Random Stuff from the Weekend....(and my weigh in)...

I've said from the beginning that I am NOT on a diet. I am using the Weight Watcher's Point System to help me to learn to eat real food, in the real world, in a healthy manner. So, I decided to make this past weekend a pointless weekend. The reality of my world is that I am going to go and eat our favorite Chicago Style Pizza with my hubby....

When Vern got home from working Saturday morning and I was home from PeWee soccer, we went to our favorite pizza joint for lunch...




I am ashamed to admit that not so very long ago, when I was "dieting," I would easily consume 3 or 4 slices of this pizza. There was a "deprivation mindset" that I had. I was "going off of my diet" so I'd better REALLY make the most of it and eat all of the pizza I could stuff in my face. Let me tell you....3-4 pieces from THIS pizza is A LOT of food! Now when we go, I can eat 2 slices and be satisfied...and I can "feel" myself getting to the place where one is going to be enough for me.


After lunch we went for a walk along the waterfront, through Embaradero Park. I love living in San Diego!






Although it was a pointless weekend I ate my healthy meals for the most part. My goal is to one day just be able to live and eat like a normal person without having to count points and measure portions. So, I wanted to allow myself to go to the pizza joint for lunch and then resume my healthy eating habits even though I wasn't counting points. Here are a couple of random meals that I had during the weekend.

Breakfast Saturday morning was cold cereal...puffed kamut, Fiber One, a sliced banana, a few blueberries, and Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla "milk"



Lunch after church yesterday was "Naked Nuggets" and baked "fries." I loved these chicken nuggets that I found at Costco. Thy are similar to the chicken nuggets at fast food places but there's no breading on them. 7 nuggets have 140 calories, 3 gms fat, 1 gm of fiber for 3 points...not that I was counting, mind you!



Of course I ate other meals and snacks throughout the weekend but I didn't keep track or take photos. For someone who has spent a lifetime on a "diet" it was really scary for me to face the scale this morning. I almost talked myself out of it but then I realized that in the "real world" you are accountable for the choices you make...and there would be no way for me to know if I can do pointless weekends successfully if I don't face the scale each week. So I mentally prepared myslef for whatever the scale was going to have to say to me this morning. It almost amuses me...the fact that I am frightened of the scale. Anyway, I steeled myself for whatever it was going to say and imagine my delight and surprise when it said this.....

A loss of 2.4 pounds this week! Nice!!



You might notice that I cropped this photo more than usual. That's the thing about having a glass scale....there was a reflection...a reflection of things that don't belong on a family friendly blog! Whew!! I am glad I noticed THAT before I just stuck it on here!!!

Another "catch up" post!

It's funny how time just keeps getting away from me. I have been uploading my photos for this post and telling myself, "I'll come back later and add the text."...but later comes and goes and time just gets away from me. I used to be much better than this at managing my time. I don't know how this happened. How did I become someone who seems to be utterly unable to manage my time!? Or maybe that's not it at all...maybe I have simply perfected the art of wasting time. Or maybe I am just rambling on and wasting even more time right now...LOL.

Last night after work I went by Michaels. (the craft store) My son and Miss Autumn had given me a gift certificate for my birthday, so I went to see what I might want. (Apparently my son is unaware that his mom is an expert time waster now and has no time for the crafts I used to constantly be doing)Here's what I found...what TREASURES these are to me! I love books. I especially love books about crochet.I would not have splurged and spent $50.00 in "real" money on these books...but...what a huge treat to be able to spend gift certificate money on them!!! I love, love, love gift certificates! (Starbucks gift certificates are among my favorites but that's another story)

Here's another photo that I wanted to share on my blog just because it is so heartwarming to me! This is my middle son, Courtney. (I don't want to hear it! Courtney was a BOY NAME 31 years ago when I found it in the BOY SIDE of the baby name book!) Anyhow...this is Courtney. Courtney is my son who is extremely male. You know...he's a car guy, he's a refrigeration tech, a would be race car driver, (we won't talk about the years of me being sure he would be killed in a street race) he's completely baffled by anything female, he's very mechanically inclined, and did I mention.....completely out of his comfort zone when faced with anything feminine. So with all of that in mind, I find this photo to be completely delightful.

Here is my son, the manly man, playing playing "Disney Princess Enchanted Journey" with Autumn. There are no photos to prove it but rumor has it that Uncle Courtney was also spotted helping Miss Autumn dress her princess dolls recently!

Autumn and her Daddy are living at Uncle Courtney's apartment until they are done with the divorce and then the three of them, Autumn, Chris (Daddy), and Uncle Courtney are going to rent a house together. This close relationship that is developing between Autumn and Uncle Courtney is one of the silver linings in this whole situation.

Finally! Here's what I ate on Wednesday...how did I get so far behind?...oh yeah, that time management thing...that's it.

anyhow, Breakfast was an apple, diced and topped with Fage yogurt, Fiber One and unprocessed wheat bran. I enjoyed this very much. Along with my morning coffee with sugar free creamer, my morning was 3 points.

Lunch was a Boca burger on a Western Bagel, alternative bagel. I used some low fat mayo and some mustard on it too. I had an orange and a reduced fat cheese stick along with it for 4 points.
I wanted a little something more so I also had a Fiber One Oats & Chocolate bar for 2 points.
Dinner was spaghetti made with shirataki noodles. Vern requested garlic bread and I knew I would be undone by the smell of it, so I made garlic toast on another western bagel using Smart Balance light buttery spread and chopped garlic. It was sooo good! This wonderful meal was only 6 points!
My snack was yogurt flavored with PB2, to which I added a frozen banana, some Fiber One cereal for a little crunch and some Walden Farms chocolate syrup.
5 points
Wednesday finished at 20 points total.



On to Thursday...

Breakfast was a bowl of cold cereal for a change. I had Puffed Kamut, Fiber One, a few sliced strawberries and blueberries and a cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze, vanilla flavor. I love Almond Breeze in my cereal. It is only 40 calories for a whole cup and it is yummylicious! Be careful though when you go to buy it. The sweetened variety is in a package that looks EXACTLY like the unsweetened so you have to read the label. This bowl of goodness was 5.5 points. Add the point for my coffee creamer and my morning totaled in at 6.5 points.

Lunch was a tuna salad wrap, a sliced apple and Fage yogurt, flavored with cinnamin and stevia, to dip the apple in. I love apples dipped in cinnamin flavored yogurt!
8 points Dinner was a "fast food" meal that I prepared at home after wandering around Michaels for an hour and a half after work. (there's that time management issue again!) anyhow...a Boca burger on a Carb Check bagel, with Fat Free cheese, low fat mayo, mustard, ketchup, and lettuce, paired with a serving of Pringles light Chips. 5 points.

I didn't take a photo but I had a snack of a bowl of yogurt flavored with PB2 for 3 points.

So Thursday totaled 22.5 points.

Whew! I did it...I am caught up on my blogging...for this morning anyway!

My Menus for Thursday and Friday...

I ran short on time this morning. So I uploaded my photos from yesterday to blogger and thought I'd just add the text and points and general chit chat in later during my lunch break or whatever. Well..."whatever" never happened. So here I am. It's after 9pm on Friday and I am finally going to finish the menu post I started this morning....along with my menu for today as well. But first I am going to save this again and go take a nice warm bath and put my jammies on and THEN come back and finish the post....I'll be back in just a little while...


Ok...I'm back and I fel so much more relaxed and focused. Vern has practice tonight for a gig he's playing tomorrow so I have the house to myself...anyhow...

Here's my menu for Thursday:
Breakfast was this amazing "sausage", egg and cheese bagel. I used a Western bagel Alternative Bagel, Sweet Wheat flavor. Inside the bagel was a meatless sausage patty. (I must say, I am very impressed with the vegetarian meat substitutes I've been experimenting with. I am not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination but these non meat sausage and ground beef substitutes are so much lower in calories and they taste amazingly good.) Ok...where was I...Oh yeah, along with the "sausage" patty I had a slice of fat free cheddar cheese and an eggwhite. I also used a teaspoonful of fat free mayonnaise on it. Paired with an orange, this was a great meal! Counting my morning coffee with sugar free creamer this came to 5 points



Lunch was a big 5 ounce, grilled chicken breast that I sliced up and and piled on a green salad. I had snap peas and an apple with it. 6.5 points



In the late afternoon I had a Fiber One Oat and Chocolate bar. I didn't get a photo. 2 points

Dinner was Chili Dogs made with Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dogs, Sarah Lee Light Bread, a half a slice of fat free cheese on each, and a half of a cup of vegetarian chili split between them. I had roasted turnip "fries" and roasted brussels sprouts on the side. 8 points



My after dinner snack was yogurt mixed with PB2. Again, no photo...sorry. 2 points

I just stuck this picture in here because she is so flippin cute! This is Agnes napping in Vern's chair.









OK...now on to today, Friday...

Breakfast was an apple with cinnamon and PB2 for dipping it in. Of course I had my morning coffee earlier with sugar free creamer. My morning was 4 points.



Lunch was a bagel burger. I used a Carb Check plain bagel, toasted, for the bun. Inside the bun I put a Boca burger patty, a slice of fat free cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard. I had snap peas on the side. This was so good. I seriously could have given one of these burgers to Vern without him knowing and he would have thought it was a hamburger! This lunch was 5 points.



Late in the afternoon when my energy was starting to lag, I had a Fiber One, Oat & Chocolate bar and a cup of Sweet coconut Chai Tea. This was a good snack. 2 points.



Because I was home alone for dinner I had opportunity to experiment. I've been wanting to try making a stir fried noodle dish with shirataki noodles and this was the perfect opportunity. It doesn't make such a pretty dish to photograph but it was really good! I am out of anything green or colorful to add but the next time I make it I'll add some more colorful vegetables. This is onions, garlic, and gold bell peppers sauteed in a teaspoon of olive oil. (yes, I measured it) When the onions and pepers were cokked a little I added 3 ounces of diced, extra firm tofu and some soy sauce, black pepper, and a sprinkling of PB2 powder to give it a hint of that Thai peanut sauce flavor. While all of that was going on I had pre-rinsed the noodles very well and parboiled and set them to drain. When it was time to add them to the stir fry, i wrapped them in a paper towel and squeezed the excess waterfrom them. I also chopped them up a little. Then I stir fried it all together addng a dash of chicken broth mix. Oh my goodness! This was so good! I am loving shirataki noodles!! This dinner was 3.5 points for the whole bowl full.



After dinner I decided I wanted frozen yogurt so I got on line and began checking nutrition counts for yogurt. To my delight and surprise I discovered The Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt cahin. Their yogurt is fat free and approximately 22 calories in an ounce. AND...there is a location a couple of blocks from my house! So off I went to the Golden Spoon to satisfy my soft serve craving. I got the large thinking that it would be 12 ounces or so...the size of the bowl. Well, they are very generous there at the Golden Spoon and overfilled the cup. I got half peanut butter flavor and have chocolate malt. It was so good. I would have never guessed it was fat free. I am going to be going back there often! But in the future I will order a small because once they put it in a cup and hand it to me I am not going to stop eating it until it's gone...that's how much will power and self control I have when it comes to soft serve ice cream...which is exactly what this tasted like! I figure there was 20 ounces in that bowl for 9 points.



Both days I was over by half a point at 23.5 points for the day. I have 34 of my weekly points left for the weekend...and i am full of frozen yogurt, all snuggled in my jammies and ready to hit the sack, one happy and contented woman!

My new friend Kelly over at Happy Texans posted a "Woman's World" magazine cover story on her blog. You can see her post here. Seeing that picture on her blog brought back a flood of memories. Memories of another Women's World cover story and another crazy crash diet....more than a crash diet actually...a scam. A scam perpetuated by a morbidly obese con artist. It brought back memories of the scam that was, and continues to be, The Kimkins Diet.

It brought back memories of this magazine cover...



I purchased a membership to the Kimkins Diet site one night shortly before the Women's World article hit the news stands. I was one of the foolish people who fell for this woman's claims. I did the Kimkins Diet plan for around 3 months. I lost weight quickly on it and gained it back even more quickly than I lost it. It's easy to find all the details of this disgusting scam on the internet. Doing a google search for "Kimkins" will bring up a plethora of blogs and stories pertaining to the diet and the woman pictured below. The woman in the photograph collage below is the founder of the Kimkins diet scam. At the time I fell for the scam and plunked down my hard earned $$$ to join her site, the woman pictured below was claiming to be the lovely woman in the upper left corner of the picture. She continued to claim to be that woman even after a private investigator took the photos of her in the grey pants. The image of her in the red blouse was taken at the attorney's office when she was deposed for the class action lawsuit that is in the works regarding her plan and her fraud. Believe it or not, this woman is still trying to run a diet advice site. She has flooded the social networking sites with come-ons for her plan.



So....my whole point is not to re-hash the craziness that was Kimkins in my life. My point is that there are any number of crazy weight loss plans out there. There will always be unscrupulous people who are looking to cash in on those of us who are at times desperate for an answer to our weight loss struggles.

Yes, I fell for the Kimkins scam. Beyond that, I have tried just about every weight loss plan out there. I have spent most of my life on one diet or another. I have done the faith based programs. I have done the crazy crash diets. I have tried this plan or that plan. I have tried simply praying and trying to bring my appetites under the control of the Holy Spirit...not a bad concept in itself but I failed to apply discipline and self control to that mix. All of my struggles have led me to the place I find myself in today.

Today I find myself DONE with crazy crash diets that tell me I can eat all of this or that food but none of this or that. Today I find myself finally acting on the realzation that there is no magic fix. The only answer is for me to learn moderation and control while continuing to pray and allow the Spirit of God to teach me to control my appetites.

I feel like a woman who is shaking of the chains and the bondage that "dieting" can (and in my case, had) become. It had become a strange combination in my life....bondage to gluttony, and bondage to the things of the world that I turned to to deceive myself into thinking that I was fixing the problem of gluttony and binge eating in my life, when all the while these things were perpetuating the behaviors that I was trying to free myself from.

It could be argued that by using the Weight Watchers plan to learn self control I have simply turned to another diet. But I don't believe that to be true. I believe that I am using the Weight Watchers points system to learn what moderation looks like in the real world....to teach myself control and moderation.

I am done with dieting. Dieting simply does not work. If it worked I would be slim and svelte rather than morbidly obese after a lifetime of dieting. What I am now embracing is a lifestyle change and a heart change based on the following passage of scripture...

Colossians 2:20-23
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Diets based on human wisdom alone lack any value in restraining my "sensual indulgences." I'm done with diets!

OK...here's what I ate yesterday...

A Western bagel, alternative bagel with fat free cream cheese, an apple sprinkled with cinnamon, and a cup of cinnamon tea. 2.5 points



A ham and cheese wrap made with fat free ham and cheese, on a LaTortilla Factory, Smart and Healthy tortilla, and a side of carrots, cucumber slices, and sugar snap peas, with wladen farms dressing to dip them in. 5 points



Tacos made with vegetarian ground beef substitute, Smart and healthy tortillas (again), lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa and fat free sour cream. I would have coupled this with fat free refried beans but i was out of them...darn!! Can you believe this luxurious meal was 3.5 points!?



Snack/Dessert was fat free plain yogurt flavored with PB2 and stevia, over a sliced frozen banana, sprinkled with Fiber One cereal and drizzled with Walden Farms Chocolate syrup. 5 points


I ate really well yesterday and was full and satisfied, but for some reason it only added up to 16 points for the whole day. My target is 23. I don't plan to make a habit of being so far below my ppoints target on a regular basis. I think this was just a fluke.

Monday Morning Weigh-In and Menus...sort of...

This is going to be short as I am right now supposed to be getting ready for work. Vern and I got a new book, a gift from our church to everyone who came for the Easter service. We have decided to use it as a morning devotional...which is GREAT!!!...but which also ran a bit long this morning as we were reading the introduction...and the intro is longer than any of the chapters! Anyway...it's "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die," by John Piper. I am happy to be reading this book with Vern!

So...this is my weigh-in day and here we go! I am down 1.6 pounds this week. I am satisfied with that. I feel like for a 50 (almost51) year old woman who is post menopausal, (surgically) not on hormone replacement....a pound or two a week is completely acceptable! Yes, I am very happy with any downward movement at all on the scale!



One of our Easter Sunday traditions is to have breakfast at church. Our church hosts a free breakfast for anyone who desires to come and partake on Easter Sunday. It's served buffet style and thousands of invitations are sent out to the community. I think it's a really neat tradition. So here's my breakfast. I'm figuring it at 7.5 points.



After church we went to take Vern's mom to do some errands. It was a fairly long afternoon and I was really, really hungry by the time we were done. Vern wanted to go to Chili's and I agreed. I had a difficult time deciding what to order. I couldn't make up my mind between the Guiltless Chicken meal, or the Guiltless Cedar Plan Tilapia. I ended up getting the tilapia and frankly, I was disappointed. It was a very tiny piece of fish and some almost steamed veggies. I honestly was shocked at how tiny the fish was! The broccoli was supposed to be steamed but it was really still raw. I understand the whole concept of not overcooking the broccoli...but I do like it COOKED...not raw! So, I ate my very tiny meal and left the restaurant still hungry. I was bummed to have spent over ten dollars for a meal that was more of a snack! When we got home I looked at the online menu and found that it is only 199 calories for the meal and realized that a side order of black beans would have rounded it out nicely...oh well...live and learn. I won't be ordering that again! It looked pretty on the plate though...
I figured the tilapia meal at 4 points, according to the nutrional counts I found on the website. I also figured 3 points for the 3 bites I had of Vern's Nachos...which was much more satisfying than my pitiful little bite of fish!




When we finally got home I had a bowl of fruit. It was an apple and an orange, chopped, mixed with greek yogurt, and topped with Fiber One cereal. It was so good!
3 points



Now, from the absence of any more photos you might be led to believe that I stopeed eating at that point...you would be WRONG!!! I continued to snack but no photos. I had 2 Western, alternative bagels at 1 point each. One I toasted and had with fat free cream cheese and the other toasted with Smart Balance light buttery spread and PB2. 6.5 points.

After the bagels I was finally done eating.

My day was 24 points, 1 point over my target.
I used 18.5 of my weekly points allowance during this past week. I didn't use the holiday as an excuse to partake in a bunch of crap food. I lost 1.6 pounds. I am calling this last week a success!

Wednesday, memory verses and menus...

I participate in a small group, women's bible study at my church on the second and the forth Tuesday of the month. Right now we are going through the book, "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. The tag line on the front of the book reads, "A woman's guide to finding contentment."

The overall message of the book is based on this passage...

Philippians 4:11-13
11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

...which tells me that it is possible to be content in any and every situation I find myself in, that it's possible for me to be at peace with my circumstances and fully trusting in God, no matter what is going on around me. My goodness, who doesn't need a little peace and contentment in this crazy world!? I am loving this study and am learning and growing in my relationship with the Lord and with the people around me as I go through the lessons.

We are starting Chapter 5 this week, "Content in Relationships." Each weekly study has a memory verse to meditate on throughout the week. (I say each week but we are actually taking 2 weeks for each study) I think it will be helpful to me to include my memory verse here as I update my blog each day. So my verse for this lesson is this...

Colossians 3:12-14
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

....that is the verse I will be keeping before my eyes and saturating my heart with for this two week period. It's a tall order and I am excited to see what God's going to show me over the next two weeks as I hide this word in my heart.


So, here's my menu for yesterday..


Breakfast was yogurt, apple, Fiber One cereal, and lots of cinnamon! I have this for breakfast a lot. I love the combination of flavors and it's very filling. Along with my morning coffee this was a 3 point morning.



Lunch was a veggie burger with fat free cheese, on light bread with lettuce and tomato slices and a side of Pringles Light chips. 5 points



Dinner was an egg white omelet filled with mushrooms, fat free cheese and vegetarian breakfast sausage. I topped it with a little salsa and had a side of collard greens with it. This was a yummy and filling dinner that was easy to throw together on the run between work and bible study. 6 points.



I was hungry for a snack when I got home so I had a bowl of cereal...puffed kamut, Fiber One, a frozen banana, and PB2 mixed into the milk. This is not a photo of the actual bowl of cereal I ate...it doesn't show the PB2 in the milk. It was so good! 8 points.



Total Points 22
Daily target 23
Activity Points Earned 1
Weekly Points remaining 35

Catching up...

I have photos, from the weekend, of my meals. I counted my points. I stayed on plan. But, I am feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to catch up with three days worth of menu postings! So, I am just going to add my weigh-in photos and a couple of random food porn photos, as my dear friend Grace calls them, and then move on...getting back to my regular postings tomorrow.

So...my weigh in day is Monday but for reasons I don't really know yet, I like to do a sneak peek on Saturday. Here's what the scale said on Saturday morning...



After my weekend, which included several salty foods, the scale said this on Monday...




I would love to be able to rationalize and officially claim that half a pound or so from the Saturday weigh in. But Monday is my official weigh in day and the Monday weight is what will be recorded in my weight tracker. All in all, the scale is continuing a downward trend and I am content with that.

OK...so of course there has got to be at least one food photo in my post, right? So, we went to breakfast at Coco's on Saturday morning with the princess. I love being able to go on-line and find the nutritional values before getting to the restaurant! I love the internet!!! So anyway, here's what I had for 8 points...




Here's what my knight in somewhat rusty armor had....



So who thinks it's completely unfair that I am the fat one??!!!

Springtime Saturday continued....

Here are a few more signs of Spring from my parents' back yard. I love Spring!!!















I had to laugh at my sweet little Autumn...all decked out in her girly girl, pink Padres jersey, pink bow in her hair, beaded "Lelli Kelly" shoes...and carrying an old dried out snail around the yard like it was the best treasure in the world! Oh my goodness, I love this child!




Ok..here's yesterday's menu.

I started my day with an apple, yogurt with lots of cinnamon and sweetened with stevia, and a half a cup of Fiber One. I also took a plethora of stuff to kick this bladder infection. I'm taking 2 antibiotics and some garlic and alfalfa. It finally seems to be doing the trick! Along with my morning coffee with sugar free hazelnut creamer, my morning was 4 points



I was hanging out at my parents' for a few hours and snacked on a serving of some kind of pretzel crackers. 2 points



Lunch was late in the afternoon and was really almost dinner. I had a bowl of Progresso Light Italian vegetable soup and a cheese (fat free) sandwich. My sandwich was made with Sarah Lee light bread, two slices of fat free cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and Smart Balance fat free mayo. I also had a diet 7-up. This is a large, satisfying meal for 4 points.



Later in the evening I had a big bowl of Puffed kamut with sliced strawberries, blueberries and sliced banana, topped with fat free milk. The fruit in this bowl was frozen so everything was sort of slushy and frozen. it was an interesting texture for cereal. 7 points



I also had a serving of light pringles chips and Fiber One bar at different times during the day.





Total points for the day 20
Target points 23
Points remaining 3