Getting back on track.....

Well, I decided to take a break for a little bit from weighing in, keeping track of what I eat, etc. Didn't expect it to be this long, but here I am again! I am still smoke free and only had a few more instances where I've insisted on having a cigarette while drinking. However, I haven't had one since the night of our Halloween Party (10/27)....so, it's been almost a month! I am amazed at how I've seemed to "maintain" my weight while in the process of quitting. I feel like I've gained a ton of weight, but apparently just a few pounds. Now I really want to concentrate on getting back on track.

Amanda has joined the swim team at the YMCA, so we've become members. I'll be working out while she's at her practices 2-3 times a week. Last night was my 1st of 2 orientations for the weight machines. I'll be doing weights and a little bit of cardio while I'm there and still doing the treadmill at home on other days. Hopefully the weights will help with toning and burning more fat. :o)

Today's Weight: 137.8

Weight: 135.4
This has got to stop! Another gain....but at least it was only .2 this time. Anyway....made it through the holiday weekend....
Didn't get too much exercise in, but we will try to get moving again this week. :o)

***
Well, this past Saturday I had another "episode" with the whole not smoking thing....had a few drags off of Cathy's cigarette after trying to "borrow" a cigarette from someone else. I had managed to be talked into NOT lighting that one and putting it back. Anyway, needless to say...I still tried to have a smoke and had a few drags off of Cathy's...which wasn't even any good since it was a menthol. I originally took a few drags from Cathy because Mike was having a cigar...which everyone said wasn't the same thing...I think that's bologna and tried to argue my side. I did however have wwwaaayyy too much to drink and just didn't care at that point. The last few things that I remember were arguing a little bit with Cathy, then sitting down for a while out back with everyone, then I went inside and grabbed my debit card, drivers license and cell phone...I was going to walk to the store and buy a pack a smokes. Really dumb! Needless to say...I did not end up trying to walk up there, however I remember going into my room crying and then waking up about 5:30 a.m. and everyone was gone. The other bad part of it...I remember other things happening, but do not know if they really happened or if I dreamt that they happened. (Yes...I am still having the all tooooo realistic dreams and it's starting to bother me. ) I thought I remember slamming a bunch of doors when I went in the house and then into my room for the night, then I also thought that I was talking to someone while I was crying and kept telling them that I didn't know why I was crying. (The only thing that I can think of why I was crying was because I was upset with myself...) Anyway, the next morning I woke up feeling a bit ill and feeling terribly stupid, embarrassed and confused. I asked Mike about stuff, but he had no clue....he didn't remember much of anything anyway. (I do know that I cried for real and not just dreamt it because when I woke up there were wadded up kleenex in the bed.) I just wish I knew what really happened, what I did or didn't do. Oh well...I am sure it will surface somewhere...

So anyway, onto these realistic dreams.....I actually stopped taking the medicine for 2 days to see if it would help or make a difference and I couldn't tell. However, I started taking it again as I was afraid that I would get a craving. I don't think we'll be taking the medicine too much longer because we're both doing good. Besides, Mike hasn't taken his in over a week or so anyway. We'll see....

We'll just see how these next couple of weekends go with the drinking.....however, I will probably always wish that I could just be a "social smoker"....nothing else, be done with it after that night, etc...hmmmm..... wonder if I could have cloves or something that was like a cigar....that's a thought.... ;o) LOL!

Weight: 135.2
I really felt the gain coming on this week. I'm not sure if I've been eating too much because of the not smoking or if it's just that I am eating too many things with points. I don't think I'm eating too much more than before, it's just that I am eating different things....not making good choices. The last few days I have been "shopping" for new recipes. I think I am getting bored with eating the same things over and over, which is why I'm not making very good food choices. Even though alot of the things are only a few points....it's a few here, a few there and it all adds up.

I've been walking, maybe just not enough anymore. I've had the treadmill since mid-January and never tried the programs on there. So, the last two nights I did one of the programs. It was nice to have a bit of a change. The program does incorporate some running, which is a big change for me. I was actually able to run. :o) I do need to invest in a good sports bra though, it was a little rough on my boobs....LOL!

Weight: 133.6
I honestly didn't think I was going to lose anything this week, but I'll take the .4 loss. I didn't do very well over the weekend. I know I say that every week, but this time was a little bit different. On Saturday, I just couldn't stop eating the snacks. I think that's all I did was eat.... Part of it was actually being hungry at first, but the other part I think was for something to do other than smoke. Then Sunday, had cake & ice cream, etc.

I've been doing well with the whole not smoking thing. Friday was the first time I drank since I quit smoking. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now on Saturday...it was the first time I had been around anyone that smokes. Seeing people do it and smelling it was a whole different ballgame. I'll be able to handle it though. However I have a confession....I had a cigarette late Saturday night. I convinced Bill to let me have one just to look at....and I did look at it for about 45 minutes...then my curiosity just got to the best of me. I wanted to know if it would taste as good as I remember it tasting while drinking or if it would be gross. Sooooo.....I finally lit it up (I asked Mike first, don't think he was really happy about it but said to make my own choice). It was GROSS! I had about 4 drags off of it and held it the rest of the time and then put it out. The taste was just not appealing, which is what I had hoped for.... :o)

Now the weird thing....In the last week or so, I have been having these very realistic dreams. Each day when I get up I have to think about if something really happened or not. I also find myself dreaming about me or Mike smoking and then fighting with each other about it. Not sure what's up with that. It's just weird to have so many realistic dreams, or at least I think it is.

Back to the diet....I've been doing okay other than weekends and I've been walking on the treadmill, except for this past weekend. Anyway....one day at a time....

Week 20!

Cant' believe I've been doing this blog & weighing in now for 20 weeks and have been going back and forth between the SAME 10 POUNDS!! That sucks.....

Weight: 134
One pound gain, could have been worse....
Walked last night- 35 minutes

On a happy note, I'm still "smoke free".....it's been almost 48 hours!!

***
Breakfast:
WW French Vanilla Smoothie made w/ skim milk
1 banana

Lunch:
Taco/fajita salad- shredded lettuce, fresh pico de galo, fat-free cheese, chicken w/ fajita seasoning & topped w/ fat-free ranch dressing (made a salad out of last night's leftover dinner)
Chocolate Fat-free, Sugar-free pudding made w/ skim milk

Snack:
Blue Bunny Health-Smart fat-free, sugar-free fudge bar (0 points)

"Quit Day"

Well, today has gone well...haven't had a cigarette since last night. :o) It's actually a little bit easier than I imagined. I think about each time I "would have" lit one up...but I don't think I've necessarily "craved" one. This morning did have it's challenge....I had to be out at Wright City Middle School to set up a table for work to hand out information at the teacher's workshop day. Anyway....I was in the car driving longer than I normally would be on a regular drive to work. Then had to drive from there to work later in the morning....more driving. Being in the car that long by myself, I would have normally had at least 3 cigarettes for each way! However, I managed to make the drive without and I was just fine. I even stopped at the gas station on the way back to get gas & a soda....I did not buy any cigarettes!! :o)

***
Eating....it's going okay....I used some points today, but that had nothing to do with not being able to smoke. It was just what I chose to eat today & tonight. Anyway, I figure from this weekend and part of last week, I pretty much screwed up this week. We'll start fresh tomorrow after I weigh in to see the damage that I've done.... :o(

I did walk last night for 25 minutes and tonight for 35 minutes.

***
FYI- This also marks my 82nd post......the same number as on my other blog....and I've had this one for less time. Funny huh???? (Just thought I'd share that) :o)

So, the weekend was not so good as far as sticking to "keeping on track"... Same old story, different weekend...although yesterday wasn't bad, I just didn't walk like I wanted to.

Today has been okay so far. Hopefully I'll be motivated enough to walk tonight.

***
In about 4 or so hours (depending on what time I make it to bed), I will smoke my last cigarette... I'm gonna do whatever it takes to really make this a success. I hope that Mike is able to stick with it as well, it will just be easier for each of us if the other one doesn't give in. I find that I give in way too easy with "bad foods" and I hope that I will not be that way about smoking. If I can make it until this weekend, then the real test will come.....when I will have a few drinks. We shall see....just have to deal with it one day at a time....

Friday- used a few tooo many points in the evening, but did okay during the day. No activity.

****
Today's activity- treadmill 35 minutes

Breakfast:
egg substitutes
fat-free cheese
fat-free plain yogurt w/ splenda, vanilla & strawberries

Yesterday I did okay, even though I used about 10 points (yes, right at the start of the week...). I also walked for 25 minutes.

Today.....different story so far....I blew it! I had 2, yes 2...not just one, Asiago bagels from Bread Co. They had bagels at work this morning and they were calling my name! It's been a long time since I had my favorite from Bread Co (float trip I had a plain one...). So, I gave in and ate one w/ cream cheese. I enjoyed it sooooo much, I took a left over one and ate it with my salad at lunch (w/o cream cheese though). Why in the hell couldn't I have been satisfied with giving into my temptation only once today...why did I have to do it twice!?!?! Anyway...I'm sure if I look the points up, it will pretty much put me over the top for the week and it's only day 2! Oh well, I'll just look ahead...there's no going back and try harder over the next few days....(which happen to be the weekend...not good....) :o)

****
Walked on the treadmill- 35 minutes

Weight: 133

I'll take it. A 1.2 pounds loss, not too bad. Less than one week away from my quit day, let's just hope it doesn't start going up hill again.

More later....

Ended up having a sandwich at 8:30 last night for dinner. It was probably worth 5-6 points or so. Didn't really want to use points, but I wanted something quick that didn't have to be cooked. Anyway, opted not to walk...I hate when I do that.

***
Today, Mike and I started taking the prescription.

***
Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheese
Plain fat-free yogurt w/ vanilla, splenda and strawberries

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Large salad tray from Schnucks w/ the usual
1 banana

Dinner:
Boneless pork loin chops, marinaded & grilled
tomatoes
zucchini

Dessert:
Blue Bunny Health Smart Vanilla Fudge Bar (0 points)

Activity:
Treadmill- 35 minutes

Tomorrow Mike & I start our prescription! So, next Tuesday (14th) should be our "quit date". Wish us luck!!

*****

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Fat-free cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Schnucks salad tray w/ the usual
Fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk
strawberries w/ splenda

Snack:
Imitation crab meat

Not doing so well logging what I eat....Anyway, I survived the weekend camping trip and managed not to go toooo over board. I tried a few things to cut down on the amount of points that I would be eating & drinking over the weekend.

- both nights had Chicken & veggie foil packs which only have a few points from the soup even though I used the 98% fat-free kind.
-both mornings for breakfast I had fat-free plain yogurt w/ splenda & strawberries. Then I pre-made breakfast sandwiches & heated them up on the fire. The sandwiches were made with egg substitutes, fat-free cheese, Canadian bacon, WW English muffin. So each breakfast was only 1 point.
-for a snack, I pre-popped the 94% fat-free popcorn & brought apple slices (didn't eat the apples though, Amanda ate them before I got any....oh, well...)
-for lunches, I had ham & turkey on whole wheat bread with fat-free cheese, lettuce & light miracle whip. Still had a few points there, but I cut it down a little bit.

I did still have alcohol, 2 somores (spelling?), a few cookies, a hand full of Pringles, & some trail mix. :o) Anyway, I think that I should still be okay, or at least not have a huge gain. I'll be back on track this week....until the weekend comes.... :o)

I've actually logged this on the WW site! First time in months!

Breakfast:
WW Strawberry Banana Smoothie made w/ skim milk
1 banana

Snack:
1 banana (yes, another one)

Lunch:
Large salad tray from Schnucks
w/ my usual toppings (don't feel like listing them...)
Sugar-free, Fat-free Chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Oven Fries ( the one I've talked about on here....)
CBLT Sandwich w/slice of fat-free cheese & fat-free Miracle Whip on toasted whole-wheat bread (2 pts. for the bread)
(CBLT= Canadian Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) :o)

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes (2 activity points)

****
Goal is to get back to where I was the day before we left for Mexico, by the time my sister decides on bridesmaid dresses......at the rate she's going I should have about a month to do so. :o)

Weight: 134.2
Loss of 0.4......better than gaining I guess. :o) The indulging just doesn't pay off...LOL! Just need to try to make it through one day at a time. I'm basically where I was at on week 7. I'm not liking all this up & down stuff...I just like the down part....
Didn't walk last night, just tired. I haven't been sleeping very well the past few nights, not sure why. I just keep waking up too much through the night.

I'm really having a tough time getting strict with myself. I am still indulging way too often when I'm out or whatever. That's my goal to work on this week. I walked Thursday night (40 min.) and Sunday morning (35 min.). This weekend we'll be going camping again, however this time I have planned a little bit of a healthier menu for myself, so we'll see how that goes.

We'll be setting our quit date soon. I am really getting nervous about it, just not sure how I'll do. However on the reverse side, I am excited about it also. Weird, I know....

More later....

Weight: 134.6
Almost 2 pounds....the gain wasn't as much as I thought it would be though. I would just like to get back to where I was at week 12. I need to stop this up and down and start making some progress... :o)

Walked last night on the treadmill for 35 minutes.

Well, tomorrow we'll find out just how much I gained over the float trip weekend (started Wednesday night thru Sunday night)! Now that the "major festivities" are out of the way, I can get back on track and just deal with the one or two bad weekend nights/events (rather than longer periods, etc...Mexico, DF 2007, etc.)

It's very important now for me to get back on track since in the next few weeks I'll be starting another personal challenge......to quit smoking. I think Mike & I are going to go with a prescription called Chantix. I've already called my doctor and asked him to write me a prescription, now I've got to get Mike an appointment to see a doctor in order to get himself a prescription also. The downside.....insurance does not cover it, but in the long run we'll save SO much money (about $150.00-200.00 a month!!!) in the future months and add a few years to our lives hopefully. :o) (just think....it won't take long to save for another vacation!) So, now this blog will not only be about my dieting, it will also be about my new challenge to quit smoking.

I just hope that I can deal with the dieting and trying to quit smoking without gaining too much weight. I have a feeling that the next couple of months may be a up & down battle on my weight. Although, I think the hardest part at first will be the drinking, so I may not drink too much at first until I get used to it. We'll see. I'll let you all know when we have our "quit date" and we (both Mike & I) also ask for your support. Please, Slap me when I beg someone for a cigarette! (okay, not really, but just talk me out of it.....) We'll just have to take it one day at a time...

I think I'll go have a cigarette now.... LOL!

*****
As you noticed, I decided to change my blog to be viewed only by invited readers. Why? Not entirely sure, but just felt that I wanted to.

Weight: 132.8
Didn't have time to post yesterday, but I did pretty good eating and walked 25 minutes on the treadmill. I probably won't have time tonight to work in a walk and will have to get back to it on Monday. Besides the drinking, this weekend shouldn't be entirely too bad, nothing like Mexico. So I don't see a big gain next week, possibly just a small one. :o)

Today was much better....

Breakfast:
WW Chocolate Smoothie made w/ skim milk
1 banana
a slice of cantaloupe

Lunch:
grilled chicken thigh (worth some points since it's dark meat, but I didn't eat the skin, so it shouldn't be much)
1 banana
chocolate pudding- fat free, sugar free made w/ skim milk

Snack:
strawberries sprinkled w/ Splenda

Dinner (actually more of a snack):
Imitation lobster meat

After we got back from our errands, I didn't feel like eating since it was getting late. If I ate, I wouldn't want to walk since I don't like to walk on a full belly. So, I walked instead. :o)

Activity: Mowed the grass and walked on treadmill 25 minutes

Snack:
Blue Bunny Health Smart Vanilla Fudge bar (fat-free, sugar-free)- 0 points

Wow! I actually posted what I ate.... :o)

This week isn't going much better.... however, I did walk on Thursday night and tonight. After the float trip I have got to get myself back on the track for real. I would like to lose the rest of what I need to lose by Christmas/beginning of January. My sister got engaged over the weekend and they are looking at possibly a date in January! Assuming that I will be in the wedding, I want to be able to look great in my dress. :o)
We still have a lot of events/social gatherings over the next 2-3 months, so I am going to have to get back to being really, really good during the week. I know I keep saying that, but this time I mean it. I don't know why, but ever since we got back from Mexico, I've had this "whatever" attitude more often that before about what I eat. I still try to eat the right things most of the time, but I am still giving in wwaayyy toooo much lately, compared to what I used to. Shame, shame...

Weight: 134
Down 1.4 more....better than nothing. This week wasn't any better than the last.... too busy, eating the wrong things (socially), not getting my walks in as much. Hopefully, I'll be get back on track after the float trip, we'll see. I would have just thought that I would have lost more this week & last just by half way getting back on track and drastically decreasing the amount I ate from what I was eating on vacation. (I ate a lot on vacation...)
I managed to get 3 walks in this week- Thursday, Saturday and Monday. Just couldn't get motivated on Sunday and then last night I didn't have time since we were picking Amanda up from the airport.
I've been eating pretty good during the day at work and had some decent dinners, it's just that we went out to eat twice and went to a couple of get-togethers. But those things happen year round and I'm not giving those things up, so this is just a slow process. I will not be able to loose what I gained on vacation before next week as I had hoped, but hopefully by the end of the month, if not mid August. We'll see.

Breakfast:
WW Strawberry-Banana Smoothie made w/ skim milk
1 banana

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Small salad from Schnucks w/ the usual
(this is the bad part...) 1 chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread from Schnucks
I am not sure how many points and I am not sure why in the hell I talked myself into a sandwich! But I guess it was better that a cheeseburger or fries.... :o)

Snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
grilled chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
grilled veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, & green peppers)
baked potato w/ fat- free margarine

Activity: treadmill 26 minutes (YES! I actually walked! Hadn't been on the treadmill since June 18th!)

Weight: 135.4
This week wasn't any better with all the "festivities" going on. I just haven't cared much what I eat or not. I did do pretty good while at work & such over the course of the week. Ate my normal for breakfast & lunch pretty much, but the evenings & weekends were pretty much a different story. Today's not going to be any better. I still haven't motivated myself to getting back to my walking routine. I was just too busy at the end of last week trying to get ready for the party and get laundry done. And so far this week I was just too tired and wanted to relax. Anyway....we'll see if I can get started again tomorrow. I would like to loose what I gained on vacation by the float trip, if not by the end of the month. That's my goal. :o)

Happy 4th of July!!

Back to the diet....

Just got back yesterday from our long awaited trip to Mexico and had a great time! We ate & drank pretty much non-stop and now I have to get back to my healthy eating. We did walk A LOT....the place was huge, so I still got some exercise, but apparently not enough. Weighed myself this morning....136! I gained almost 7 pounds!! Ouch! But the trip was worth it, so I'll just get back into my routine to try to get rid of the extra pounds over the next few weeks.

Weight: 129.2
Weighing in one day early since we are leaving tomorrow morning (FINALLY!). Looks as if my body wasn't play tricks last week. :o) Weekend wasn't too bad, but could have been better. I missed my walk on Thursday-Sunday. As busy as I was last night, I still managed to fit in a 20 minute walk. It will be interesting to see how much I gain over the next week. Once we get back, I'll have to start keeping a better log of things and also start concentrating on toning the rest of me as well as my regular walking.

I'm a Spaz....

Okay, you don't have to agree.... Anyway, I am going through my "spaz out" phase with less than a week until vacation!! I am either not liking things that I previously bought, can't decide what goes with what, if I have enough clothes, if the clothes I have are the right "attire", etc. Soooo...I am shopping, shopping and shopping some more. Plus freaking out about the time I have. I think I am just worrying too much. Part of the problem was that I tried on several things that I previously bought over the last month within the hour Sunday of eating Chinese. I was so bloated and things just weren't looking right, so I thought I had to buy more things.... Tonight I tried on some new things, plus the old ones (that I tried on Sunday night) and things were looking better. Now...I lie the old things and need to return some of the new things....I think. I just can't make a decision! Why do I do this to myself? I did this last time too. (I'm juat gonna have to stick with the swimsuits though...LOL!) I'm a spaz!

It's a miracle....

Weight: 130.2
Holy cow! I couldn't believe my eyes....I had to re-weigh 3 times to see if that was correct. It just doesn't make any sense that this was one of my worst weeks as far as eating goes and getting less exercise (besides the week in Chicago) and I still lost. And not just lost, but lost more than I normally do. I don't get it, but I'll take it... :o) Let's just hope that my body is not fooling me this morning. Next week I'll weigh in on Tuesday since we are leaving on Wednesday morning, then I'll weigh the day after we get back (Thursday of the next week). Then I can see how much I gained while being gone...LOL!

Had a bad week & weekend.....Besides the alcohol over the weekend (Friday & Saturday), I didn't do toooo bad on the eating part, but Sunday was the worst as far as eating goes. We had McDonald's for breakfast and Chinese for dinner (however that's all I ate). I ate the left over Chinese for lunch today because I couldn't find anything else that sounded better than that.. Bad I know. Last week, I had a few days that I ate things I shouldn't have as well. I can already tell that I am going to have a gain this week and it kills me that I let go toooo much right before our trip. Plus, I didn't walk Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday (I usually get in my walk on Thursday and Saturday most of the time). Other than the left overs today, I've been eating what I am supposed to and I'll make sure I really stick to it over the next week until next Tuesday night. (With the exception of a possible few cocktails over this next weekend....) I walked for 20 minutes this afternoon and will do my regular walk this evening before bed. :o)

Weight: 133.4
Lost what I had gained last week, better than nothing. I was hoping for a pound so that I could say that I lost 10 since I started blogging and keeping track of what I eat. Maybe next week.
As I said from the beginning, this is a slow process because I am not going to give up my "weekends". Slow is better than nothing... :o)

This weekend wasn't that great as far as the "diet" goes. I didn't make my walk on Friday night as planned, but did walk on Saturday morning. I didn't eat much during the day on Saturday before the party and didn't eat too terrible at the party either. It was just the drinking part that wasn't good. Then on Sunday, I didn't eat anything until I had a small snack (crab meat) at about 4:00. It was our lazy day, besides me taking time to go to Chesterfield for a little bit to visit New York & Co and H&M. That evening neither of us wanted to go to the store or find something to eat....so, we ordered pizza. Bad, bad, bad.....
Monday and today were back on track and I walked last night and plan to walk again this evening. Tomorrow is weigh-in day, so we'll see. The bad part is that today I am already starting to get that "bloated" feeling for what will be coming up next week....
I have been really bad about recording anything on my Weight Watchers online account, hopefully I can get back to that. I think that helps even thought I have been pretty good about blogging about it (up until last week).

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
the yogurt "concoction" that I made yesterday

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Leftover shrimp & pasta from last night
Chocolate, fat-free, sugar-free pudding made w/ skim milk

Tonight shouldn't be too bad, as I am not having any cocktails. However Mike is making ribs as I type (he went shopping- yes...to the grocery store by himself...so I won't complain that it's not exactly on my "diet"). Anyway, I'm hoping that since I'll be home and not drinking, that I can get a walk in, we'll see.

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
Fat-free plain yogurt w/ vanilla extract, splenda and strawberries

Snack:
94 % fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
small salad from Schnucks w/ the usual
strawberries

Snack:
Chocolate Fat-free, Sugar-free pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta
shrimp sauteed in chicken broth, garlic, parsley, & fat-free margarine

Snack : (at Paula's)
A few cucumber slices & dip
A few (maybe 5-6) baked tostitos w/ corn bean salsa stuff

Activity: Treadmill 23 minutes (yes, I squeezed a little time in after I got home from Paula's...)

Weight: 133.8
Gained .4 (almost a 1/2 of a pound)....guess that's not too bad considering the 3 day weekend and a taco bar last week. So, I'll just have to make sure I behave all week. :o) I really only have one day this weekend that should be bad, but hopefully I can have almost all of my points to use then. Three weeks until vacation....not seeing that I'll loose much more before then, but I'll be happy just not to gain anymore before then.

***

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

I was a bad, bad girl....all month long, work has been treating us to something every Wednesday (breakfast, ice cream, lunch, etc.) for the celebration that we are having. Well, today they had cake....not just any cake, but cake from a very yummy bakery and not just one kind either. I couldn't talk myself out of it, even after having a gain this week. I had, not just one, but 2 pieces through the day!! (Had to try them both). When it was all over, I was just so disappointed with myself! But it's done and over....just have to work extra hard this week (except Saturday) to make up for the used points already. What a way to start a new week.... (I'm just glad that today was the last of them treating us to stuff for a while.)

Lunch:
1/2 of a left over grilled chicken breast
small salad from Schnucks w/ the usual
Chocolate pudding-fat free, sugar-free made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Homemade baked potato wedges
grilled Mahi-Mahi (or however you spell it)
corn

Activity: Treadmill 40 minutes

So yesterday I wasn't exactly good. I did fine until the afternoon/evening snack (french fries & hot wings) & a few drinks. I did manage to get a walk in yesterday morning and the first part of the day I had a salad & a Blue Bunny HealthSmart, Fat-free, Sugar-free fudge bar. Then for dinner we had fat-free twice baked potatoes (really good), grilled steak (but I am not sure what kind) and salad. Anyway...on to today...

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
another banana

Lunch:
Large Salad tray from Schnucks w/ the usual toppings

Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast- boneless, skinless
green beans
baked potato w/ fat-free spray margarine & fat-free cheddar cheese

Activity: Treadmill 36 minutes

Tomorrow is weigh in day..... ugh....

Holiday Weekend

This weekend I wasn't keeping track of points, but I know that I used alot. I didn't go completely overboard, but I didn't exactly hold back either. It was just a long weekend (so far) of get-togethers with eating and drinking. So, to finish off the 3 day weekend, I am hoping to be good today, just as I would on Monday of any other week. I walked on Saturday morning and will make sure I get a walk in today sometime. Well see when Wednesday comes how bad the weekend really was.

Weight: 133.4
One pound at a week...better than nothing. I was hoping that I could loose another 5 pounds before our trip, but going one at a week I won't quite make it. Especially, with the up coming weekends...but, I'll still try. :o)

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
strawberries w/ Splenda

Breakfast:
Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie made w/ skim milk (woke up late...no time to cook)
1 banana

Snack:
1 banana (yes, another one)

Lunch:
Large salad from Schnucks w/ the usual stuff

Snack:
Imitation crab meat

Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta cooked with fat-free margarine,
garlic & imitation lobster
1 Blue Bunny Health Smart, fat-free, sugar-free fudge bar (0 points)

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Small salad from Schnucks w/ the usual
New Red potato salad

Snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
Grilled boneless, skinless turkey breast
Corn
Oven fries (I know I'm not supposed to have potatoes twice in one day, but I was trying to come up with something easy & quick....)

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes

Sunday (Yesterday):

Breakfast:
1 banana

Activity:
Treadmill 23 minutes

Snack(s):
2 dill pickle spears
Baked Tostitos & corn/bean dip
a taste of the other 2 dips that were there (spinach & southwest ranch of some sort)
a few pieces of cheese & sausage
cucumbers & dip
(Not sure how many points to count for all that)

Drinks:
1 1/3 Cosmo (3 points?)
2 Miller Lites (4 points)

Dinner:
New Red Potato Salad
Hamburger w/ cheese on a wheat bun (not sure on points...what kind of burger & cheese, I'm not sure)
A taste of potato casserole

All in all, this weekend wasn't too bad. I am just going to say for now that I used the rest of my points and hopefully didn't go over too much. I'll try to estimate my points later.

New Red Potato Salad

3 pounds unpeeled red potatoes
4 eggs, hard boiled
1 1/2 cups fat-free mayonnaise (or fat-free Miracle Whip)
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup sliced celery

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add red potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place in medium bowl.

2. Boil eggs (to make hard boiled eggs...I think everyone knows how to do that, so I'll skip that part....) Peel & dice hard boiled eggs.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, milk, distilled vinegar, green onions, salt & pepper. Pour mixture over potatoes, and mix together with the eggs & celery. Cover & chill in refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.

****
This recipe is Core, not sure how many flex points. I left the celery out because I didn't have any and I'm not a celery fan anyway. I liked this, but think it needs a little more salt, but I guess most people would salt & pepper their own serving to their liking. This gives me something else to bring to the summer gatherings (besides a veggie tray) that I know I can eat. :o)

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Lean diced ham
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Lunch:
Whole wheat pasta
Shrimp sauteed in chicken broth, garlic, parsley and fat-free margarine

Snack:
Whole-wheat grain Wheat thins and a little bit of light cheese spread (not sure hoe many points, but at least a few anyway....)

Dinner:
Pork loin chop- center cut
grilled veggies
New Red potato salad

Drinks:
4 Shreks w/ sugar-free Red Bull (8 points)
3 Miller Lites (6 points)

Not tooooo bad....better than last weekend.... :o)

Yesterday-

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
strawberries sprinkled w/ Splenda

Lunch:
Leftover pork loin from last night
Small salad from Schnucks w/
green onions
diced hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrots
cucumbers
fat-free ranch dressing

Snack:
Chocolate Fudge pudding-fat-free, sugar-free made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Lean round steak
Baked potato w/ fat-free spray margarine
green beans

Drinks:
2 Shreks made with sugar-free Red Bull- (4 points)
2 Miller Lites (4 points)

Activity: None

Herbed Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 medium head garlic
1/2 cup low fat, low sodium chicken broth
3 potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 cup warm skim milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Slice the top off the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Place the whole head and the broth in a small casserole dish & cover. Bake for 1 hour; remove dish from the oven & set aside.
3. Boil the cubed potatoes in water for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain. Add the warm milk and olive oil. Beat with mixer until potatoes are fluffy. Add the herbs.
4. Gently squeeze the garlic out from each of the cloves, leaving behind the skins. Add all the garlic pulp to the potatoes. Beat again and season with salt & pepper.

***
These were pretty good, I did do just a couple things different....didn't add the full cup of milk- only a little more than a 1/2 cup. I think that it would depend how "creamy" you like you mashed potatoes. Next, I didn't have any thyme so that got left out completely and I was afraid that 2 tablespoons of oil would be too much, so I only added 1. I think next time I will try it with 2 just to see. I thought that they needed more garlic flavor, but Mike said it had plenty of flavor. Possibly next time I will also season with a little bit of garlic powder...we'll see. Anyway, in the end we all liked them, so I will be making this again.

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
1 Banana

Lunch:
Last night's left-overs
Chocolate fudge pudding, fat-free, sugar-free made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Grilled marinated lean pork loin
Baked potato w/ fat-free spray margarine
green beans

Activity: Treadmill -35 minutes

Didn't turn out to be such a bad week after all....

Weight: 134.4

It kills me to think that I could be loosing more than just a pound at a time if I wouldn't have such "bad weekends"....Oh, well...

Breakfast:
Egg Substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Work is providing lunch today, not sure what they are having. So, again I am sure I'll be starting my new week with using points right away......We'll see...

***
Lunch:
Penne Pasta with red sauce (estimated about 6 points)- about a cup
Small slice of bread- (1 point...wasn't quite the size of a regular piece and it didn't have any butter on it)
Salad with an oil/vinaigrette dressing (I'm assuming that it was probably olive oil, but I'll never know...) :o) I loaded most of my plate with salad and so I would only have a little bit of room for the pasta.

So here I am again at the beginning of the week and already using points....lunch could have been worse. I was glad when I found out they weren't having pizza or something too "fattening". I went to work prepared to skip whatever dessert they were going to offer with lunch and brought my own "afternoon snack/dessert" to beat the temptation....

Snack:
1 banana
Chocolate pudding, fat-free, sugar-free made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Veggies (squash, zucchini, sugar snap peas, & onions)
Herb Garlic mashed potatoes (I'll post recipe later...I was so excited when I found out at Em's that you can make good mashed potatoes without all the butter & milk...searched for more recipes) :o)

Activity: Treadmill 39 minutes (not sure why I didn't go that extra minute longer....)

Reality....

I decided to go back last night and try to figure my points that I had used over the weekend. Well.....it was bad. I have calculated that I have gone about 25 points over for the week. Just about all of my weekly points allowance was used on Saturday alone! And most of that was alcoholic beverages. This is the reality of what it will be like in Mexico.... on a daily basis. I'll be using about 7 weeks worth of points! I'll probably gain a few pounds while there. Then, there's only a couple weeks to "be good" before the float trip, in which I'll gain that weekend too. Anyway....

****

Whatever happens this week, it's my turn to blame it on PMS!

Activity: Treadmill- 25 minutes (yes, I actually walked this morning! Trying to plan ahead since we might not be home tonight)

Breakfast:
Egg Substitutes
Lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94 % fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Salad from home w/
cucumbers
sliced up left-over steak (from last night)
fat-free mozzarella cheese
fat-free ranch dressing
1 pack Chaquita Apple slices

Snack:
Chocolate pudding, fat-free, sugar-free made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Baked "Fried" chicken- (not sure how many points 2-3?)
green beans
mashed potatoes (not made with milk & butter)

Banana Cream Pie

Here's the recipe for Banana Cream Pie that I made on Mother's Day if anyone is interested. I had quoted it earlier that it was 3 points per slice, but it's actually 2 (Core + 2, but if you are following Flex, you'll have to figure it out)

BANANA CREAM PIE

1 Ready-made Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Pie crust (If you use the regular, then it's 3 points)
3 Bananas
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 package fat-free, sugar-free Banana Cream Instant pudding
1 package fat-free, sugar-free Vanilla Instant pudding
2 cups fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Slice 2 of the bananas and arrange in bottom of crust
2. Pour milk into a medium bowl. Add pudding mix and whisk until thoroughly combined. Fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped topping. Pour into pie shell.
3. Chill at least 3 hours. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and slices of remaining banana.

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Small salad from Schnucks w/ the usual stuff on it
1 pack of Chaquita Apple slices

Late afternoon snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
Round Steak, lean trimmed (Eye of round...I think that's what they call it...)
small baked potato w/ fat-free spray margarine & fat-free cheddar cheese
small salad w/ cucumbers, fat-free cheddar cheese & fat-free ranch dressing

Activity: Treadmill- 40 minutes

Another one of those weekends....Saturday night I didn't eat too bad, but I drank a lot (quite a few beers, 2 Shreks, & 2 shots) and then ended the night (morning) with Waffle House. I had scrambled eggs, hash browns a little bit of ham and a piece of whole wheat toast....could have been worse though. At this point, I am sure that I am over on points for the week. Sunday, had the family over for Mother's Day & Birthdays. Again not too bad, but still used some points (about 7-8, that I probably don't even have anymore...) Everything we had was pretty much core, except for the bread and the Banana Creme Pie (3 points a slice....I made it w/ fat-free stuff...It was good!) Anyway, hopefully this weekend should be better, nothing too "wild" planned yet, but we'll see. Just need to make it through the week doing good again. :o)

Activity: Treadmill- 23 minutes (@ 6:40 a.m.....crazy, but I had to fit a little time in somewhere before I took a shower for the day)

Went shopping after I got my hair done, since I only own 2 pair of shorts, 1 pair of capri pants and 1 pair of longer Bermuda-type shorts that I can wear. I was pleasantly surprised at the clothes that I tried on. The size I've been buying lately were somewhat big and I didn't want to spend money on something that would be too big hopefully in another month, so I went the next size down to see how they were. I bought a pair of shorts, pair of capris and a pair of cropped pants....in a single digit size. :o) I also bought a sun dress and top to go with the cropped pants for our Mexico trip!

Breakfast:
None.... busy morning

Lunch:
Lean diced ham
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 flour tortilla (2 points)
(rolled it up and microwaved, had to come up with something quick...)

Snack:
Chocolate Fudge pudding, sugar-free fat-free made with skim milk)

Tonight, we'll be having a BBQ, so that will be plenty of points I'm sure. :o)

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
Strawberries sprinkled w/ a little Splenda

Lunch:
Left overs from last night
Chocolate Fudge pudding, sugar-free, fat-free made w/ skim milk

Snack after work:
1 Banana

No dinner- just snacked on veggies, baked tostitos, salsa, and cheese & crackers during and after the purse party. I did, however, have 3 beers AND refrained from eating any yummy cookies. :o)
Not sure how many points, but we'll say 10-12.

Did good today. Had my usual for breakfast, popcorn for a snack, & usual salad for lunch. At work, they sent out an email to everyone to let them know that there was left over ice cream treats from the day before and to help ourselves. I was good....I talked myself out of going and getting one. :o)

Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta w/ shrimp, scallops, & imitation lobster sauteed in chicken broth, fat-free margarine, fresh garlic & parsley. (Made extras so I could take to work tomorrow.)

Snack: Blue Bunny Health-Smart, Fat-free Sugar-free fudge bar- 0 points

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes

Weight: 135.6

I actually lost this week, must have been the walking to make up for the bad food that I ate over the weekend. :o)

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
watermelon

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
small salad tray from Schnucks w/
Lettuce
diced hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrots
green onions
diced turkey
fat-free ranch dressing
1 banana

Snack:
Ice cream bar (like a Brown Cow)- 4 points
(They treated everyone to ice cream today...couldn't talk myself out of it...)

Dinner:
Meatloaf made with lean ground beef (With he extra add-ins, I added a point or 2)
Corn on the cob

Activity: None- hubby is watching a movie in the bedroom....but, I swept & mopped the kitchen floor...should be worth a fraction of a point.... ;o)

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheese
watermelon

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Left over steak & veggies from last night
Strawberries

Before dinner snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
Grilled chicken
Those one oven fries that I mentioned on here in an earlier post, but a different flavor
Green beans

Activity:
Treadmill- 35 minutes

Bad weekend....

Well, I was doing okay last week...up until the weekend. Ate Ethel's on Friday night, did okay during the day on Saturday, ate too much chips and salsa and had quite a few drinks on Saturday night, the Sunday was okay until we ordered pizza... (we were busy all day and didn't feel like finding something to cook)... I did walk on Saturday morning, but couldn't talk myself into it yesterday... :o(

Today, I am back on track and we'll see on Wednesday what the scale says about my weekend.

Breakfast:Egg substitutes
Lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:94 % fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
large salad tray from Schnucks w/
Lettuce
diced hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrots
green onions
diced turkey
fat-free ranch dressing
Chocolate fat-free, sugar free pudding made w/ skim milk

Snack:
1 pack Chaquita apple slices

Dinner:
Eye of Round steak
grilled veggies (zucchini, squash, onions, snow peas, & green peppers)

Snack:
Blue Bunny Health Smart Fudge Bar (fat-free, sugar-free)- 0 points

Activity:
Treadmill- 35 minutes

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94 % fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
small salad tray from Schnucks w/
Lettuce
diced hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrots
green onions
fat-free ranch dressing
1 pack of Chiquita apple slices
Chocolate fat-free, sugar free pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Fat-free refried beans
2 Chicken Fajitas (4 points for the 2 tortillas)
-which was chicken, green, red, and yellow peppers, onions, seasons, salsa & tortillas)

Activity: Treadmill 24 minutes

Have 29.5 points left for the weekend and 1st part of next week. Not too bad... hopefully that should be enough for the weekend, plus I'll probably earn some more activity points over the next 5 days.

Weight: 136.8 (why is it always .8 and not .2, .5 or something...LOL!)

Breakfast:
WW Chocolate smoothie made w/ skim milk
(We're having a breakfast at work, so I had this so I wouldn't be as hungry and hopefully won't eat too many things....here we are at the start of a new week and I'll be using points already....go figure...I'll update the rest later.)

Breakfast (continued at work...)
cantaloupe
honeydew melon
egg casserole (cheese, no meat) -4.5 points (Wasn't sure how to figure this, so I based it upon what is normally in an egg casserole- eggs, bread, milk, cheese)
Stayed away from the muffins and danishes.... :o)

Lunch:
Small salad tray from Schnucks w/
lettuce
diced hard-boiled eggs
diced turkey
shredded carrots
green onions
1 container Campbell's Soup at Hand- classic Tomato
about a 1/2 cup Strawberries

Dinner:
1 lean center pork loin
(marinaded in a season packet with water & olive oil)
baked potato w/ fat-free spray margarine
green beans

Activity: Treadmill 35 minutes

1 Miller Lite beer counts as 2 points. So, 4 Miller Lites should be 8 points right? When I enter in the quantity of 4 beers, the planner calculates it as 7.5 points. Anyone else notice that? I guess they figure that you've peed some of it out by then....or you really didn't take the last two swigs of a few of them...LOL! (Just kidding....)

Breakfast:
Egg Substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana
1 Weight Watchers Creamy Chocolate Smoothie made w/ skim milk

I ordered the Weight Watchers Smoothie mix on line. I wanted to find another way to get my required milk servings in each day and thought I would give this a shot. I do not like skim milk by it's self and seem to only get milk when I make my pudding. Anyway, I had the chocolate and it wasn't bad. It's kinda like drinking a Slim Fast or something. It's core and if you make it with skim milk rather than water, it counts as 2 milk servings. (Prepared with water is 1 milk serving.) Plus it's packed with lots of vitamins & calcium. :o)



Next time I'll just have it as an "in-between meals" snack or bedtime snack. It was too filling having it with breakfast. Or just have that and a fruit if I don't have time to cook. I would really like to try the Strawberry-Banana mix too.





Lunch:
Small salad from home w/
romaine lettuce
shredded carrots
cucumbers
fat-free ranch dressing
1 cup strawberries sprinkled w/ a little bit of Splenda
Fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Imitation lobster & crab meat sauteed in a little bit of fat-free margarine over top of whole wheat pasta

Activity: Treadmill for 35 minutes

Tomorrow is weigh in day......

Like the rest of you all already posted, this weekend wasn't too good as far as eating goes. I finished out Friday okay with only a few drinks to add to my points. Then Saturday during the day I did really well eating and even worked out, but then came the Girls Night out....Sunday was okay up until the few beers, some cheese, sausage, baked Tostitos, BBQ Sauce, etc. I didn't workout but I mowed the grass. I've gone way over my weekly points (didn't feel like trying to figure it out). However, Today I'm back on track so far.

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Small salad (from home) W/
Romaine lettuce
shredded carrots
cucumbers
fat-free mozzarella cheese
fat-free ranch dressing

about 2/3 cup strawberries
Fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
1/2 of a leftover chicken breast (didn't eat the skin)
left over grilled veggies
leftover Party Potatoes (about 0.5 - 1 point)

Walked on treadmil-35 minutes

Decided to go back and actually somewhat figure my points for the weekend. I went over my weekly points so far by about 25-30 points! Ack!! It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't already used 20 points before the weekend. (Which only means that I must have used about 100-150 points over when I was in Chicago!) Anyway....we'll just have to wait until Wednesday morning to see what the damage is....

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
lean died ham
1 banana

Lunch:
Small salad tray from Schnucks w/
lettuce
shredded carrots
green onions
diced hard-boiled eggs
diced ham
fat-free ranch dressing
1 container Campbell's Soup at Hand -Classic Tomato

Snack:
1 packet of Chiquita Apple slices

Activity points

To answer Violet's question on the previous post... yes, they can be added up over the week, or at least that's the way it appears to me on my chart.

On the Core plan I have a 35 weekly point allowance, which can be used over the week or all at once, etc. When I add my activity to the planner, it adds the points to my remaining weekly balance. Yesterday (Wednesday), started with 35, used a point, but earned 2- so it said my balance was 36. Then today, I used 18 and earned 1 and it now says my remaining weekly points is 19.

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Fat-free cheddar cheese
lean diced ham
strawberries

Lunch:
Went to an all day seminar, so didn't have much choice (to an extent) but to eat what they served for lunch.
Sliced roast beef in BBQ sauce
1 fried chicken drumstick (didn't eat the skin)
1 roll
lettuce w/4 cucumber slices & about 1 tbsp of Italian dressing
1 slice Apple pie (okay, I had a choice on this one, but I couldn't resist and it was very good!) :o)

I wasn't sure of exactly what they made each thing with or what kind things were, so when I calculated the points using the food list I figured about a total of 18 points. That sucks....and because I changed my weigh in day on my planner to Wednesday, I lost my activity points that I earned on Monday & Tuesday. Oh well....

Dinner:
Grilled boneless-skinless chicken breast marinaded in a pre-made teriyaki/pineapple marinade (1 serving of marinade was 0 points)
Grilled fresh pineapple
green beans
baked potato w/ fat-free spray butter/margarine

Activity: 23 minutes on the treadmill- not as intense as usual (wasn't feeling real well, and had to talk myself out of skipping it all together...)

Diet Coke Plus

Have you seen the new Diet Coke Plus? I just saw it the other day at Target (maybe it's been around, but I didn't know that). It's Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals. I thought I'd try one, and it's not bad. It tastes a little bit different, but it's fine. Another way to get a few more of the required daily vitamins. :o)

The dreaded day.....

Weigh-in: 138 (not as bad as I thought...)

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 slice cantaloupe
6 strawberries

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Salad (from home) w/
shredded carrots
lean diced ham
fat-free mozzarella cheese
fat-free ranch dressing

1 banana
fat-free, sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
repeat of last night (needed something quick for Amanda & I before class and she missed out on it last night when I made it since she stayed for dinner at Mike's dad's)

Snack:
Skinny Cow Fudge bar (1 point)

Activity: treadmill for 30 minutes

So, I was curious tonight to see how much my hubby weighed....I made him get on the scale...he weighs more than he thought he did...he's been saying for years that he weighs about 135, but he actually weighs 142.2! For the very first time in 17 years, I have weigh less than him! That makes me very happy!!! :o) It's like a hit a milestone....great feeling!

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
Lean diced ham
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 slice of cantaloupe
about 5 or 6 strawberries

Lunch:
(I actually made a salad from home, rather than going to Schnucks today)
Romaine lettuce
shredded carrots
fat-free mozzarella cheese
1 grilled chicken breast (left-over from Sunday)- diced
Fat-free ranch dressing
Campbell's Classic Tomato Soup-at Hand

Snack:
1 banana

Dinner:
1 cup whole wheat pasta
Scallops and shrimp sauteed in chicken broth, fat-free margarine, fresh garlic & parsley

Snack:
Fat-free, sugar-free Chocolate Fudge pudding made w/ skim milk

Activity: Treadmill for 43 minutes

Scared to weigh in after last week, but I want to change my weigh in day, also. So, I am going to change it to Wednesday and I'll weigh then. I'll just have to deal with the outcome at that time and hope that I lost a little bit of what I am sure I gained.

Breakfast:
Back to the usual-
Egg substitutes
Little bit of diced ham
Fat-free cheddar cheese
1 slice of cantaloupe

Snack:
94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Large salad tray from Schnucks w/
Lettuce & mixed greens
green onions
diced hard boiled egg
shredded carrots
diced turkey
fat-free ranch dressing

Snack:
1 banana
2 small pieces of chocolate (I'll have to look into the point value)- not sure what got into me....Monday.... I guess.... :o)

Dinner:
Lean center loin pork chop (boneless)
Med. baked potato w/ fat-free spray butter/margarine
Corn on the cob w/ fat-free spray butter/margarine

Activity: walked on treadmill- 2 pts earned

Trying to be positive..

Okay, I am tired of telling you all the bad things that I've been eating all week, so I'm going to try to make this post a little more "positive". :o)

Spent 5 hours at the mall today. Really nice mall, with lots of neat stores. I did stay out of the more expensive stores as much as I would have liked to find something in those stores. I was also felt weird trying to go in the young/hip stores. Anyway, I managed not to grow out of the clothes that I brought with me and the clothes that I tried on in the size I have been buying lately fit as well. I am having a hard time trying not to buy too much at one time and only buy what I need to get by for now, since I plan on going down another size at least before Mexico. I did find a swim suit for Mexico at the Target up here the other day. It's a tankini and has regular bottoms, rather than a skirt. It didn't look too bad. :o) I bought it since it was already on clearance (can you believe it?) and I was afraid I wouldn't find the right size when I got back home. The bottoms are a bit snug, but they WILL fit by the end of June. :o) I figured the top would still be okay.

I have also found that in most stores I can buy a Large top (used to buy an XL), but in some the Large is too big, but when I try a medium on, then it's just too small. So, it's just weird that there is so much difference between the two sizes. I am also having a difficulty with some of the tops in fashion now- the ones that are more like the baby doll style or something. They fit, but to me when I look in the mirror, I look like I am wearing a maternity top. When loosing weight, the last thing I want to do is look pregnant. Anyway, I managed to find some things, mostly tops that I can wear to work (some can be worn out as well). I did find quite a few things in a store called H&M (had never heard of it, do we have this store at home?), however I didn't buy too many things. That store is very reasonable priced, which is a big plus.

At the Victoria's Secret up here, the store had a large selection of their "PINK" items in the store and I really wanted a pair of "PINK" yoga pants (don't know why, but I do), but they were too long. :o( (The yoga pants were way cheaper than the sweat pants...Hubby would have killed me if I had bought the $68 pair of sweatpants that I liked...didn't bother to try them on..) Anyway, I really enjoy shopping for a different size than before and trying on things that I would never have dared to try on before. :o) Can't wait to shop for a new size.....

Still eating.... (bad stuff)

Well, I'm still here and eating bad things....but, we're having fun.

Monday night:
Ate at a Italian place called Coco Pazzo (expensive and not our style, but we didn't know that before we went in- we felt very much out of place in our jeans and couldn't tell what half the things on the menu were.)
I had some sort of pasta with a spicy red sauce and octopus, and some bread. It was good though.

Tuesday (if I can remember):

Breakfast-
1 banana
1/2 bagel w/ cream cheese
1/2 of a strawberry yogurt (wasn't low fat)

Lunch-
Baked salmon with some sort of sauce. I twas good, but I don't know what it was.
Some weird looking noodles or something. (they were clear like, never seen them before)

Snack:
The conference had a cocktail reception- had 2 crab cakes, 2 lamb quesadilla things and a few beers.

Dinner-
We had appetizers and drinks at Rock Bottom Brewery. So I had some nachos, chicken quesidillas (sp?), tacquito things (sp?), & an onion ring.

Wednesday:
No breakfast

Lunch-
A ham and cheese sub from some deli

Dinner-
Ate at Stonewood Ale House- had BBQ grilled chicken, salad and some fries. Had a few drinks.

We did a bit of walking through out the city on Monday & Tuesday night.

Sunday will be nice to get back to my regular food. :o) I feel like I've gained 10 ponds, but I am sure it's all in my head just thinking about all the points that I've eaten. I've probably used the next 3 weeks of points. LOL!

Saturday night we went out to eat with Heather & Ross. We ate at a bar not too far from their house that has really good Chicago style pizza. Had 2 pieces, which felt like I was eating about 50 points, and a few cocktails.

Sunday on the drive to Chicago, I munched on apple slices and a few pieces of beef jerky nuggets. Then for lunch, I made Mike find a Subway and we had sandwiches. So that wasn't too bad so far. Then for the evening, I had 2 beers and we ate at Houlahan's (right right next door to the hotel- we didn't feel like venturing out). I had a small salad and nachos (which were loaded).

Today, I had scrambles eggs, fruit and 1/2 of a bagel w/ cream cheese. Then at lunch they served a buffet with chicken Cesar salad and pizza.

We did a lot of walking yesterday afternoon and this hotel is huge, so I've been walking alot to get from place to place and then back & forth to the room between sessions. So hopefully the walking will help a little bit.

I think we are going to venture out tonight and eat somewhere different. Mike has a friend that lives up here that he used to work with. They are out & about this afternoon and we may go out the guy & his wife this evening. But I'm just not going to stress too much about eating bad this week and just enjoy myself (without going too overboard though).

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana
Crystal Light Strawberry-orange-banana

Activity:
Walked on the treadmill - 2 points

Since I will not be able to weigh-in on Monday and we'll be leaving really early tomorrow, I decided to to my weigh-in this morning.......I didn't do too bad after all......136! I wasn't even naked..LOL! (And I weighed 5 times to make sure it was right and each time it said the same thing.)
I wanted to tell you all about the potatoes I had last night. I like them because they are quick. Great for the nights when you don't have a whole lot of time. Anyway, they are in the freezer section with the other potato items. They are by Alexia and called Oven Fries. Made with Olive oil, Rosemary and Garlic (& happen to be Gluten free if you care).

Ingredients:
Russet potatoes, olive oil, sunflower oil and/or canola oil and/or safflower oil, sea salt, Extra virgin olive oil, Dextrose, Garlic powder, Rosemary, Black pepper, Marjoram, Thyme, Natural Rosemary flavor.





So anyway, they are great...

So starting tonight, will be really bad....we are going out to eat and then tomorrow we are leaving for Chicago and will be eating out all week. Mike will have his laptop with him, so I'll try to post here & there to keep you up to date on the damage that I am doing. LOL!

Breakfast:
Egg substitutes
little bit of lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 cup watermelon

3 "chocolate coffees"

Lunch:
Large salad tray from Schnucks w/
lettuce
diced hard-boiled eggs
shredded carrots
cauliflower
green onions
fat-free ranch dressing

1 banana
fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
grilled hamburger patty (90% lean) probably a few points since it wasn't 95%
fat free cheese slice
potato wedges baked in oven- with seasons, olive oil, canola oil

2 Miller Lites (4 points)
1 Shreck made w/ sugar-free Red Bull (2 points for the UV)

Activity: None

Breakfast:

My usual....
egg substitutes
little bit of lean ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
1 banana

3 "chocolate coffees"

Snack:
Mini bag 94% fat-free microwave popcorn

Lunch:
Small salad tray from Schnucks w/
lettuce
shredded carrots
green onions
a little bit of turkey
diced hard-boiled egg
fat-free ranch dressing

fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta topped w/
(pre-cooked) shrimp sauteed in fat-free margarine & fresh garlic

Activity:
31 minutes (fast walking) on the treadmill (2 points is what I am counting)

Crustless Strawberry Pie

4 cups sliced strawberries
1 small box Sugar-Free Cook & Serve (not instant) vanilla pudding
1 small box Sugar-Free Strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups water

Spray an 8" or 9" pie plate with Pam. Scatter strawberries evenly across the bottom. Cook vanilla pudding according to directions, BUT use water instead of milk. Add dry gelatin to pudding mixture and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then pour over strawberries. Chill 4 hours. Top with Cool Whip Free if desired.

:o)

Found this recipe on this site that my sister shared with me.

Heather's Recipe Site
http://www.freewebs.com/hwc1973/index.htm

Started off to be a good day (as far as eating goes).....

Breakfast:
(my usual)
egg substitutes
little bit of lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
& a banana

Lunch:
Not so good. We traveled down to Bloomfield (about 3 hrs from here) for my Grandpa's funeral and after the service we all went to some restaurant (a fish place) and had their buffet. I would have preferred to look at the menu to see if they had something else, but the buffet was what was easier and quicker to buy for the amount of people that we had. Anyway, the meat choices were all FRIED.... enough said about the lunch...don't even know how many points, but my guess would be around 30 points, so we'll just say I've used the rest for the week. (even though I am not even close to being done....)

Dinner:
None- wasn't hungry

Snack:
Last piece of the Crustless Strawberry Pie w/ Cool Whip Free

The Crustless Strawberry Pie is a core recipe (is also 0 points) that I found and it's not too bad. It's more like Strawberries in a creamy jello, just a little something different that eating plain strawberries. I'll share the recipe later.

Activity:
Walked for almost the entire episode of American Idol (47 minutes!) and burned 450 calories and walked 2.85 miles! (I was hoping to make up for the really bad lunch...) I don't agree with the WW activity point calculator. If I leisure walk, brisk walk or treadmill walk I earn the same amount of points. I wasn't walking leisurely- I was walking fast, using the arm things, sweating my ass off...so I am giving myself 4 points instead. (Not that it matters, I'll be going way over my points by the end of the week anyway...)

Decided to walk again last night for a little bit, earned 1 activity point.

Also found a new favorite drink to help "liven" up my water intake- Crystal Light Strawberry-Orange-Banana. It's the kind that you make the whole pitcher and it's core (plus it's 0 points as well). Good stuff.

Breakfast:
(the usual)
egg substitute
little bit of lean diced ham
fat-free cheddar cheese
and a banana

Lunch/Snack:
(no time for a real lunch since I had to leave work early to go to the visitation for my Grandpa)
Orville Redenbacher Mini Bag -Smart pop-94% fat-free microwave popcorn
Sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
(No real dinner)
Small slice of sandwich ring (that was from Sam's)- I have no idea how many points or what exactly was on it...I was hungry and it was either that, cookies or chips....so I'm going with 4 points since it was small

Snack when I got home:
some imitation lobster meat
1 banana

No activity

Last week, I gave my starting weight 144 because I thought the scale was a bit off- the scale read 142.8, so I rounded up a little. Anyway, I decided that I will just go with what the scale says each week (whether it's off or not) so I don't have to try to estimate, it will be easier in the long run. Anyway, today...141.8, down 1 pound- better than nothing and better than I thought after this past weekend. :o)

Breakfast:
1 cup egg substitutes
fat-free cheddar cheese
diced lean ham (about 1/8 cup)
1 banana

Snack:
Fat-free, sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding made with skim milk

Lunch:
Left-over ham from yesterday...not sure what kind of ham exactly it was, so I'm just going with 3 points on that
Left-over green bean casserole (1.5 points because there were the fried onions in it, but I used the 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup and skim milk when making)
Left-over Crustless Strawberry Pie (0 pts.) w/ Cool-Whip Free (0 pts.)

Didn't really want to start using points, but I figured that the leftovers needed to go... :o)

Walked- earned 3 activity points

Dinner:
Grilled chicken marinated in fat-free Italian dressing
Mixed veggies- squash, zucchini, fresh green beans, onions & snow peas
1 baked potato w/ fat-free butter/margarine

Ended the week/weekend not doing so well. I did earn 3 activity points yesterday though, which might have helped a wee bit. Not looking forward to tomorrow's "weigh-in". I'm not going to list my menu from the today or yesterday, because I don't even know how much to calculate. We ate twice today for Easter- once at my sister's and then at Mike's Dad's. Didn't do too bad over at my sister's as most of the things were core or only worth a few points. Mike's dad's was a different story.....can't pass up the homemade macaroni -which, of course, wasn't made with whole wheat pasta, fat-free cheese or anything...it was all full-fledged "fattening"... but I didn't go back for seconds :o) And I wanted to try her corn pudding :o) I would like to walk tonight, but I am feeling just too stuffed right now, so I'll have to wait a bit and see how I feel before I go to bed. Anyway, we'll see what kind of "damage" was done in the morning.

This week I have to be really, really good because the following week we'll be spending an entire week in Chicago- eating out..... I'll try to make some wise food choices and try not to go overboard. Luckily both hotels that we'll be at have fitness rooms, so we'll see if I can squeeze in a few times on the treadmill while I am away.

Yesterday started out as a typical day- same breakfast & snack. At lunch I really wanted a sandwich from Subway, rather than a salad from Schnucks. So I ended up with the Roast Beef on wheat, no cheese, w/ lettuce, black olives, pickles and honey mustard. (5 pts.)

Then for dinner we were in a hurry, so we had McDonald's. I ordered 2 of the Grilled Chicken Ranch Snack packs (12 pts. total), then had 4 Miller Lites (8 pts. total). I ended up using 25 points yesterday! No activity.

I now have 2.5 points to use the rest of the weekend. I'll probably go over by about 10-15 points, however I am going to try to earn a couple activity points this morning, so that will help a little bit. :o)

I'll let you know how the rest of the weekend turns out and then Monday is my "weigh-in" day, so we'll see if any progress was made.

Breakfast:
Today I didn't have time to cook and eat, so I decided that I'd try the WW cereal that I bought for those days like today. One word- GROSS! But I manged to eat most of it since I didn't have time for anything else. Usually, I try to keep the WW Blueberry muffins on hand for these days, but didn't have any. So today at lunch time, I bought the WW English Muffins- thought I would give them a try next time I can't cook. :o)
3/4 cup WW Vanilla Wheat Puffs
w/ skim milk
1 banana

3 chocolate coffees

Snack: 94% fat-free microwave popcorn- mini bag

Lunch:
small salad tray from Schnucks
w/ carrots, green onions, turkey chunks, diced hard-boiled eggs, about 1 tbsp. of mozzarella cheese (forgot mine) and fat-free ranch dressing (1pt. for the cheese)
1 Campbell's Soup at Hand- Classic tomato

Dinner:
Salad w/ cucumbers, fat free shredded cheddar cheese, 1/3 grilled chicken breast cut into bite size pieces, fat-free ranch dressing

3 Miller Lites- (6 pts.)

Used 7 pts....now have 27.5 points left for the weekend
No activity today.

Another day...

By the end of the week, you'll all see that I am very repetitive in what I eat.... :o)

Anyway, I earned 1 activity point last night and I finally tried the Blue Bunny Health Smart- Fat free, Sugar Free fudge bar (I actually had the vanilla & fudge bar). It was pretty good, but the Skinny Cows are better. But hey, for 0 points it was worth it. :o)


TODAY-
Breakfast:

(the usual)
1/2 cup egg-substitute
fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
1 banana

3 -"chocolate coffees"

Snack:
1 mini bag Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop 94% fat free popcorn

Lunch:
(leftovers from the night before)
Whole wheat pasta
lean ground beef
Light Ragu Tomato & Basil pasta sauce (1pt.)
fat-free, sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding made with skim milk

Dinner:
(It was "GIY Night" at our house- Get it yourself night- everyone finds their own thing to eat...I'm not cooking...)
1/2 can of Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato soup made with skim milk
med. salad w/ fat-free shredded cheddar cheese, carrots, cucumbers and fat-free ranch dressing

Snack:
1 Blue Bunny Health Smart-fat free, sugar-free fudge bar (0 pts.)

Earned 1 activity point tonight. :o)

Between the points used and the points earned, I have 34.5 points left to use the rest of the week and the weekend. Not bad, however I am sure that I will use way more that the 34.5 points over the weekend, but we'll see. Easter Sunday isn't going to help...we are going to 2 different dinners, however one of them is at my sister's who will make sure that we have some core items on the menu. :o) At the other dinner (at Mike's dad's), there is no such thing as reduced fat anything in the cooking over there. LOL!

Oh, two of you mentioned that you were thinking of the Core plan, but thought it might be too restrictive....my sister switches plans from time to time. For example, when she is going to be traveling, eating out alot, etc. she switches to the Flex plan for a few weeks because it's easier for her to just figure points instead of being stuck with only core foods. Then she'll switch back to core and switch again when needed. Just a thought..... hope to see you all this weekend!

Today's menu-

Breakfast:
1/2 cup egg-substitute
fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
1 banana

3 "chocolate-coffees"

Snack:
1 mini bag Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 94% fat-free popcorn

Lunch:
small salad tray from Schnucks w/
iceberg lettuce
shredded carrots
diced hard-boiled eggs
cauliflower
green onions
fat-free mozzarella cheese
fat-free ranch dressing
Fat-free, sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding made w/ skim milk

Dinner:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
about 1/4-1/3 cup lean ground beef
1/2 cup (or less) Light Ragu Tomato & Basil sauce (1 pt.)
1/2 bun (Wonder whole grain white) (1.5 pts.)- that's what I had to make garlic bread
with :o)
1 tsp (or less) fat-free spreadable margarine
fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese

Last night I did earn 1 activity point for walking. Didn't try the new fudge bar yet, maybe tonight after I walk.

Some Diet coke, some water and 1 Crystal Light Sunrise-On the Go- Classic Orange added to my bottle water. 0 points (I like the Crystal Light stuff- makes the water not so boring...)


Used 2.5 points from my weekly allowance

Here's a helpful website-

http://www.dietfacts.com/

It has an expanded list of restaurants (more than what they have on WW) and different brands of food. It gives the nutritional facts of each item listed and then also gives you the "unofficial points" which is pretty accurate point value for the WW plan.

****

So on Saturday (3-31-07) I was cleaning up in my room, trying to get somethings organized, etc. and I ran across a bag in my closet. In the bag was top that I had bought last year. Didn't try it on when I bought it, it just looked like it should fit and it was on clearance for $4.00. Well, it didn't fit (much too tight) and for $4 bucks I wasn't taking it back cause some day I might fit into it. Anyway, I tried it on Saturday and it fit! The receipt was still in the bag, so I looked to see what date was on it....3-31-06. It was exactly 1 year since I bought it! Thought that was too funny. :o)

Breakfast:

1/2 cup Better'n'eggs (egg substitute- I just like them....)
some Fat-free shredded Cheddar cheese (didn't measure)
some lean diced/cubed ham (didn't measure)
1 banana
(FYI- this is pretty much my daily breakfast, but vary the fruit a bit sometimes)

Once I get to work- I have chocolate-coffee (1/2 coffee with 1/2 hot chocolate made from no-sugar added hot chocolate mix)- I usually have 2 or three. :o) Today I had 3.

Mid-morning snack:
1 apple (love the Chiquita snack packs!)

Lunch: (thank goodness for having a Schnucks near my work- it's great for those days when I didn't get to pack my lunch or didn't have anything to pack)

large tray from Schnucks salad bar with:
iceberg & romaine lettuce
shredded carrots
green onions
diced hard-boiled eggs
imitation crab meat
Fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese (brought my own from home)
Fat-free ranch salad dressing (from home)
1/3 cup serving of Chocolate Fudge pudding (instant- fat-free, sugar-free made
with skim milk- prepared at home....love this stuff & it helps me get my dairy)

Dinner:
1 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 baked potato w/fat-free spray margarine
veggies- snow peas, broccoli, squash & zucchini (cooked/stir-fried in a pan with a little bit of
of seasoning and some light olive-oil)

I bought the Blue Bunny- Health Smart fat-free, sugar free fudge bars today since they are 0 points. I may have one later. If so, I'll let you know if they are as good as the Skinny Cows. :o)

Somewhere in all of that, I've had about 4 Diet Cokes and some water. I don't do well drinking my required amount of water, but I'll work on it.

No additional points used today. :o)
Activity- None yet, but I am getting ready to walk on the treadmill before I get ready for bed (no time to do it in the mornings).

Well, here I am. Wasn't sure what to call my blog, so if you can think of something better let me know. :o) I actually started following the WW Core plan (for the most part) last fall on my own. My sister got me started with her books. (She joined January 2006 and has lost 70+ pounds!) It's been a slow process, but it's working for me. I don't want to feel restricted or feel like I am on a diet, so I call it healthier eating and trying to change my lifestyle in the way that I eat so that I can do this easily for the rest of my years. I don't really know what I exact "starting" weight was, I didn't weigh for several weeks after I started. I just wanted to see that clothes were getting looser. :o) I do recall weighing about 170 last summer. I've been weighing periodically now, so I'll try to do my weekly weigh in with you all. The last few months haven't been very productive as far as weight loss, just too many things going on, but I did manage to maintain without gaining. I also walk on my treadmill about an average 4-5 times a week.

My main goal is to try to do really well during the week, so that on the weekends I don't have to stress about eating the right or wrong things, enjoy a few beers, etc. I don't do well with counting the points, which is why I chose the Core plan. So, if I post a menu or recipe, it's most likely going to be calculated as core + whatever extra points there may be. So if you are following the Flex point (or whatever they call it) plan, then you'll have to fugure it out on your own. :o)

So today, I decided that I would actually quit being a cheap-ass and actually join WW Online (with everyone else) so I could get the online tools. So we'll see how that goes.

I can't promise that I will post every day, but I do believe that I'll keep up with this blog better than my regular one (on my other blog, I just don't have things to say...) Anyway.....

Today's weight= 144 (scale read 142.8, but I think it's off about a pound so we'll say 144). I haven't decided on my goal weight yet, but I am thinking that I'd need to loose another 20-25 pounds (remember, I'm not a tall person). I think I'll know what it is once I reach it. Chow for now....I'll try to post my menu later....