the one taking the photos...but here's one of Vern as we rode out to the jetty on an old access rode. It was a perfect day for riding, overcast and cool. The wind was blowing pretty hard against us as we peddled our way along the bike path, making it a respectable workout! The GPS on my phone wasn't working right yesterday so we had to map our routes when we got home. We found that we rode somewhere between 17 and 20 miles total. We ride old fashioned beach cruisers so that's a pretty good ride!

My sister, Tammy, went along with us. She lasted about 30 minutes and then she had had enough...I think she really thought she was in better shape than me because she has lost over 50 pounds in the past couple of years...but she only recently began to couple it with exercise. Anyway it was sort of funny to watch her realize that she couldn't keep up with me in the exercise department...sibling rivalry you know! HaHa!

Here she is. I gave her my other bike, a very cute Schwinn beach cruiser, when I scored the Electra bike from the pawn shop.

After Tammy finished riding we had our picnic and then she left for home. We headed over to the bike path at Mission Bay Park and followed it out to the access rode to the jetty. We rode all the way to the end of the jetty and then back. My leg muscles were screaming for mercy by the time we were done! Here's thr route we rode. It doesn't include the ride in the morning, just what we did after my sister left us. It takes a few seconds to zoom in to our actual route.

Bike Ride Mission Bay Park
Find more Bike Rides in San Diego, California

We decided to go to a local BBQ joint for dinner when we got home. I was starving! I decided to throw caution to the wind and have the BBQ Chicken meal...hey, at least I didn't have the pork ribs!..LOL. I had two pieces of chicken, a breast and a thigh, some collard greens..YUMMO!!!...and baked beans....and cornbread with butter. I used my WPA points and I enjoyed every bite. I love Weight Watchers...I love that I have those points available to me to use when I decide to! Plus we eaned a ton of activity points! The tracker said 12 but I reduced it to 8 just to be on the safe side.

OK..off to church...

Happy Saturday!!!

2010-06-26T06:34:00.001-07:00

I switched to a different Weight Watcher meeting this week. The Thursday night meeting was cancelled so I switched to the Friday morning 6:30am meeting, It was awesome! So much friendlier and motivating than the Thursday night meeting was.

I lost 2.6 pounds this week...made my 10% of target goal, my 20 pounds down milestone and got a keychain and my 5K walk charm. It was exactly what I needed to be motivated and inspired anew!

Today we are going out for a bike ride and a picnic. It promises to be a beautiful, Southern California day and I am looking forward to our day .

Here's a progress collage. I can't really see a huge difference in the second and third photos but I wanted to add the photo for my 20 pound lost goal. (I don't have a week one pic but I started at 226 pounds)

A sampling of what I've been eating...

Seaworld With Our New Friends...

2010-06-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I began following the blog of another Weight Watcher, Lesia. Her blog is "Here We Go. . . Hold On Tight!"
I don't really remember how I found her blog. I probably followed a comment from another blog or something..but anyway, from the moment I began reading her blog, I loved her spunk and enthusiasm! Within just a few days of when I began reading and commenting on her blog, Lesia mentioned that she and her family were coming to San Diego for a vacation and we agreed that we should meet while they were here. Vern and I have annual passes to Seaworld and we decided that would be the perfect place to meet and spend some time together. So on Monday we slathered on sunscreen, donned our "Seaworld Shirts" and headed off to meet our new friends. We had such a fun day!!!

Lesia is funny and excitable and full of life! Her husband, Clay, is such a nice guy with a friendly, quiet nature. And their daughter Kayla is a sweet, easy to like girl! We felt comfortable with them immediately. There wasn't a single moment where we felt awkward or uncomfortable. It was like we had been friends for a long time!

We met at 9:00am and spent the entire day together.

We posed with Shamu...

We saw the shows...

Vern, Lesia, and Kayla posed with the Cirque de la Mer characters ( funny looking guys in wet tights sort of freak me out so I was happy to hang back and take a photo!)...

We ended the day by going for a late dinner at Appleby's Restaurant, where they have a Weight Watchers menu with the points already figured for you!

We left our new found friends at around 10:00pm or so after agreeing that our next get together should be at Disneyland!

Monday June 21...

2010-06-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ahem....well....I had a lil' run in with some movie popcorn and a meal at Daphne's Greek Cafe....I can't say that I really fell off plan because I had the weekly points to cover it...but I did use up every single weekly points allowance point I had coming this week! Honestly, I was SHOCKED when I figured the points. I knew it would be high but seeing it in black and white was eye opening. Sort of like when you shop all day long and then sit down and realize how much you spent! So anyway, I would have really been just as satisfied with half of the meal I ate so next time I will put half in a "to-go" box or throw it away before i begin to eat. The way I see it...it's no more of a waste to throw it away than it is to wear it on my body as fat...right? The other thing is this...I KNEW I needed to take my big purse, filled with popcorn and/or other points friendly snacks, into the theatre but I foolishly didn't do it. THAT won't happen again.

Today, Vern and I are meeting a Weight Watcher blog friend, Lesia, and her family for a day at Seaworld. I am so looking forward to meeting them in person and enjoying a beautiful southern California day! I love meeting, in person, the friends who live in my computer!!!

Sunday June 20

2010-06-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

So...obviously I haven't been able to keep up my blog on a daily basis!

We've been busy....enjoying the Southern California weather!

We went on a bike ride yesterday...

We ended up at Seaworld.

Our friend Joe, who works at Seaworld, gave us vouchers for lunch. Thanks Joe!!

I stayed on plan with a chicken leg, corn on the cobb, a dinner roll, and a salad.

Vern had this...including a double portion of fries because I put mine on his plate so I wouldn't eat them!

Here's a sampling of some of what I've been eating recently...

I am walking 5 miles a day. I have lost a total of 19.2 pounds. Summer is here...well, it's here tomorrow anyway! Bike rides, walking, fresh summer fruits and vegetables....it's about to get GOOD!

Thursday Night...

2010-06-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my weigh in. I lost 2 pounds. So, since starting WW on April 1, I have lost 17.6 pounds.

Here's what I ate today..

Breakfast was oatmeal, Fiber One, PB2, and a banana

Lunch was leftover Ground Turkey Goulash (that I made a while back and froze), roasted Vegetables, and some shredded, reduced fat cheese...and a giant, diet cherry limeade.

Dinner was grilled chicken breast, "creamed" spinach, and potaotes O'Brien.

After Dinner: Frozen FF Yogurt, a banana, and PB2 mixed with water to make a sauce.

I walked 16,238 steps today for 6 activity points
I ate 28 points today.
My points allowance is 24 points.
I used 4 weekly points
I have 31 weekly points remaining and 6 activity points.

2010-06-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is the e-mail that my Weight Watcher's meeting leader sent out, that I blogged about here. It so spoke to where I am at right now that I asked her for permission to share it here.

Patterns... Patterns are one of the most essential tools that can be taught. Without them, the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic would be difficult to learn. By the same token, examining some patterns in our own personal lives can help us learn, too.

Some patterns are excellent to keep repeating. Others simply lead us down paths that set us up for disappointment. Unless you recognize the difference and CHANGE those negative patterns, chances are history will repeat itself. You'll keep ending up with the same thing you already have. Whether those patterns be in relationships, career moves, or eating behaviors, unless something is altered, nothing will change.

Einstein said that doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is insanity. I'm not so sure it's insanity, but it's certainly futile to success if what you're trying isn't producing results you want.

So, what behaviors/choices are you making that produce a negative pattern? Buying ice cream and bringing it home? Then sitting with the whole container in your lap and a big spoon? Giving up when life gets busy? Negative self-talk? Saying "I'll start tomorrow" (every day)? Getting TOO hungry because poor food choices were made? Avoiding meetings until you "lose the weight you gained"?

No matter what it is, if you can recognize patterns that hold you back, I challenge you to change them. I know change isn't always easy, but is dealing with the results of poor choices any easier? YOU are the one who suffers/struggles in the end if you persist in things that don't help you.

So, first - SEE your patterns. Second - DECIDE if they're giving you what you want. Lastly - CHANGE those that aren't helping you achieve your goals. There are some things we can't control (illness, 'busy-ness', other people...), but you can ALWAYS control your reaction to them.

Love,
Kim
(who is also seeing patterns needing to be changed - both with food and in life!)

Proud Mom Post...

2010-06-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...my son the independant programmer has created a new iphone game app. It's available HERE
Please consider checking it out. It's a very fun little game, definitely family friendly and your 99 cents will help a wonderful young man who is getting his programing career under way!

I can't believe it's wednesday already!

2010-06-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

So, life is returning to normal around my house. I'm still only "sorta" on plan. My WW leader, Kim, sent out an e-mail this week in which she talks about patterns of behavior. One of the things she mentioned in her e-mail was the pattern of allowing life to get so busy that we don't have time to really stay on plan. Or, we find ourselves geting so hungry that we make wrong food choices simply because they are easy. It hit home with me. That is a pattern I see in my life. So one of my goals is to address that pattern.

I want to walk this morning so I'm out of here early.

P.S. I removed my last post from public view. It's here, saved as a draft. But I've decided to make it private for now.

Sunday June 6....

2010-06-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am...What a crazy few days it's been! It started on Thursday when my sister called me at work and said she thought she was having a reaction to some medication she took. I left work and drove her to urgent care. That was the beginning of a VERY LONG NIGHT. Long story short....they ended up sending her by ambulance to another ER and it was 3am before they decided to admit her and I left for home. I still had to be up on Friday morning to open the shop...so Friday was a VERY LONG DAY.

Saturday morning I walked 5 miles with some friends from church and then hubby and I went to the airshow near our home.

Today I walked with a big group of Weight Watchers in a 5K challenge walk. We actually walked 5 miles arund a lake but the official event was 5K. Then I picked my sister up from the hospital and ran around getting her prescriptions filled, etc. I finally have a few minutes to pop in her and update my blog a little.

Sorry, no photos this time...too much crazy busy stuff going on. The past week or ten days has been kinda-sorta on plan most of the time with bursts of off plan nonsense. I missed my weigh in on Thursday because I was at the ER with my sister. So we'll see how it goes this week.

Ok..let's see if I can stay on top of this...

2010-06-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to see if I can at least stay on top of journaling my meals and activity.

So here we go...

Wednesday June 2...
Points used 25
11,761 pedometer steps = 4 activity points

Breakfast: oatmeal with apples, PB2 powder, Brummel & Brown spread.

Lunch: roasted chicken thigh meat with a plate full of 0 point veggies.

Dinner: Roasted chicken thigh again (I need to use up what's in the freezer before I make a grocery run) 0 point veggies, baked potato and salad.

Snack: Vitatop Chocolate Peanut butter muffin top, FF frozen Yogurt, and lite chocolate syrup.

Not pictured: rice cakes with Brummel & Brown spread...a guilty pleasure.

Tonight is my meeting and my weigh in. I will not be at all surprised if I have gained a little. It's been a week of on and off plan for me.

Ok...the holiday weekend is over...

2010-06-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am back at work and back fully on plan. I didn't track points or plan menus this weekend. I didn't go wild and eat everything in sight. I just didn't track. By the end of the weekend it was clear to me that I need to track and be accountable. So here I am.....

I'll be back later to post how my day went...

Here I am...

2010-05-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'm still crawling out of the funk I've been in this past few days. I'm not all the way back to my normal self but I can feel it lifting and I am grateful for that.

So...last night was my weigh in and I lost 2.4 pounds this week...bringing me to 15.6 pounds total lost since April 1st. I'm so happy about that!

As much as I love losing that much in a week...it got me to thinking that I can start using more of my weekly points allowance and activity points and still lose. So this week I am going to up my points to include using more of the "extra" points. My reasoning is that I want this to be a lifestyle...not a diet. So I might as well start learning now, how to have that one "splurge meal" or allow an extra treat here and there, within the confines of the weekly points allowance.

So, that's where I'm at. I'm looking forward to the long weekend to catch up on a lot of things...including my blog. I know if I just sit down every night and do it, it won't seem so overwhelming. My internet's been all wonky but my son gave me access to his wireless for the times when mine is down. It's so great to have him and his wife right across the street!

...sigh....

2010-05-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am in a funk. I am trying to snap out of it but not having a lot of success with it. I am eating on plan. Tonight is my meeting and my weigh in. I'm going to update my blog soon...really I am...just as soon as I can manage to climb out from under this dark cloud...

Sunday May 23...catch up...

2010-05-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday May 19...
Total Points Used 21.5

Breakfast was cereal, blueberries, almond breeze, coffee with coffeemate- 6.5pts

Lunch was grilled chicken breast, asparagus, tomatoes and a sandwich thin- 3pts

Afternoon snack was cinnamin flavored greek yogurt and sliced apple- 4pts

Dinner: Vern wanted to go to Chili's. I'm sorry about the poor quality of the photo. We live right across the street from hili's and I left my phone at home. This was taken with Vern's phone and no light! So anyway, I ordered the children's grilled chicken platter which consists of a grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli. I added a side order of black beans and a house salad with dressing on the side. I forgot to ask them to leave the croutons off so I had to pick them off myself. All and all this was a very satisfying meal for 8pts.

Thursday May 20...
Once again I found myself skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast isn't somethin I set out to do. It's the result of poor time management!

So anyway...lunch was a Boca burger on a snadwich thin, with a slice of reduced fat provolone cheese, and a side of steamed in the microwave, green beans. 3pts

Dinner was a mexican wrap type thing. Chicken breast meat, pinto beans, 100 calorie tortilla, Pico de Gallo, FF sour cream, and reduced fat cheese. 8.5 pts

Desert was a Deep Chocolate Vitatop and a scoop of nonfat frozen yogurt 3 pts

I also had snacks of a WW Frozen Latte bar 1pt, and a cup of Lucky Charms cereal (dry)

Friday May 21...
Daily Points used 25

Weekly points used 1.5

Activity Points earned 2

Breakfast was a Banana Nut Vitatop with Smart Balance Spread, a sliced apple, and a cup of chai tea. (And a cup of coffee earlier) 6pts

Lunch was a wrap made with a 100 calorie multigrain soft wrap, grilled chicken breast, a tsp of mayo, shredded lettuce, steamed grean beans, and sliced apple...and a diet cherry limeade from sonic. 6.5pts
Dinner was a grilled chiken breast (I had dinner at my mom's) a salad and some honeydew melon. 5pts

Frozen yogurt, sliced banana and sliced strawberries. 4pts

What is NOT pictured here the other little snacky things I ate that added up to 5 more pts. (Popcorn and cheddar rice cakes.)

I had to take a photo of this disply. I find it so funny that the reusable grocery bagsthat are going to save the planet are packaged in the plastic bags that are going to destroy the planet! HaHa (yes, I use reusable bags)

Saturday May 22...
I got up early and took my sister to the airport. Then I went by and got a cup of coffee and had it, along with a Vitatop, parked at the bay while waiting for some friends to show up for a walk. 3pts. We walked 5 miles...it was great!

B\After my 5 mile walk I was famished! So I had an omelet with every veggie from the fridge in it and reduced fat cheese over it! And a cup of Chai tea. 5 pts

Dinner was a pizza on a flatbread, again with lots of veggies and lean ground turkey seasoned with Italian seasonings. 7.5 pts

I also had Stawberry Shortcake! A small angelfod cake round, sliced strawberries and a scoop of FF frozen yogurt! 5 pts

This last photo is to show how I've been making my chai tea. This is so good and it's .5 pts for a cup. Sugar free chai mix and light soy milk or almond breeze. (My grocery store was out of Almond Breeze so this week it's soy) 1/2 cup mix, 1/2 cup "milk", 1/2 cup water...microwave until hot and steamy!...Yum!!!

Thursday was my weigh in and I was down 1.6 pounds. I could hardley believe it! I was almost sure I was going to have a gain because I spent so many evenings at events where I wasn't the one in control of the menu. I am encouraged to see that I am learning to do this self-control thing in the real world!

Progress Pics!

2010-05-22T04:50:00.001-07:00

My internet service has been really sporadic over the last few days, so I haven't been able to update my blog. I have lots to add but no time this morning. I wanted to post this though.

It's only been a few weeks but i can already see a difference. This photo encourages me!

Sigh....

2010-05-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

I'm having a tough week. I think I am realizing some of the reasons. One of them is that I am just too darned busy this week. I need to slow down to a more manageable pace...not quite sure how to go about acomplishing that!

Anyway, I did really well yesterday until evening and then I was a SNACKING MACHINE...ugh!

The good news is that I went back this morning and I tracked it all in my tracker. The other good news is that today is a new day...

Tuesday May 18...

2010-05-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday morning...and I am realizing or rather, accepting, the fact that somehow over the past few days I have...one choice at a time...slipped off plan. I'm sure part of it has been emotional eating as I grapple with feelings and emotions brought about by the news of my brother's death. Part of it is that I keep finding myself in situations where I am not in control of the menu. But even as I type those words I'm aware that it's an excuse...it's CHOICES...and the choices are mine to make.

Yes, my brother's passing has brought up a myriad of emotions. But eating off plan has done nothing to make those emotions easier to deal with.

Yes, I have been at event after event this week where the menu choices are what they are. But, I can make the CHOICE to remain on plan even within those situations.

So, here I am this morning, resolving to pick myself up, dust myself off, count this week a lesson learned, and get back on plan. This WILL NOT become an excuse to go on a binge that lasts for days. I've had a rough few days....but it stops today.

Michael Cecil Clifton...my big brother

2010-05-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Obituary from Scripps Institute of Oceanography:

MICHAEL C. CLIFTON - As one of the early workers at the Hydraulics Laboratory, Mike was involved in a
wide variety of lab and field projects for many groups at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A talented
machinist and engineer, he designed and built many innovative instruments especially working with Bob Guza's
nearshore oceanography group. After a courageous battle with cancer, Mike retired to his beloved home that he
and his friends had built just outside Talent, Oregon. Early in his career at Scripps, Mike worked on this unique
A-Frame log cabin starting with the timber on his property during the summer months. When the days
shortened and the rains came, Mike would head south for the easily available work here. Mike had a way with
words, a knack for story-telling, and a remarkable life.

As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, my brother died. He died on April 5, 2010, but we didn't know it until this past week. We were estranged, we had drited apart for a myriad of reasons. Only those from blended families...blended families that haven't blended well...would understand the hurts and issues involved with all of it. So anyway...my brother and I had drifted apart over the years. There wasn't some huge blow up that caused us to be estranged. We were just caught up in the dysfunction and challenges of being the children of divorce and remarriage...and being siblings with two completely separate families.

It was strange, the way we found out that he died. My niece, Peggy, works in a vet's office and one of my brother's old co-workers is a client of hers. When he found out about my brother, he thought we should know so he went in and told my niece. That's how we found out. I thank God that we did. Because we found out when we did, we were able to take part in a memorial pot luck/celebration of his life that his old co-workers organized.

I was so nervous about going. I felt like maybe I shouldn't be there. I mean, after all, we had drifted apart and my brother didn't want me to be a part of his life anymore. I felt awkward and out of place...like somehow I didn't deserve to be at his memorial.

I couldn't have been more wrong! My brother worked at Scripps Institute of Oceanography for many years before he got sick with cancer and was forced to retire. It was his old friends and co-workers there who had the memorial get togther. They were the most welcoming, warm hearted people I have met in a long time. They obviously loved my brother and remembered him with stories and shared memories of times spent with him over the years.

As I sat there and listened to the stories I had grown up listening to...my brother was a gifted story teller and musician.....He was 13 years older than me and I adored him! He would show up at the house, pulling up the driveway in the "coolest cars" in the world, from my perspective! Then he would sit on the floor with us and he would play his guitar and sing and tell amazing stories of trips and adventures he had been on! Our very favorite song that he sang was one that we called "The Meatball Song". We would jump up and down when he got out of his "cool car" (in reality one of many rattletrap old volvos that he drove) and beg him to sing the meatball song over and over again!...so anyway, last night at the memorial, we met the people of those stories...we were able to put faces to the stories and adventures we'd heard so many times...and in the process we were given back a piece of our brother's spirit to carry in our hearts.

At one point, one of his friends had found a youtube video of "The Meatball Song" sang almost exactly the way my brother sang it and played it on a screen in the front of the room, with candles burning that we had lit for our brother...and there wasn't a dry eye in the entire room.

I think it was fitting that we said goodbye to him to the tune of "One Meatball"
Michael Cecil Clifton
March 13, 1945 - April 5, 2010
Goodbye big brother...I always loved you...
I wish I could hear you sing the meatball song one more time.
I wish I had been more intentional about reconnecting with you.
Last night your friends reminded me that you always were, and always will be, one of my heroes...

Just a quick recipe...

2010-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lesia over at "Here We Go, Hold On Tight" asked for the recipe for this 3.5 point pizza. So here it is...

I used a "LaTortilla Factory" 100 Calorie Traditional Tortilla.
These are good sized tortillas and they are good! I have also used a flatbread called "Flat Out Flatbread" for this. Either one is 1 point.

I layed it on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for a minute or two until it was crispy. Then I flipped it and crisped the other side.

Once the tortilla was crisp I spread 1/4 cup of marinara sauce from a jar on it. (.5 pt) then I sprinkled onion, red pepper and chopped spinach on it. I would have put mushrooms too but I was out of them. I topped the whole thing with 1/3 cup shredded, reduced fat mozzarella cheese (2 pts) and stuck it back under the broiler until the cheese melted.

This is such a nice, satisfying snack...and it's big! I like big food. I don't want to eat a miniscule portion of anything...LOL.

Saturday May 15...

2010-05-15T20:55:00.001-07:00

I knew today was going to be a busy one so I started off with a big breakfast. This amazing, huge breakfast was 6 total points! It was sort of a "skillet scramble" with shredded potatoes, spinach, asparagus, black beans, onion, peppers, egg substitute and reduced fat cheese. I also had a bowl of fruit.

I wouldn't really call this lunch. I attended an event at church for the afternoon and this is what I ate. It looks like a huge, crazy amount of food in the photo but it's really not. That plate is one of those little plates that cake is served on and it's filled mostly with fruits and veggies with some hummus and a couple of pita chips and a couple of pieces of cheese. I had no real way to count the points for this so I just guessed it was probably around 7. The event was really good. It was done in a talk show format and some women from our church, who have gone through some really devastating circumstances shared their stories and how God sustained them and proved that He is more than enough in any situation. It was quite inspiring.

After the women's thing, I stoped at my parents' house to visit my mom and my sister. My sister had cooked dinner and asked me to stay. The dinner was about 3 oz of grilled chicken breast, potatoes drizzled with quite a bit of margarine and some green beans/corn. I figured it at 9 points simply because of the margarine on the potatoes.

When I came home, my other sister and I went for a nice walk. We walked a couple of miles and it was quite enjoyable. I was hungry when we got home so I made us both these 3.5 point "pizzas"

I still want something more and I'm pretty sure that before it's over I will have some frozen yogurt on a Vitatop Muffin. I'll come back and add the photo when that happens.
Edited to add....yep, I ate it!
And...as long as I'm at it I'll share my opinion on the Vitamuffin products I've tried. I have been hearing about these for a while but only recently purchased them. There was a special so I ordered a pack for work and a pack for home. Out of that pack I have tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Muffin Top and the Brownie. Quite honestly, my first bite was a bit of a disappointment. These definitely taste fiber-y and sort of grainy and "diet". I guess I was expecting it to taste like a REAL browniie or muffin...but the taste and texture are quite "different". BUT, having said that, once I got past the initial expectation and disappointment, I decided that they are really pretty good and a quite acceptable substitute for the real thing. I will continue to keep these on hand in the future.

Lastly...there's tomorrow. I haven't blogged about this yet, because frankly, I don't know how to feel about it and...well...I just don't know. But here's the thing....my brother died. He died over a month ago on April 5. I didn't know it. No one in my family knew...until a few days ago. I loved my brother. When I was younger I ADORED my brother. But there were issues and hurts and family stuff...and he decided a few years back to just sort of be done with us. He apparently kept in contact a little bit with my older sister but I haven't (Hadn't? I don't know what tense it is when you haven't talked to your brother and then he dies) Anyway...I hadn't talked to him in quite a few years. And now he died and we will never have the opportunity to re-connect. That makes me really sad. It's not the gut wrenching grief that I would feel if one of my sisters were to die....just a sadness that we never got to right whatever it was that was wrong between us.

Tomorrow his co-workers at his old job, here in San Diego, are having a memorial in honor of his memory. They have graciously invited us. We are going...my mom, my sisters and myself. I feel strange about it...almost ashamed...as if somehow, because he didn't want me to be a part of his life, I really shouldn't be at his memorial. But the fact is...I loved my brother. I never stopped loving him. And I will go and listen to his friends share stories and honor his memory.

Good-bye Mike...you were my big brother...my only brother...and I loved you...and I will never forget you.

May 11 through 14....

2010-05-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Lots to catch up on this week! I've been walking every morning and staying within my points range. I weighed in on Thursday night and I was down .2 lb. Not bad considering I ate that huge steak on Mother's day.

While I continue to stay within my alloted points, including using some weekly and activity points, I find myself snacking and munching more and more in the evenings. This is the area where I struggle the most. I know that I need to do something more constructive than munching away each evening. This is the area I'll be concentrating on changing in the coming days and weeks.

There are so many things I could be doing besides snacking! For one, I could keep up better with my blog! I could go for a walk after dinner. I could have a devotional time in the Word. I could catch up on my crochet so I would have some hats to give the cancer center.

Ok...Here's a photo journal of my menus this past week. I, of course, didnt photograph all of the snacky type things I ate in the evenings. There's a starting point...if it doesn't get photographed, it doesn't go in my mouth! Yeah, starting today EVERYTHING I eat gets photographed...there's accountability for you!

Tuesday May 11...

Meatballs at IKEA!
This isn't a bad meal if you go with your sister and have her split the meatballs with you!

Wednesday May 12...

Thursday May 13...

There was a special on these. I ordered a case for work and a case for home!

Friday May 14...

I was walking to work and thinking about how fortunate I am to live in southern California and walk such a pretty walk to work, so I snapped this photo.

Even though there wasn't much change in my weigh this week, I took these photos at work just so I'd have a photo journal of my weightloss...with photos taken at intervals of every couple of weeks or so.

Sunday and Monday, May 9 & 10...

2010-05-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here I am, playing catch up with my blog again!

On Saturday afternoon, in anticipation of Mother's Day, Vern bought me these adorable mixing bowls. I already have this set in red & white....but black and white is my very, very favorite with red & white running a close second! I love these bowls so much! And I love that Vern was thoughtful enough to buy them for me.

Sunday, Mother's Day, was going to be a busy day and I knew I would be faced with much temptation. So I started the day with an open faced omelet (is that a frittata?) so that I wasn't starting the day hungry and primed to fall for temptation. This had egg substitute, shredded potatoes, light swiss cheese and a bunch of zero point veggies. I also had a fruit bowl of mixed blueberries, mandarin orange, and banana. Coffee with coffemate to drink.
Total Points 6.5

Lunch was at Home Town Buffet, where we took Vern's mom for lunch after church. I intentionally kept it light as I knew I was going to be having dinner with at least one of my sons. So, chicken breast, green beans, carrots, and a side salad.
Total Points 4

In the afternoon, my youngest son, Colin and his wife, Christina came over for coffee and brought these darling little dessert plates and glasses. (Are you getting that I have a passion for polka dots!?)

I loved the polka dot dessert set and Freddie loved the bag they were wrapped in!

Dinner...I don't know why I didn't take a photo of dinner!? It was beautiful! I ended up going to my sons' house. My oldest, Chris, and my middle son, Courtney, are roommates and they cooked dinner for Vern and I. Well, Chris cooked while we watched the Blue man Group with Courtney.
Dinner was a huge steak, garlic mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus, and steamed broccoli. It was divine and it was even more special because Chris cooked it!
I figured the points at 31...and worth every single one!
The crazy thing is that it didn't even use up all of my weekly and activity points!

Sunday Totals:
Daily Points used 45.5
Weekly Points used 20.5
Weekly Points remaining 10.5
Activity points remaining 6

Monday...

I wasn't hungry in the morning so I just had coffee to start the day. 1 point.

Lunch was a Boca burger on a sandwich thin, with reduced fat swiss, lettuce and tomato...and a tsp of mayo. I had asparagus on the side and a huge bowl of mixed fruit.
6.5 points

Dinner was this Ground Turkey Goulash I threw together. I say "threw together" but it was rather time consuming. It was delicious though and it made a huge pot full. So I have lots of single serving portions in the freezer for lunche and quick dinners. The Goulash was 4 points per serving. I had it over roasted eggplant slices and paired it with a spinach salad.
Total 4 Points

After dinner I had this to satisfy my sweet tooth. Fage Total 0 yogurt, sliced strawberries, Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup, and a crumbled Fiber One bar. (You can't really crumble one of those bars so I just chopped it up) Then I foolishly ate ANOTHER fiber one bar....NEVER do this! The intestinal chaos that ensues is really just not worth it!
Total 8 points

Mondays Totals:
Daily Points used 19.5
Weekly Remaining 10.5
Activity points remaining 7

Saturday May 8 menu....

2010-05-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of those days that didn't go quite like I planned and I am wondering if that may be some of why I lost control and had a little "mini binge" at the end of the day. I tracked it all and counted the points...and I am still within my points limits for the day/week. But in my heart I know I lost control a little and just stuffed my face with food, even though it was food that fit within my points range. I don't like that feeling. I guess it's not only about points and calories and staying within a certain eating plan. Sometimes it's about what's going on in my heart and how I react to it or how I console and comfort myself with food. But even that's weird because ultimately it doesn't comfort me if I find myself laying awake in the middle of the night wondering what the heck happened and why I did what I did.

So anyway....

I had planned to go and take my mom and my older sister to breakfast in early celebration of Mother's Day. But, my nephew, who lives with my Mom, got sick and had to go to the ER. That meant there was no one to care for my dad and my aunt while we were gone. So, the plan chenged to me just going over and spending the day with my mom and my sister at thier house.

I grabbed this on the way out the door.

We just hung out at the house and my sister made chicken salad for lunch. I had some on a bagel thin with a slice of cheese.

By dinner time I was home again. I was tired and hungry. I poached some chicken breasts and made a burrito using the chicken, some FF refried beans, cheese and pico de gallo.

It was after dinner that I sort of lost it. In retrospect, I think I needed to eat a more substantial dinner. I was not really satisfied when I was finished with the burrito and I had the points to eat more protein or beans, which would have been much more satisfying. But I wanted snacks.

So I had a bowl of FF frozen yogurt....then I had another...then I had some caramel rice cakes...then I had some more...then I took the bag and sat on my bed and ate it all....

Like I said earlier, pointwise I ended up being fine. But I'm not comfortable with the choices i made last night. But, today is a new day...

Friday May 7 menu....

2010-05-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those crazy busy days at work...as Fridays often are! So I'm glad I had a big breakfast because there wasn't much time after that to stop and eat!

Breakfast:
Coffee with Coffeemate
Omelet made with FF egg substitute, mixed asian style veggies,
1/2 cup frozen shredded potatoes, 1 slice FF cheddar, and topped with salsa.
I also had a sliced banana and a mandarin orange
Total 6.5 points

The day whizzed by in a blur of phone calls, customers, and orders that needed to completed. Before I knew it, it was 3:30 and my stomach was growling. I made a quick snack from a very large apple and Fage Total 0 yogurt, spiced with cinnamon and stevia. This is probably my favorite snack! I counted this apple as 1 and 1/2 beause it was so big.
Total points 5.5

After work we ran around picking up a mothers' Day gift for Vern's mom...and one for me! (I got one of those big backrest pillows with arms for reading in bed. I've wanted one for a long time)

Anyhow...it was around 7;30 or so when we got home and I was hungry! I wanted comfort food.

Here's what I came up with. I LOVED this meal!

I made "baked beans" by combining a can of pinto beans, a can of black beans, onions, garlic, a couple of tablespoons of BBQ sauce and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. I let it simmer together for 15 minutes or so. I paired it with Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dogs. (These hot dogs ROCK! They are 40 calories each!) I had 1 cup of the beans and three (yes three!) of the hot dogs,sliced and added to the beans. I topped it with reduced fat cheddar and had a sandwich thin with Smart Balance spread along with it. Diet 7-up to drink and I was in comfort food heaven!
Total 9.5 points

Did you notice the "new" dishes? I got these dishes last year for my bithday. They have been packed away for the last year but I recently decided to get rid of my old fashioned, country kitchen look and update it to something more fitting to my personality...so I cleaned out my kitchen and installed my "new" dishes...and packed these away to be given to the thrift store.

Friday May 7....catching up...

2010-05-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

I am hopelessly behind in keeping up my blog! Who knew it was going to take so much time to run a business, be a wife, mother, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, & friend....have a devotional time, keep up with exercise, and who knows what else!

So, while I am behind on my blogging, I am so happy that I am fully back into the swing of exercising and spending time each morning having a quiet time in the Word. I find that both oof those things are crucial for me to keep my head above the depression that tries so hard to creep back into my life.

So anyway...

Last night was my Weight Watchers meeting. I lost 2.6 pounds this week. Imagine my amusement when I logged it into e-tools and got a message that said something like this (I should have copied it word for word but I didn't think about that until it was too late)....

We're sure you're happy to be losing weight each week but you are losing more quickly than is recommended.

That for me...the one who has trouble losing....HaHaHa! Apparently I don't have trouble when I eat right and exercise! However, I am going to heed the advice of the cyber leader on e-tools and start using more of my weekly points and activity points. I think I am going to increase my lean protein servings and healthy oils and see how that goes.

It would take far too long for me to post my menus so I am just going to post a collection of photos of some of the things I've been eating recently....

Friday April 30 and Saturday May 1...

2010-05-02T06:45:00.001-07:00

Catching up the past couple of days...

First of all...Qristina, my beautiful daughter-in-law, reads my blog and asked if I use a food scale. The answer is yes. I use the digital scale I bought at one of my WW meetings. I paid $40.00 for it and it has proven to be worth every penny! It has points values for certain foods already programmed into it, which I don't use. The thing I really love about it is that I can put my plate on it, zero it, and weigh the food right on my plate.

There are a couple of other tools I use that make this Weight Watchers journey easier. One is the mobile app for my iphone...I love this application soooo much! It makes tracking my food and activity so easy and it's always with me. Along with using it to track my foods, I use it to help me make choices in restaurants or at the grocery store.

The other thing is my Weight Watchers Pedometer. I bought this at my WW meeting as well. It was $24.00 and I absolutely love it. I simply wear it every day and it counts my steps and calculates my activity points for each day. It also counts distance and time spent moving.

Friday April 30...

Breakfast:
Coffee with Coffeemate 1 pt
1 cup Puffed Wheat 1 pt
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal 0 pt
1 medium Banana 1.5 pt
5 Fresh Strawberries 0 pt
1/2 cup Frozen Blueberries .5 pt
Total 5 points

Lunch:
Turkey Pot Pie 5 pts
(I made this last week and froze the leftovers in single servings)
1 cup Grape Tomatoes 0 pt
1 Cup Cooked Broccoli 0 pt
Total 5 points

Dinner:
Salad made with
Fresh Spinach 0 pt
1/2 tbs olive oil 2 pt
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese 2 pt
10 medium Strawberries 0 pt
2.5 ounces Canned Chicken Breast Meat 3 pt
7 points

Black Bean Soup 3 pt
(This is the easiest soup ever! Chicken broth,
Fat Free Refried Beans, Canned Black beans)

1/2 Sandwich Thin .5 pt
with 1/2 Tbs Smart Balance Spread .5 pt

Total 11 Points

Snacks; (Not Photographed)
1 cup Kix cereal 1 pt
(This is a great snack food!)
Quaker Quakes Snack Crisps 2 pt
2 servings frozen Yogurt 5 pt
Total 8 points

Daily Total 29 points
Target 25

Weekly Points used 4

Saturday May 1...

Breakfast:
Omelet made with,
Spinach 0 pt
1 slice Lite Swiss Cheese 1 pt
1/2 cup Egg Substitute 1 pt
1 tsp Olive Oil 1 pt
Pico de Gallo 0 pt

4 large strawberries 0 pt
Coffee with Coffeemate 1 pt
Total 4 points

Lunch:
1 Cup Fage Total 0 Greek Yogurt 2 pt
1 cup Frozen Blueberries 1 pt.
1/4 cup Fiber One Cereal
Total 3 points

Dinner:
Mexican Pizza made with
1 slice Falt Out Flatbread 1 pt
1/2 cup Fat Free refried Beans 1 pt
2 ounces Lean ground Turkey 2 pt
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese Blend 2 pt
1 cup Grape Tomatoes 0 pt
Pico de Gallo 0 pt
Total 6 points

Snacks:

2 cups Kix Cereal 2 pt

Large Bowl of this stuff! 1.5 pt
This is a new frozen product I learned about in a "Hungry Girl" e-mail! I found it at Henry's Marketplace. It is super low in calories, fat free, and quite yummy! An entire pint only has 129-136 calories depending on the flavor!

Total snacks 3.5 points

Daily Total 16.5 (I'm not sure how this happened...I ate lots of food!

Thursday April 29

2010-04-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

Weighed in at my meeting. I lost 1.8 pounds this week for a total of 8.8 pounds so far.

Here's something I'm rather proud of. Earlier this week a customer walked in the door of my shop carrying these as an appreciation gift. I graciously thanked her...and when she left I told Vern to take what he wanted from the box and then I IMMEDIATELY took the rest and gave them to the neighbors. I cannot even tell you how absolutely empowered it made me feel to give the cupcakes away! My mouth was watering. I WANTED them...but I knew if I even tasted them it would be all over!
I won!!!

Trying to be better at journaling my menus...I always track because it's so easy to do with the WW App on my phone...but I have fallen behind on posting my menus here. So anyway...

Breakfast:
Coffee with Coffeemate 1 pt
Microwave omelet made with
Egg substitute
1/3 cup frozen potato shreds (like you sue for hash browns)
Leftover, cooked broccoli
Reduced fat Mexican Cheese blend
Topped with Pico de Gallo
3.5 pt
Strawberries and Mandarin Orange segments .5 pt
Total 5 points

Lunch was a quick Veggie Burger on a Sandwich Thin
with Reduced Fat Provolone
and a hanful of Grape tomatoes
Total 5 points

Dinner was my version of a "Mexican Pizza"
This was so good. I'll be making this often!
2 oz pre-cooked shredded beef (from Costco)3.5 pt
1/2 cup fat free refried beans 1 pt
1 slice "Flat Out" flatbread 1 pt
1tsp olive oil 1 pt (brush on flat bread and toast under the broiler)
1/4 cup reduced fat cheese blend 2 pt
Pico de Gallo 0 pt
Total 8.5 Points

After Dinner Snack
1 apple, shredded, cooked in the microwave, and mixed with cinnamin 2 pt
1/2 cup Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt 2 pt
Total 4 points

Total daily points 22.5
Target 26 points (That is changing to 25 now)
Activity points earned 3

Oh Yeah...I almost forgot about this! I walked 12013 steps too!

The last thing I want to share is this...
I had these eggplant "meatballs" the other day. I got them at Vons, in the freezer by the vegetarian foods. Oh my goodness! These are so good. 90 calories for 5 "meatballs." I am most definitely a big fan of these little goodies!

I'm a little behind...

2010-04-28T10:09:00.001-07:00

Yep, I've fallen a little behind in my posting. But I am eating on plan, trying to get my daily exercise in, and looking forward to my meeting tomorrow night. I'm hoping to have some time later to catch up a bit.

I made a yummy, point friendly, Italian type casserole on Monday.
Here's what it looked like!

Sunday April 25....

2010-04-26T12:31:00.001-07:00

Sunday April 25...

I had a busy day in store so I wanted to start with a hearty breakfast.

I had an omelet (egg substitute) with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and reduced fat cheese. This started out bigger but it looked so big that I ended up cutting it in half. 2.5 pts
Hash Browns (1 cup frozen, shredded potaotes) .5 pt
Strawberries and Mandarin orange segments 1 pt
Coffee with Coffeemate 1 pt
Total 5 points

Lunch was a quick "grab, eat and run" as I had a class at church in the afternoon.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie 5 pts
Apple slices and Cinnamin Yogurt 3 pt
Total 8 points

Dinner was late and at the end of a very long day.
I made bean soup. This is almost ridiculously simple but oh-so-yummy!

1 can fat free chicken broth
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can black beans
That's it! The whole pan is 13 points
I ate half, over shredded lettuce for 6.5 pts

Quesdilla made with 100 LaTortilla Factory 100 cal tortilla
1/3 cup reduced fat Mexican blend cheese. 3 pts
Total 9.5 points

After Dinner
2 scoops Golden Spoon Fat Free Frozen yogurt 3 pt

Total daily points 25.5
Target 26
Activity Points Earned (I didn't wear my pedometer so I have no idea)
Weekly Points Remaining 35
Activity points Remaining 2

Saturday April 24....

2010-04-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my birthday. I had a fun day visiting family and "shopping" for the improvements we want to make to our condo. We didn't actually buy anything. We just shopped for the things we want to do and figured out how much $$$ it's going to take. I was happily surprised to find out that I really have almost enough to do the flooring! So the plan is to start with a fresh coat of paint next weekend and go from there. I am excited!

Breakfast was a quick grab and eat on the way out the door.
1 Apple 2 pt
1 Fiber One Bar 2 pt
Coffee with Coffeemate 3 pt (these were throughout the day)
Total 5 points

Lunch was in the Ikea Cafeteria. Swedish Meatballs were $1.00!!! I knew that I would be sooo tempted to eat all 10 meatballs and the entire serving of mashed potatoes, so I opted instead for a:

Buffalo Chicken Wrap 5 pt
Fruit Bowl 1.5 pt
Diet Pepsi (I really should have just had water. I'm not a big fan of Diet Pepsi so I just had a few sips)

Dinner was late and I was really hungry! So I made this quick "pizza." It was really good. I'll be making this again!

The crust was a LaTortilla Factory 100 calorie burrito size tortilla
I stuck it under the broiler and kept turning it, until it was hard and crisp.
Then I topped it with
marinara sauce from a jar
Sauteed mushrooms and spinach
Canadian Bacon
Reduced fat mozzarella
and a sprinkling of parmesean from a can.
Total 6 points

Snacks:

I had a serving of these little goodies.
These are a really good snack when you want something sweet and crunchy!
1.5 pt

In honor of my birthday, my sister brought these home.
This is the picture of the beautiful sundae, on the box.

This is the reality...HaHaHa!
But, ugly as it was, it was really, really rich and creamy and the perfect way to end a lovely day!
3 points

Total Daily Points 24
Target 26
Activity points earned 2

Friday April 23.....

2010-04-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:
Banana 2pt
Strawberries .5 pt
1 small mandarin orange 0 pt
1/2 cup Fage Total 0 Yogurt 1 pt
1/4 cup Fiber One Cereal 0 pt
Coffee with coffeemate 1pt
Total 4.5 Points

Lunch:
Broccoli Slaw 0 pt
1Tsp Mayonnaise 1 pt
1/2 can Albacore Tuna 2.5pt
1 wedge Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss 1pt
1 Sandwich Thin 1 pt
Total 5.5 points

Dinner:
I made this yummy Turkey Pot Pie!
2 servings 9.5 pts

Here's How I made it...
20 oz extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp diced garlic (I use the stuff in the jar)
1 16 oz bag frozen mixed Vegetables
2 packets store brand turkey gravy mix
1 can store brand biscuits (I chose a can that had 50 calories per biscuit)

Saute onion and garlic in a skillet sprayed with no stick cooking spray until a little bit carmelized.
Add ground turkey. Then add salt, pepper, cumin, and parsley flakes to taste.

Meanwhile cook vegetables in the microwave until tender.
Make gravy according to package directions.

Spray a 9x13 pan with no stick spray and add the turkey and vegetables. Mix it all together until it's evenly mixed and then pour the gravy over it.

Roll the biscuits, one at a time, between plastic wrap until quite thin and place them on top of the turkey/vegetable mixture. I used 9 biscuits because that's what fit well in the pan.

Bake it in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or so until the biscuits are golden brown.

I had two servings like the one pictured here for 9.5 points.

After Dinner Snack:
2 Mandarin oranges 1 pt
1/2 cup Fage Total 0 Yogurt 1 pt
Total 2 points

I had a cup of coffee with coffeemate at my mom's house in the afternoon for 1 pt.

Daily Total 22.5 points
Target 26 points.
Activity points earned 2

This weekend I am going to try my hand at meal planning. I am going to try and plan my meals so that I hit my target point range better.

Thursday April 22...

2010-04-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's taken me until 3pm on Friday to do my Thursday post!

So anyway..

Last night was my weigh in. I lost .6 of a pound. I was tempted to be disappointed but then I really thought about it. I had lunch at a cheap Mexican place on Saturday and I spent Sunday and Monday at Disneyland....and I LOST WEIGHT! So what if it's only a fraction of a pound...I LOST WEIGHT! Spending two days at Disneyland did not become an all out food fest. I didn't come home 3-5 pounds heavier. I came home .6 of a pound lighter. I am choosing to call that a huge victory.

So Here's my menu for Thursday April 22..

Once again, I let the morning get away from me and I missed breakfast. I have a plan in place to improve on this. I will be walking to work. I walked this morning as it's finally not raining here. (I know it never rains in Southern California...but it did.) So anyway, I'll be walking and the plan is to get here early enough to eat breakfast before we open and the customers start coming in.

Breakfast:
Coffee with coffeemate 1 pt

Lunch:
Boca burger on a Bagel Thin witha slice of reduced fat swiss cheese 3 pt
1 individual Size bag of BBQ Baked Lays 3 pt
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Swiss 1pt
AND...a Diet Cherry Limeade...I've been having one of these almost every day!
Total 7 points

Dinner:
I made soup from leftovers..
Black Bean/Shredded Beef/Potato Soup 4.5 pt
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Mexican Blend Cheese 2 pt
Lettuce, Tomato, and Salsa 0 pt
Total 6.5 pt

After Dinner Snack:
1 Large Apple, sliced 2 pt
1 cup Fage Total 0 Yogurt with stevia and cinnamin 2 pt
Total 4 points

Daily Total 18.5 points
Target 26...oops

Here are a couple of progress pictures I took on Thursday morning...just because I want to be able to look back and see the progress. I am at 219 pounds here. Down 7 pounds from when I started.

Wenesday April 21....

2010-04-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:
Omelet made with
1/2 cup Egg Substitute 1 pt
1/2 cup Frozen Hash Browns 1pt
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese blend 2 pt
Asparagus, Tomatoes, Broccoli Slaw 0 pt
1.5 cups Fresh Strawberries 1 pt
1 Mandarin Orange 0 pt
Coffee with Coffeemate 1 pt
Total 6 points

Lunch
Steamed Asparagus Spears 0 pt
1 Bagel Thin 1 pt
2 slices canadian bacon 1 pt
1 Slice Fat Free Cheese 1 pt
Total 3 points

Snack
Fiber One bar 2 pt
Coffee with coffeemate 1 pt

Dinner
3 oz Grilled Chicken Thigh Meat 4.5 pt
Stir Fried veggies 3 pt
Cauliflower and Cheese 1 pt
Total 8.5 points

Snack
1 apple grated and coooked in the microwave 2 pt
2/3 cup Golden Spoon yogurt 3 pt

Tuesday April 20...

2010-04-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today was back to reality and back to work. We had such fun at Disneyland and enjoyed the time away from the daily routine so much! But now it's time to return to our real life!

The time got away from me in the morning so I missed breakfast. I did have a cup of coffee with Coffeemate in it for 1 pt.

Lunch was a plate full of finger foods.
Canadian Bacon 4 slices 1 pt
Grape Tomatoes 0 pt
10 Spears Asparagus 0 pt
2 Slices Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese 2 pt
1 Mandarin Orange 1 pt
1 Cup Strawberries 1 pt
Total 5 points

Late Afternoon Snack:
1 Large Apple 2 pt
1/2 Cup Fage Total 0 Yogurt, 1 pt
sweetened with Stevia, and spiced with cinnamin.
Total 3 points

This is one of my favorite snacks!

Dinner:

"Tacos"
4 oz Shredded Beef 4.5 pt
(This was the shredded beef from Costco, Sampco brand. It's on the shelf near the canned meats, unrefrigerated, in the large pouch pack...good stuff!)
1 cup refried beans 3.5 pt
1/4 cup Reduced fat Shredded, Mexican Blend Cheese 2 pts
3 Large Romaine leaves ("Taco Shells")0 pt
Tomato, onion, salsa 0 pt
Total 10 points

Snacks (unphotograhed)
1 cup Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt 4 pt
1 Cup Strawberries .5 pt
20 "Quakes" Caramel Mini Rice Cakes 3.5
Total 8 points

Total 27 points
Target 26 points
Weekly points used 1
Weeky points remaining 13
Activity points remaining 10

Whew! What A Weekend!...

2010-04-20T06:40:00.001-07:00

We had a whirlwind weekend! I don't have time to type out all the details because it's back to work this morning. So, I'll just say I met some old friends for lunch on Saturday and then on Sunday, after church, Vern and I drove up to Disneyland/California Adventure and spent Sunday Afternoon and all day Monday.

I am pretty pleased with myself that I did two days at theme parks and stayed totally on plan! Of course it helped that I earned a bazillion activity points with all the walking we did!

One more thing...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new Weight Watchers Pedometer!!!

Saturday Totals 20.5 Points

Sunday Total 24 Points

Sunday Activity Points Earned 8

Monday Total 47 Points

Sunday Activity Points earned 6
Weekly Points Allowance Used 21
Weekly Remaining Points 14
Remaining Activity Points 10

Friday April 16 menu...

2010-04-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:
Oatmeal made with..
1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats 1.5pt
1/2 cup Fiber one 0pt
1 large Apple 2pt
1 tbs Smart Balance Heart Right Light Buttery Spread 1pt
Coffee with 2 tbs Coffeemate liquid 1pt
Total 5.5

Lunch:
1 multigrain Sandwich Thin 1pt
6 slices Oscar mayer Shaved Ham (98% fat free) 1pt
1 cup Grape Tomatoes 0pt
1/2 cup Black Beans 1pt
1 tsp mayonnaise 1pt
Total 4 points

Note: It was Friday and I was out of salad type stuff at work. Not wanting to buy fresh produce only to have it sit in the fridge all weekend, and because I had some grape tomatoes and a can of black beans in the back, I came up with this tomato with black beans salad. It was awesome! I simply mixed them with balsamic vinegar and a tsp of mayonnaise.

Dinner:
A burrrito made with...
1 La Tortilla Factory 100 calorie tortilla 1pt
1/2 cup refried beans 2pt
2 ounces diced, cooked chicken breast 2pt
1/4 cup reduced fat Mexican blend cheese 2pt
shredded lettuce, cilantro and salsa
Total 7 points

Snacks (no photos)
Coffee with Coffeemate 1pt
Golden Spoon frozen Yogurt 2pt
Quaker "Quakes" 3 pts
WW pretzel Thins 2 pts
Total 8 points

Friday Morning.....

2010-04-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

I finally did it! I walked to work this morning. I have been saying for two weeks now that I was going to start walking to work again. It's been too long! I finally did it. It felt good!

Thursday April 15...

2010-04-15T21:09:00.001-07:00

Today was my meeting and my second weigh-in...and I lost 2.6 pounds this week! I feel so good about what I'm doing. I feel good about what I'm eating and that I'm losing weight...but I also feel good that I am learning to look at this whole issue of weight control in a different way. I really feel like I am om my way to learning to live a healthy, balanced life.

There are only a handful of people in my life who truly know how much this area of my life was spinning out of control and how much it was frightening me. I have known for quite some time now that I had to get off of the diet roller coaster. The constant dieting and then going off of the diet and binging was becoming a scary ride. I knew I was damaging my health and yet it seemed I couldn't find a middle ground. I was either on a "diet" and forcing myself to try and live inside of very strict and narrow parameters or I was completely out of control with my eating.

I knew that the first step was to stop "dieting." So a few months back, I did exactly that. I stopped dieting...and started gaining weight. I felt like I would somehow find a balance again if I just didn't cave in and go on a "diet" again. But I just kept gaining...until that day in the doctors office that I wrote about HERE. That was the visit that started me thinking about joining Weight Watchers.

Now here I am, after only 2 weeks...and I feel like my life is changing. It's more than just following Weight Watchers...something has clicked into place for me. I don't know what to call it. I don't even think I can articulate it. But something is changing for me. And I am grateful for it.

Ok...on to today's menu.

Breakfast:
1/2 cup Egg Substitute 2.5pt
1/2 cup frozen Potatoes O'Brien .5pt
1 slice Fat Free Cheese 1pt
5 medium Strawberries 0pt
1 medium Mandarin orange .5pt
1 Bagel Thin 1 pt
1 tbs Smart Balance Heart Right Buttery Spread 1pt
Coffee with coffeemate 1pt
Total 7.5 points

Lunch:
3 oz Canned Chicken Breast 3pt
1 serving Broccoli Slaw 1pt
1tsp mayonnaise 1pt
Total 5 points

Dinner:
3 oz Cornish Hen breast meat 3pt
1/3 cup Black Beans .5pt
1 serving Cauliflower and Cheese 1pt
1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese 1 pt
1 tsp Olive Oil 1 pt
1 cup Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinegar
Total 6.5 points

Dessert:
This is my version of a Banana Split...
1/2 Banana topped with
1 scoop Strawberry/Banana
1 Scoop New York Cheesecake
Golden Spoon Fat Free Frozen Yogurt
and drizzled with Walden Farms Chocolate
& Strawberry Syrups.
Total 5 Points

Total Daily points used 25
Target 27
Pounds Lost this week 2.6
Total Loss 6.4

Wednesday April 14...

2010-04-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:
Coffee with 2 Tbs Coffeemate Liquid 1pt
1/4 cup Egg Substitute 1pt
1 slice FF Cheese 1pt
3 slices 98% FF Ham .5pt
1 Bagel Thin 1pt
1 large Banana 2pt
1 cup Strawberries .5
Total 7 points

The day got away from me and I ended up skipping lunch.

Dinner
4 oz Chicken Breast 4pt
1 serving Broccoli Slaw 1pt
1 serving Cauliflower and Cheese 1 pt
Total 6.5 points

Snacks:

1 cup Fage Total 0 yogurt 2pt
1 Banana 2pt
1 cup Strawberries .5pt
Total 2.5 points

2 Ikea Chocolate Sandwich Cookies 4.5 pt

Total 9 points

Total Daily points used 22.5
Target Points 27

Tuesday April 13...

2010-04-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

The time got away from me on Tuesday. I had a busy day. I took a couple of photos but not enough to make it worth posting them here.

My sisters and I have a bible study night ritual. We go to Ikea for Swedish Meatballs before study. Not wanting to throw a wrench into this time that we have together, I had to find a way to participate without breaking the bank...the points bank.

Here's what I did. I ate an apple late in the afternoon, an hour or so before i left to pick up my sisters. My younger sister is also watching her weight so I suggested to her that we split a plate. So, we split a meatball dinner and added a side salad each. We even had a nonfat frozen yogurt cone on the way out.

More and more I am learning to incorporate healthy eating into my everyday ife without going crazy andd stuffing my face and without being in bondage to a strict, regimented plan. I feel good about that.

So I finished the day a few points up from my norm but still completely within my weekly plan!

Total for the day 34
Target 27
Weekly Points used 7

April 12...

2010-04-13T06:17:00.001-07:00

Early Morning;
Coffee/Coffeemate/Stevia 1pt

Breakfast:
Apparently I didn't take a photo of my cereal although I could swear that I did...weird)

Anyhoo..
1 cup Puffed Wheat 1pt
1/2 cup Fiber One 0pt
1 Banana 2pt
1 cup Almond Breeze 1pt
Morning total 5 points

Lunch:
Sandwich made with;
6 Slices Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey Breast 1pt
1 slice FF Cheese 1pt
1 Multigrain Sandwich Thin 1pt

Coleslaw made with;
1 cup Broccoli Slaw 0pt
1 Mandarin Orange, segmented 1pt
1 tsp Mayonnaise 1 pt
Balsamic Vinegar
1 large Diet Sonic Cherry Limeade .5pt
Total 5.5 points

Dinner...
I have to note that I had sort of a mini-meltdown over dinner. I went with my sister to a sandwich shop. They have their nutritional values printed on their "to go" menu. As I stood in line studying the menu I was overwhelmed with the choices. I had to let my sister and her son order their food and then sit down and really plan what to order. At first glance it looked like everything had a bazillion calories and I was almost panicked at what to order. I almost made the decision to let them eat and I would grab something elsewhere. But then, I once again was reminded by the little voice in my head (the good one, not the accusing one) that if this is a LIFESTYLE and not a DIET then I could eat from that menu. I calmed down and ordered this...

A cup of Vegetarian vegetable soup and a half portion of Cobb Salad. I didn't eat the apple on the tray. It simply came withthe meal. I got a Diet Pepsi which I also didn't drink because I don't really like Diet Pepsi...LOL..I should have just gotten water. So anyway, according to the menu this meal came to
8 points

Note...I was blown away to see that the salad had 18 gms of fat! How on earth to you pack 18 gms of fat into HALF a salad!? Next time I'll do dressing on the side!

When I got home I had a cup of Fage Total 0 yogurt,
mixed with cinnamin and Stevia 2pts
and a sliced Apple for dipping 2pts

I also had a snack of Trader Joe's Corn Puffs...these things are awesome! (also no photo)
It's a large serving, 2 1/2 cups for 3 pts.

Total Daily Points 26.5
Target 27

So I am realizing that along with losing weight, learning to eat in the real world without requiring that my food choices fall in between a rigid standard, is part of the process of being set free from the bondage of dieting.

Sunday April 11....

2010-04-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

So, today I didn't have time to eat breakfast before church because I spent to much time here on my computer.

Early Morning
1 cup of coffee with Coffeemate Liquid and Stevia. 1 cup black with stevia
1 point

Lunch..
I was in the mood for something fast food-ish after getting done with church and a trip to Lowes to get some things Vern needed to fix the shower. Because I didn't have breakfast, I was really hungry. So I sort of bargained with myself that if I didn't give in to the fast food craving i could make "fast food" at home. So here's what I had...

Chili Cheese Dogs and Chips!

2 Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks 2 pt (these are seriously worth the extra $$$ and sometimes they go on sale at Albertsons for BOGO)
1/3 cup Vegetarian Chili .5pt
One Bagel Thin 1pt
1/3 cup Reduced fat Mexican Blend Cheese 2pt
1 Single Serving Bag of Baked Potato Chips 2.5pts
Total 8 points

Dinner was ..
4 oz Tilapia, breaded with Fiber One Cereal 2.5pt
(process cereal into fine crumbs)
1 cup Potatoes O'Brien 1pt
)These were store brand frozen potatos.
I baked them on a cookie sheet sparyed with a little non stick spray)
1 cup Asian Blend Mixed Vegetables Roasted 0pt
Side Salad with Balsamic vinegar and
2Tbs Feta Cheese 1.5pt
2 points for misc: egg substitute wash on the fish, fiber one breadcrumbs, etc
7 points

Snack/Dessert
After dinner I realized I had a bunch of points left so I made up this dessert

1 Large Apple 3.5pt (This was a really big Apple)
1 Tbs Peanut Butter 2.5
1 Tbs Smart Balance Heart Right Buttery Spread 1pt
6 0z Golden Spoon Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. 3pt
Total 10 points (Worth EVERY one!)

I chopped the apple in my mini food processor and then cooked it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Then I added a dash of cinnamin, the peanut butter and the smart balance. I stired it all together and put it in a dessert bowl. Then I plopped a big scoop of Vanilla frozen yogurt right on top. This was so good!

Total daily points used 26
Target points 27

Saturday April 10...

2010-04-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm really getting into the swing of things and learning to live life within the parameters of a healthy eating plan. I feel good about that. Between using the points system to train myself and trusting God to help me to grow into a person who lives a live of self control, I am feeling a bit of hope that one day I really might be on the other side of this battle.

Vern and I are reading through the bible in a year. It's early enough in the year that we're pretty early on in the old testament. (We reading a little bit in the old, a bit in the new and a psalm and proverb each morning) I'm reminded of some of what we've read over the past couple of months....time after time we have read about God telling the people, "I have given you this land, now go in and possess it." (My paraphrase)Even though God had given them the land they still had to goo in and "possess it." Along the way they had to fight battles and overcome the enemy...even though God had already granted them the victory.

So here's where I am going with this...for the longest time I have prayed and prayed that God would set me free from my addiction to (worship of?) food. But I am realizing that God has already set me free. He has already broken the power of sin in my life. But I am responsible to "go in and possess it." I have to fight the battle and take ownership of what He has already done for me. And then...here's a new thought for me...once I have taken possession of it, (the victory over food addiction and overweight) I will have to KEEP possession of it. If I get to the “Promised Land” and forget the battle strategies that got me there in the first place and I get lazy and complacent, I will not maintain it.

I guess what I am saying, in a nut shell, is this. I am beginning to wrap my mind around the fact that there most likely will never come a day when I am free to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. This is the beginning of a lifetime of right choices. I am ALWAYS going to be faced with choices on a daily basis and it will be up to me to choose which direction to go.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Okay, now on to my menu choices for Saturday. We had a Friday night sleep-over with our five year old granddaughter. Friday night we went to the grocery store on the way home from picking her up. On our trip to the store we found five or six items that were her “favorite in the whole wide world.” And of course, being Grandma, I got some of them for her. One of her favorites was Kix cereal. She was so excited to have Kix for breakfast and for me to try it with her. I remembered something I saw in one of my “Hungry Girl” books and it inspired this breakfast.

½ cup Kix cereal .5pt
1 cup Puffed Rice 1pt
½ cup Fiber One 0pt
3 medium Strawberries 0pt
1 cup Almond Breeze 1 pt
(coffeemate from earlier coffee 1 pt)
Total 3.5

Lunch was interesting. Once again there was a request from Autumn...McDonalds. Now I am not crazy about McDonalds but the Princess is and I AM crazy about her. My first reaction was “Sure, we can go there and you and Grandpa can eat there but I will eat something here. She looked disappointed as she asked why couldn't I eat at McDonalds and grandpa Vern asked where we could eat that I could eat with them. That's when it came together in my mind.

You see, the issue with going to McDonalds isn't so much about my food preferences as it is with the fact that I can prepare a much more satisfying meal at home. But the reality is that there are going to be days when McDonalds, or some other place, are in the agenda for the day. The reality is that part of making this a lifestyle change is learning to eat healthy and moderately in whatever situation I find myself in.

So, I hopped on my computer, looked up the nutritional info for McDonalds, and planned a lunch menu I could live with. I even wrote it on a slip of paper and stuck it in my pocket so I would know exactly what to order. I know the day will come when I'll be able to just order from the menu board...but I am in training for the battle so I carried my battle strategy with me!

This lunch is what I came up with.

1 regular hamburger 5 pt
1 side salad 0pt
Low Fat Balsamic dressing (A few drops from the HUGE packet) .5pts
Apple dippers 1pt
Caramel Dipping sauce 1pt
Total 7.5

As much as I loved it when Autumn was a baby and spent every moment of her sleep-over time with me, I must admit it's awfully nice now that she's old enough to wander into the office and end up playing Clone Wars on the computer with Grandpa for 30 minutes! During that 30 minutes I took a breather with a wonderful cup of Chai Latte that I made with Almond Breeze....good stuff!

1 cup Almond Breeze 1pt
enough water to fill my large mug the rest of the way.
2 Chai Teabags
Microwave until hot and add a dash of stevia.
Total 1 pt.

Dinner was
2 oz Chicken Breast 2 pt
1 meduim Baked Potato 2.5pt
1/3 cup Black Beans .5pt
1 cup Green beans 0pt
½ cup Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes .5pt
1/3 cup reduced Fat mexican Blend Cheese 2pt
Total 7.5 points

Sancks:
Chai latte, after dinner with my sister 1pt
1 cup Golden spoon frozen Yogurt 5 pt
7 mini rice cakes, caramel flavor 1 pt
Total 7 Points

Total Daily Points 26.5
Target 27

Friday April 9...

2010-04-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Early Morning:
1 cup coffee with 2 Tbs Coffeemate Liquid 1pt

Breakfast:
Breakfast Sandwich made with
1 Thomas' Bagel Thin 1pt
1/4 cup Fat Free egg Substitute 1pt
1 Slice fat Free Cheese 1pt
3 Slices Oscar Mayer 98% Fat Free Shaved Ham .5pt
1 Med/Large Banana 2pt
Total 6.5

I like this breakfast. It's easy to make and it's tasty and satisfying.

Lunch:
6 Slices Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey 1pt
1 cup Pre-Packaged Broccoli Slaw 0pt
6 Grape Tomatoes 0pt
1 tbs Bleau Cheese Crumbles 2 pts
1 Tsp Mayonnaise 1pt
Balsamic Vinegar
1 Multigrain Sandwich Thin 1pt
1 Tbs Smart Balance Heart Right Buttery Spread 1pt
Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade .5
6.5 Total

Dinner:
4oz Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast 3.5pt
1/2 cup Brown Rice 3
2/3 cup Green Beans
1/2 cup Italian Style stewed Tomatoes .5
3 Tbs Feta Cheese 2
9 points total

Snacks:

1/2 Cup Golden Spoon Peanut Butter Flavored frozen Yogurt 3pt

14 Mini Rice cakes, Caramel Flavor 2.5pt

total 5.5

Total Points used 27.5
Target 27
Weekly points used .5
Weekly Points Remaining 34.5

Thursday April 8...

2010-04-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

My first week back on Weight Watchers ended well...with a 3.8 pound loss.

I enjoyed this week's meeting much more than the one last week. The awful nervousness and dread of that first meeting were behind me and I was relaxed and comfortable. There were a lot more people there this week than last week. I was surprised that the meeting lasted only 30 minutes because it seemed much longer than that lst week! This week the topic was The 5k Walk Challenge. I left feeling motivated to begin my walking routine again.

Early morning: 1 cup of Coffee with 2 tbs Coffeemate Liquid, one cup black
1 point

Breakfast:
1 Multigrain Sandwich Thin 1pt
1/4 cup Fat Free Egg substitute 1pt
3 Slices Oscar Mayer 98% Fat Free Shaved ham .5
1 Slice Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
1 Mandarin Orange 1pt
3 medium Strawberries 0pt
1/2 Medium Banana 1
Total 6.5 points

Lunch:
Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade .5pt
Eating Right Brand Turkey Meatloaf Frozen Entree 6pt
Side Salad of Shredded Lettuce,
Cucumber Slices, & Grape Tomatoes
Sprinkled with Balsamic vinegar 0pt
Total 6.5 points

Snack:
6 oz Fage Total 0 Yogurt 2 pt
(sweetened with Stevia and mixed with cinnamin)
1 Apple Sliced 1pt
Total 3 points

Diner:
This was a wonderful "throw it togther in a couple of minutes" Dinner!
2 Cups Bagged Brocoli Slaw 0pt
3 ounces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Diced. 2pt
1/4 cup Black Beans .5pt
Non Stick Cooking Spray
1 tsp Olive Oil 1pt
Dash of minced Garlic 0pt
1 Tbs bottled Hawaiian Marinade and Sauce 0pt

Cook chicken breast in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray until it changes color, add olive oil and garlic and stir together. Add broccoli slaw and marinade. Stir fry over medium heat until the broccoli slaw is crisp-tender.
3.5 points

Dessert/Snack:
1 cup Puffed Corn 1 pt
1 cup Puffed Wheat 1pt
1/2 cup Fiber One 0pt
1 medium Banana 2pt
1 cup Almond Breeze
5 points

I snapped a couple of photos with my phone this afternoon so I would have a record of my progress. Here I am at 222.2 pounds 3.8 pounds down from my starting weight of 226 pounds.

Wednesday April 7...

2010-04-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

Earlly Morning: Coffee with Coffeemate and stevia
1 point

Breakfast:
1 cup Fiber One cereal 2
5 large Strawberries 1
1 mandarine orange 1
1 banana 2
1cup Almond Breeze 1
Total: 7 points

Lunch:
2 cups Lettuce 0
1/2 cup Grape Tomatoes 0
1/2 cup Red & Yellow Sweet peppers 0
1 serving (6 slices) Oscar Mayer 98%FfF Shaved Ham 1
1/2 cup Sliced Cucumber 0
1/2 cup Sugar Snap Peas .5
1 serving Multigrain Sandwich Thin 1
1 Tbs Smart Balance Heart Right buttery Spread 1
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar 0
Total 3.5

Afternoon Snack: 1 cup Progresso Light Beef Sirloin Soup
1 point

Dinner:
We got home late from having our taxes done so I threw together a burrito/Wrap from things I had in the fridge.

3 oz Canned Chicken breast 2
1/4 cup Black Beans .5
2 Tbs Salsa 0
1/4 cup Shredded Mexican Blend reduced Fat Cheese 1
1 cup Shredded Lettuce 0
6 Grape tomatoes
1 Mission 100 Calorie Tortilla 1
Total 5.5

I put the chicken breast and black beans in a bowl with 1 Tbs of salsa and heated it in the microwave. While it was heating I warmed the tortilla in a dry skillet on top of the stove. I laid the tortilla on a paper towel and spooned the chicken/bean mixture down the center.

I topped this with the shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of cilantro.

I rolled it up and mixed the other Tbs of salsa with a Tbs of FF yogurt and used a dab of as a condiment with the wrap.
This was a great "throw together" meal for 5.5 points....definitely a keeper.

I had some points left so I had a cup of Fat Free Plain Greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia and topped with Strawberries, mandarin orange segments and Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup 6 points

Total Points:23
Points target 27

My positive choice today was having the 1 point soup when I got hungry in the late afternoon. It kept me from getting hungry while we were having our taxes done and thus having a melt down on the way home and being tempted to stop and fast food.