The Weigh In

My channel

Week Three

 


My plan of attack -


 Not sure what happened, but the blog didn't save sat or sun, but I stayed lower than 40 points each day. It said there was an error.
This week I noticed that my snacking was reduced. I also noticed that I'm drinking too much coffee, which is alarming because I just read how bad coffee (even without anything in it) is bad for dieters. Back to water and green tea, I think. I hope all that coffee doesn't affect my weight. Ugh. I'm nervous now. lol

 My plan of attack for the week is the same as last week. More stir fry. No coffee. Interval training on weekends. More vigilant counting of points. No going over.

Anyhow.
I worked my bottom off and I've decided that, since my reflection day comes before my weighin day, I should do my measurements. So below are my beginning measurements. The ones I took today anyhow.

First measurements   (Jan 30, 2012)        -- new measurements

Measure bust-                         48.5          -     

Measure under bust -              44            -            

Measure waist -                      42            -     

Measure hips -                        52            -     

Measure thigh -                       31           -     

Measure upper arm -              15.5        -     

Measure Waist to Hip Ratio - 80          -     

Measure Body Fat % -           47.2        -     

Measure Lean Body Mass -   135.2          -     

Measure Body Fat Mass -      120.8          -     

Most pushups (no stopping)  - 9

Most crunches (no stopping) - 30

 How I ate -

• Monday -

Protein powder - 3 points
Chocolate pudding - 2 points
Lean Cuisine Garlic chicken spring rolls - 5 points
Lean Cuisine Ginger garlic stir fry - 7 points
3 chicken nuggets - 3.5 points
1 wasa after workout snack - 3 points
Chicken asparagus fritatta -  3.5 points
Coffee - 0 points
1% milk - 0 points
1 pump mocha - 1 point
Double serving berry crumble - 10 points

----
points used so far - 38 points
Exercise - cardio ab workout 30 minutes - walk 30 minutes -  15 each bicep/tricep curls, 19 pushups, 15 seated rows with band - 15 each shoulder/back exercises with band

water - 41 oz

• Tuesday

Protein Powder - 3 points
Lean Cuisine Sesame stir fry with chicken- 7 points
1 slice bread - 1.5 points
1 tsp peanut butter - 1 point
1/4 tsp grape jelly - 0 points
4 nilla wafers - 1.5 points
1 cheese stick - 2 points
pizza - 9.5 points for 2 slices
Double serving Berry Crumble - 10 points
----
points used so far - 35.5 points

Exercise - 15 minutes DOTI cardio ab workout- Zumba 20 min express - 25 mins just dance - floor exercises
water - 45 oz

• Wednesday -

Protein powder - 3 points
Lean Cuisine Baja-style Chicken Quesadilla - 7 points
1 nilla wafer - .5 points
String bean chicken 6
Teriyaki chicken 5
Egg foo young - 7
Fortune cookies - 3
smart ones turtle - 4 points
----
points used so far - 35.5
Exercise - zumba basics 50 mins - zumba 20 minute express - Band leg work 30 each (inner & outer thighs, butt) - 30 crunches each (reg, twist, bicycle, oblique)

water - 35 oz

• Thursday -

Protein powder - 3 points
Lean Cuisine Chicken Ranch Club Flatbread Melt - 10 points
1/4 cup high fiber yogurt - 2 points
1/2 cheese stick - 1 point1
1 waffle - 3 points
1tbsp peanut butter - 3 points
1/2 tbsp grape jelly - 0point
2 yellow corn tortillas 2 points
1/6th pound 93% ground beef - 4 points
1/2 oz cheddar cheese - 2 points
1 tbsp ketsup - 0 points
27 cracker chips - 3 points
my coffee - 1 point
skinny cow ice cream sandwich - 3 points
----
points used so far - 37 points

Exercise -Zumba express 20 mins
water - 41 oz

• Friday -

5 chicken nuggets - 6 points
1 slice nuttygrain bread - 2 points
Lean Cuisine Tortilla crusted fish - 8 points
skinnycow-3points
Faux fried chicken and zucchini - 11
2 Scrumptiously surprising brownies - 6 points
----
points used so far - 36

Exercise - 55 min Zumba live -
water -68

• Saturday -

Chicken and Veggie Fritatta 3.5 points

 This makes a great light lunch or snack. You can use any veggies you like for this recipe, but I like artichoke stir fry. For a few extra points you can add 1/4 cup of cheese (just before you put it in the oven) and a medium avocado cut in slices (before you serve), but this isn't a super filling meal, so don't add too much. For fun, you might even try adding a laughing cow light cheese wedge (1 point), cut into chunks and sprinkled over the top before you put it in the oven.
Be sure to use an oven safe skillet.

4 servings - 3.5 points

3 egg whites - 3 points
2 eggs - 4 points
2 chicken breast tenderloins (cut in chunks) - 4 points
1 bag frozen veggies (thawed, drained, and patted dry with a paper towel) - 0 points
1 cup 1% milk - 3 points
Seasonings to your taste.

Turn on your broiler.
Cook tenderloins in a pan until they are cooked through and browned. Add veggies and let cook while you crack eggs and whites into bowl. Add milk and seasonings. I like to use red pepper, lemon pepper, or Italian seasonings, but you can use whatever flavors you like best. Pour egg mix over the top of the veggies and chicken. Use a rubber spatula to gently push cooked egg from the bottom of the pan as it firms. When most of the wetness has firmed into solid egg (kind of like an omelet) toss the whole pan in the oven.

Broil for 3-4 minutes until the top is browned. Cut in quarters and serve.

Low point alternatives

I've found some alternatives for high point foods.

Love Ranch dressing?
Hidden Valley Ranch dressing - 4 points per 1 oz (2 Tbsp)
Alternative - Fat free sour cream & hidden valley ranch dip and dressing packet - 1 point per 1 oz (2 Tbsp)

Love Peanut butter?
Skippy Peanut butter - 5 points for 2 Tbsp
Better n Peanut Butter - 2 points for 2 tbsp

Chocolate spread?
Chocolate peanut butter spread - 5 points for 2 Tbsp
Philadelphia Indulgence Milk Chocolate -3 points for 2 Tbsp

Potato chips?
Lays - 4 points for 15 chips
Special K Cracker Chips - 3 points for 27 crackers
or...
Kettle Bakes lightly salted potato chips - 1 point for 1/4 bag

Chocolate cookies?
Oreos - 5 points for 3 cookies
Chocolate goldfish crackers - 3 points for 37 crackers

Fiddle Faddle?
Fiddle Faddle - 4 points for 1/2 cup
Jolly Time Healthy Pop Carmel Apple popcorn- 1 points for 1 cup
or...
Jolly Time Healthy Pop kettle corn - 1 point for 1 cup

Ice cream?
Hagen Daas Chocolate ice cream - 7 points for 1/2 cup
Skinny Cow Low Fat Fudge Pop -3 points for 2 pops
In fact, most Skinny Cow deserts are 3 points

Hot dogs?
Ball Park Hot Dogs - 5 points for 1 
Hebrew National 97% fat free beef franks - 1 point for 1

Corn tortillas?
Gurerro corn tortillas - 3 points for 2 tortillas
Mission whit or yellow corn tortillas - 1 point per tortilla
 
Bread?
Orowheat Nuttygrain bread - 2 points per slice
Natures Own 9 grain wheat bread - 1 point per slice

I hope you've enjoyed my version of eat this not that. And I hope you were able to find a replacement for your favorite high point food.

Black bean casserole - 3 points

I love black beans. They're tasty, and 0 points. Who could complain about that. So I'm sure that over time, you'll notice that I use black beans a lot. Here's a great and super fast casserole you can pull together quickly for a fast and healthy dinner. You can pair with rice or serve larger servings, up to you. It's great on tortillas too. You could also top with light sour cream, fresh cilantro, avocado, etc... Just make sure you configure points for these extras.

4 servings 3 points per serving

1 can black beans - 0 points
1 tsp garlic - 0 points
1 tsp garlic - 0 points
1 tsp red pepper flakes - 0 points
2-3 grinds of pepper - 0 points
1 tsp lime juice - 0 points
1.5 cups water - 0 points
1 can diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro (drained) - 1 point
2 chicken tenderloins - 4 points
2 tbsp sliced olives - 1 point
6 fresh mushrooms (sliced) - 0 points
3 slices cheese - 6 points

Heat oven to 350.
Bring water to boil. Add chicken, 1 tsp garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper, and lime juice. While this is cooking (about 15 minutes until it's cooked through) put beans in small casserole dish. Mash with fork and stir to mix so you have an almost refried bean texture. Combine olives and mushrooms in a bowl with garlic and mix well. layer atop beans.
When chicken is done, cube it and place it atop the casserole, then cover with tomatoes and top with cheese.
Cook for 20-25 minutes.

High Fiber Yogurt - 4.5 points

Great breakfast. High in fiber and very high in protein.You might want to grind the seeds in a coffee grinder, if the texture of small seeds bothers you.
OOPS, I forgot to mention that if you use plain Greek yogurt, as I suggest below, you may want to add 1/4-1/2 cup of applesauce to sweeten the yogurt a little more.

4.5 points & 8.5 grams of fiber


8 oz Greek Yogurt plain nonfat - 3 points
1 tbsp golden flax seeds - 1.5 points
1/2 cup raspberries - 0 points
1/2 cup blueberries - 0 points

Crush a few berries in the bottom of your bowl. Add flax and yogurt. Mix well. Add the rest of the fruit.
Mix all well. Enjoy.

Sparkpeople VS Buddyslim VS Fitday VS Dailyburn

This is by no means a comprehensive review. Each of these sites had features that I didn't have time or interest in going into. This is an overview of the basic functions any dieter would use, and how easy it was to use it. I'm also only checking out free features. I don't believe in paying too much into the bazillion dollar weight loss industry. Each of these websites offers a basic food journal, activity journal, and some community support. 

Let's check them out...


Sparkpeople.com

I really like this one. It's colorful and easy to use, and even has videos on how to use each feature. I don't have patience enough to do that, so I noodled on my own. (Plus, I figured it would be a fair comparison this way.) Even on my own, I was easily able to find out how to enter weight, nutrition, and activity information. Above and beyond weight loss goals, they allow you to set personal and fitness goals. I chose to do a new workout video 1x per day and drink 64 oz water every day for 2 weeks. It has a progress tracker for these things. You can also track measurements.
You can have it configure everything for you from your nutritional needs to a full weekly meal plan including shopping list. It also allows you to customize your program by adding favorites, altering daily nutritional needs, and watching the nutritional values you want to watch. It also gives you reports on your progress. All in all, I really like this one and will keep using it.
There's a nice workout tracker in the sidebar so you can see how many hours you've worked for the week/month/year.
I did discover it gives pretty high allowance of fat, but I was able to customize it to a lower number. In the food journal, you can even choose from items other users have entered, which is super helpful because you don't always want to be entering everything you eat. You can also favorite the foods others have created by checking the add to favorites box when entering the food. There is no way to delete a food you have entered into the system, so if you screw up, too bad. You can remove it from you daily food journal though. Another small problem, you can't use piece or wedge or any of those measurements when entering an item. You have to use serving, cup, gram, etc as a unit of measurement.
Time from signup to entering food = 5 minutes (I had to fill out weight info.)


Buddyslim.com

I'd love to give an overview of this one, but unfortunately, it wouldn't let me authenticate my email address. Too bad. From checking out the tabs, it didn't seem super easy though.

Time from signup to entering food = From looking at the tabs and things, I could see where things were, but it looked like it would take some time to get started.

Fitday.com

This one was not as user friendly, or as colorful as Sparkpeople.com. It instantly asked me for weight info, so I didn't have to search for it, but I couldn't find other goals like measurements or non weight related goals. A short search of the tabs told me where to enter activity and food info.
The activity log keeps track of miles walked, which is nice if you're trying to meet a goal.
I did find extra nutritional goals, a nice pie chart, and other nutritional info beneath the food journal. It was also easier than Sparkpeople to decipher your calorie deficit.
The food journal doesn't allow you to use foods others have entered, so you have to enter your own, if your brand is not in the system. You can customize something already in the system though.
Ah, I did finally find that you can track your measurements here too. All in all, it works, but i wasn't as impressed with the look, features, or usability. Especially since some of the best features are only available to paying members.
Time from signup to entering food = 7 minutes


myfitnesspal.com

This one was pretty good as well. It had many of the features of the others. You can enter food, exercise, and goal, though you can only tell it how many lbs per week you want to lose, not what you want to weigh by a specific date. It does have a nice side widget with lbs lost and a widget at the top of your homepage with your daily calorie/exercise balance. Like with the others, you can add custom foods, and the database here is almost as good as the database for sparkpeople.com.
it doesn't have favorites, but in both the fitness and food logs, you can copy food from or to other days. So, if you eat roughly the same foods each day, this would save you time. I wasn't thrilled by the reports. You have very few options for reports generated. In fact, this website seems limited in all respects. In both ease of use and options available, it's a step up from fitday, but a definite step down from sparkpeople. 

Time from signup to entering food = 5 mins

So, as you can see, I by far prefer sparkpeople and will continue to log my food etc on that site. I hope this mini review is helpful to those of you who want to watch your nutrition.
And a not to sparkpeople.com It would be great if you could add a Weight Watchers Points Plus

The Weigh-in

Check out my channel.

Week Two

Daily points - I'm allowed 41 (reduced to 40 on Tuesday), but that's nuts, so I say 36 (now 35)

• Monday -

Went to the mall, so we ate Chinese for lunch

Protein shake - 3 points
30 fish crackers - 3 points
3 oz broccoli beef - 2 points
3 oz orange chicken - 6 points
1/2 eggroll - 1 point
3 oz teriyaki chicken - 4 points
1/4 th chocolate chip cookie - 1 point
coffee - 0 points
1/oz 2% milk - 0 points
1 pump mocha - 1 point
2 chicken tacos - 11 points
Market Pantry Chocolate Peanut Butter Nutritional Bars - 5 points
Smart Ones turtle - 5 points

----
points used so far - 42 points
Exercise - 30 min walk - 35 situps 12 pushups
water - 32 oz

• Tuesday

Yay, I don't get as many points anymore! lol That makes me happy because that means I'm almost at my first goal! Son woke early, sick, so I ate a bar. Plus, still on the time of the month, so it's my chocolate. Made a dumb mistake which put me over. I kept snacking on these onion crisp things because I'm craving sweet and salty, and I forgot to mark a number of times I ate them ugh. So I'm adding the points for yesterday (putting me over my points :( for the day)
2.5 protein bar - 13 points
1 protein shake - 3 points
Lean Cuisine Chicken Club sandwich -  9 points
5 chicken nuggets - 6 points
Sweet and savory stir fry - 4 points
Onion strings - 7 point
1 slice wheat bread - 2 points
1/4 tsp peanut butter - 1 point
1/4 tsp jelly - 0 points

----
points used so far - 45 points

Exercise - dance 40 minutes 15 pushups 50 situps

water - 64 oz

• Wednesday -

I've forgotten to drink my shake early two days in a row now. I've got to work on drinking it right away so I won't snack on the kids breakfast and other things when I'm making it.
1/4 cup chex-1 point
1/4 cup 1% milk - 1 point
1 protein shake - 3 points
onion strings - 7 points
1/4 pack ramen  - 3 points
35 cheez-its duo - 5 points
LC Chicken club sandwich - 9 points
Smart ones chocolate chip cookie dough - 4 points
trail mix - 8 points (stupid period!)
----
points used so far - 42 points (within my daily and exercise, but still. Argh, stupid period.)
Exercise - dance 5 songs - crunch cardio dance - 40 squats 40 waist twists

water - 40

• Thursday -

I have to be more careful when calculating my points. I find myself adding points for the previous day. I'll be more careful in the future, because I'm screwing this weeks losses up by not paying enough attention between my sick kids and my time of the month. I've also got to take my points calculator when I go shopping. ugh.
protein shake - 3 points
35 cheezits - 5 points
1 wasa cracker - 1 point
2 oz turkey - 1 point
1 thin slice cheddar cheese -  3 points
Lean Cuisine Chicken Carbonara - 7 points
Sugar free pudding cup - 2 points
Reuben casserole - 8 points
3/4 slice wheat bread - 1 point
1 tbsp peanut butter - 2 points
1/4 tsp grape jelly - 0 points
Smart ones Chocolate chip -  4 points
----
points used so far - 37 points

Exercise - zumba cadio party 20 mins (trial video) dance 22 minutes - 17 pushups - 70 situps - 8 reverse situps/lifts - 70 leg lifts per leg- 25 inner thigh lifts per leg

water - 64 oz

• Friday -

protein shake - 3 points
5 Chicken nuggets - 6 points
2 wasa cracker - 2 point
4 oz turkey - 2 point
2 wedge laughing cow light herb - 2 point
1 smear mustard - 0 points
1 fruit strip - 0 points
1/2 cup yogurt - 2 points
2 strawberries - 0 points
1 tbsp flax seed - 1 points
Lean Cuisine Chicken with basil cream sauce - 6 points
1 1/2 chicken black bean tacos - 8 points
SO Peanut butter cup sundae - 4 points

----
points used so far - 36

Exercise - Cardio dance blast 44 minutes - palates stomach exercises  9 minutes - Just dance 30 mins - 18 push ups - 30 situps - 70 leg lifts/side - 50 inner thigh lifts/side
water - 74 oz

• Saturday -

protein shake - 3 points
1/3 peanut butter protein bar - 2 points
10 Elki Water Crackers - 4 points
Laughing Cow Sun dried tomato and basil - 1 point
1 chicken nugget - 1 point
2 slices Nuttygrain bread - 4 points
2 oz turkey - 1 point
mustard - 0 points
30 goldfish crackers- 2 points
2 small coffees - 0 points
1 oz 2% milk -  0 points
2 pump mocha - 2 point
1/2 black bean casserole - 6 points
1 piece cheese - 2 points
Corn Chex - 0 points
1/2 slice bread - 1 point
peanut butter - 0 points
grape jelly - 0 points
Berry crumble - 5 points
whipped cream - 1 point
----
points used so far - 35 points

Exercise - DOTI - 15 min express for 20 mins (backed up the dvd for one more routine)- 20 minutes just dance - 20 Pushups - 30 Chest Press with Band - 30 Biceps Curls with Band - 30 Bent Over Rows with Band - 30 Low Mount Reverse Flys with Band - 30 Low Mount Seated Rows with Band - 30 Triceps Rows with Band
 water -36 oz

• Sunday -

I let myself have more points today because I worked out so hard. Have to keep that metabolism running.
protein shake - 3 points
1/3 peanut butter protein bar - 2 point
10 peanut butter pretzels - 4 points (That's right, the PB Pretzels struck again!)
30 Goldfish crackers - 2 points
taco bell chicken burrito fresco style - 9 points
1/4 bean burrito - 2.5 points
2 chicken nuggets - 2 points
1 wasa cracker - 1 point
1 smear stone ground mustard - 0 points
Laughing Cow - 1 point
2 oz Turkey - 1 point
Cup O' Lasagna - 8 points
SO Turtle - 4 points
----
points used so far - 39.5 points
Exercise - crunch cardio dance 44 min - interval training (treadmill) 50 minutes - 90 situps, 30 reverse situps, 2 sets modified plank and 19 pushups - gym work - lateral pull downs, triceps curls, and sitting rows.
water - 72 oz


This week I discovered a number of things. I snack on the kids food when I'm hungry. I got a number of snacks for myself at the store, in the hopes of stopping this habit. I've started challenging myself to at least one really tough exercise day per month. I'll be posting my results here on the page called latest workout challenge.
Hopefully all my hard work will pay off this month, and my cravings won't tank my progress. Wish me luck.

To weigh or not to weigh, that is the question

I wondered, when I started this diet, if I should weigh every day. I quickly realized that, for me, weekly weigh ins are better.
The proof came a few days ago (the day after weigh in) when I snuck onto the scale to see if I'd met my 10lb goal. I'd gained weight, and I started scouring my food logs and thinking of changes I should make, but then I realized... My time of the month had just started. The weight gain was from that.
I decided then that I would only weigh once a week. No matter how much I'd like to crack into a goal reward, I'm just going to have to wait. Then I can look forward to an honest number and adjust things accordingly. Plus, it takes away that horrible daily yoyo feel of bouncing between yay, I lost and oh no, I gained.
The only real problem I have with it is, it's so hard to wait a week... Is it Tuesday yet? ;)
What do you do? Weigh once a day, week, month?

Great website for those on a diet as well as those on WW

Sorry this post is showing up late in the day, but I've been super busy today.
Check out http://www.foodfacts.com.
It offers complete nutritional facts, health scores, and WW point values for thousands of brand specific products. I use it a lot, and I've double checked the numbers several times and they always match. I'd suggest checking it out if you aren't sure about an item you want to purchase or a product you've eaten. It's also great for planning meals.

Just ordered Zumba!

I'm super excited about this. I just ordered the zumba body transformation set, and it seems like a heck of a workout. I tried a sample on the internet, and I enjoyed the workout, which felt more like dancing, and I really felt it too. 10 minutes in and I was in my target zone. I couldn't quite keep up with everything, and I'm no stranger to exercise, so it may not be super easy for beginners, but it's perfect for me. I have room to grow, but I can keep up with only a little moderation.
I'll try to post an in depth review of zumba when I get it and workout more. For now, I just wanted to say YAY.

It should get her on the 25th or so. I can't wait.

Chicken and black bean tacos - 9 points plus

 I love tacos, and this is a fabulously easy and delicious recipe that can be made in about 15 minutes. For the black bean and corn mix, I use a frozen bean and corn mix with onions and peppers "Southwest-Inspired Corn & Black Bean seasoned vegetable blend" from Archer farm. It's a great fast choice for southwest tacos.

9 points per recipe

2 corn tortillas - 4 points
1 frozen chicken tenderloin - 2 points
1/2 cup black bean and corn mix -2 points
1 tbsp light sour cream - 1 point
1 tbsp green enchilada sauce - 0 points
lettuce - 0 points
1/4 avocado (sliced) - 0 points
1 tsp chopped garlic - 0 points
2 tbsp water - 0 points

Pace frozen tenderloin in pan with water and garlic. grill for a few minutes until chicken starts turning white. Turn the chicken and cook for another minute, then add black bean mix. Cook until warm.
Remove pan from heat. Warm tortillas over the heat until pliable.
Spread sour cream and enchilada sauce over tortillas. Top with chicken and bean mix, lettuce, and avocado.

Note: You could use canned black beans, corn, onions, and red peppers along with a bit of oregano and cilantro to approximate the frozen black bean mix. I think zucchini would be a great alternative for this meal.

Sweet and savory stirfry - 4 points

This is a super stir fry with an interesting flavor. Good for when your bored with other stir fry flavors. The cinnamon and ginger really combine to create an interesting sauce.

4 servings - 4 points per serving

4 frozen chicken medallions -8 points
1 bag frozen Asian veggies - 5 points (I like carrots)
1/2 can pineapples - 0 points
5 mushrooms (sliced) - 0 points

sauce
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce - 0 points (watch the carbs or you have to add a point)
4 tbsp pineapple juice - 0 points
1 tsp chopped garlic - 0 points
1/2 tsp crushed ginger - 0 points
2 shakes of cinnamon - 0 points

Put frozen medallions in wok with water. Let cook until white around edges while putting together the sauce.
Combine soy and juice, add garlic and ginger. Stir. Then add cinnamon and stir well.
When the chicken is white around the outside, drain water and add 1/4 sauce. Flip chicken and cook in sauce until browned. Then add veggies and 1/4 more of the sauce. Let cook while you chop the pineapple and mushrooms into chunks. When the frozen veggies are mostly thawed, add the mushrooms, pineapples, (and sauce to taste).

Cook until mushrooms start to soften. You can serve this over rice, toss in some cooked angel hair pasta with the mushrooms, or eat it by itself.

Also, I'm sure you'll notice I cook straight from frozen. That's because I'm too busy and not attentive enough to thaw. you can, of course, alter any of my recipes to use fresh/thawed food.

Berry crumble - 5 points plus

 19 points - 4 servings = 5 points per serving

4 cups Frozen or fresh berries - 0 points 
1/2 cup flour - 6 points
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (not packed) - 7 points
2 tbsp butter - 6 points




Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Defrost berries, if frozen. Place in casserole dish or something similar. In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and soft butter with a fork until crumbly. Toss crumbles evenly over the top of the berries.
Cook for 35-40 minutes or until top is brown.
This is delicious alone, but you could serve with FF cool whip. Just be sure to calculate the points for it. This is also great for non-dieters.

Week one

• My week in eating

Daily points - I'm allowed 41, but that's nuts, so I say 36

• Monday -

Protein shake - 2 points
1/2 cup cheerios - 1.5 points
1/4 cup 1% milk - 1 point
Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Pizza - 9 points
15 Peanut butter Pretzels, the bane of my existence - 6 points
Cheese bread soup - 7 points
Lean Cuisine Chicken Club sandwich - 9 points
----
points used so far - 35.5
Exercise - 30 min walk
water - ?

• Tuesday-

Busy day. Ate late, so I snacked a lot.
Protein drink - 2 points
3 cheez-its - 0.5 points
15 pb pretzels - 6 points :-(
1/2 slice wheat bread - 1 point
1/4 tsp peanut butter - 0 pts
1/4 tsp grape jelly - 0 points
LEAN CUISINE Thai Style Chicken - 7 points
2 baked chicken nuggets - 2 points
1/4 tsp ketchup - 0 points
5 chicken baked wings - 5 points
Tamale Casserole - 7.5 points
Bavarian berries and cream - 4 points
----
points used so far - 35 points
Exercise - 20 minute walk & 10 pushups/situps
water - ?

• Wednesday -

Daughter woke me early, so I got hungry early. I think I was confusing sleepiness with hunger throughout the day too.
Lean Cuisine spinach and artichoke dip - 5 points
Protein Drink - 2 points
15 Peanut Butter pretzels - 6 points (so far. Ugh. I gotta tell my hubby he can't buy these things anymore.)
Lean Cuisine Chicken Parmesan - 8 points
Cheese bread - 6 points
Sauerkraut - 0 points
Polish sausage - 6 points
pb&J - 6 points
peaches and whipped cream - 1 point

----
points used so far -40 points (still within my 41 daily points)
Exercise - 30 minute walk, pushing double stroller w/ 1 minute uphill climb
water - ?

• Thursday -

5 year Anniversary - dinner might be big and unaccounted for because we're going to a local place that caught our eye. Might be a nutritional menu, but hubby and I always share anyhow.
2 chicken nuggets - 2.5 points
Protein drink - 2 points
Lean Cuisine Roasted Honey Chicken - 7 points
4 slices of Naan -  16 points
1/4 cup Choela - ?
1/4 cup shyakpa - ?
1 tablespoon chocolate peanutbutter ice cream - 1 point
Hot chocolate - 4 points
FF Whipped Cream - 0 points
Baileys Irish Cream - 2 points
1 sip red wine - 0 points

----
points used so far - 34.5 + some for the soup and chicken vege stuff we got, but I can't find the points.

Exercise - 5 mins walking in place 2 mins running in place, waist twists, pushups, situps, just dance - 5 songs

water - 60 oz so far

• Friday -

Protein Powder - 2 points
3/4 waffle - 1.5 points
1/2 tsp peanut butter - 1 point
1/4 tsp grape jelly - 0 points
2/3 Lean Cuisine Thai egg rolls - 3.5 points
1/2 Lean Cuisine Thai style noodles with chicken -  4 points
5 Chicken Nuggets - 6 points
1/3 can tuna - 1 point
Salad - 4 points
onion bits - 1 point
Cheese bread soup - 7 points
Pastry pie - 5 points


----
points used so far - 36 points

Exercise - Just dance 40 mins - yoga 10 mins
water - 32 oz

• Saturday -

1/4 bagel - 2 points
1 tbsp cream cheese - 1.5 points
1/2 turkey burger 13 points (this is an assumption because I was at a meeting at a restaurant.)
Lean Cuisine Swedish meatballs - 7 points
1/4 tortilla - 1 point
1/4 tsp butter - 1 point
1/4 oz cheese - 1 point
1 chunk chicken -  1 point
Thai style chicken egg rolls.- 5 points
1/2 Smart Ones Turtle desert - 2.5 points

----
points used so far - 35 points

Exercise - walk 10 minutes walk 10 minutes pushing double stroller, walk 10 minutes holding 30lb baby. 10 Pushups & 30 situps

water -46 oz

• Sunday -

Protein drink - 2 points
12 fish crackers - 1 point
Lean Cuisine BBQ chicken quesadilla - 7 points
1 slice deli turkey breast - 0 points
5 chicken nuggets - 6 points
Lean Cuisine Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls - 5 points
Failed bell pepper meatball sub recipe (yuck) - 7 points
1/2 slice wheat bread - 1 point
1 tsp peanut butter - 1 point
Berrie crumble - 5 points
1/8th english muffin (all wheat) - 1 point
2 tsp jelly - 1 point

----
points used so far - 37 points (Still lower than my actual 41 points)

Exercise - walk 30 mins - Just Dance 5 songs - 10 pushups, 15 situps

water - 32 oz

• What I learned

This is a work in progress and I'm serious about it, so each week I will evaluate what's working and what's not and i will adjust accordingly. Hopefully that will keep me from getting discouraged and giving up. 

I've discovered, from my diet log, that I need to drink my protein when I first wake, then eat on a regular schedule. I'm going to try 4 x a day this week. I've also come to the conclusion that I need to work out more. I'm going to interval train at least once a week, and I'm a writer so, since I sit at the computer and work a good portion of the day, I'm going to see what types of workouts I can do while I sit and type. Maybe one of those foot pedal things, but since I type with the keyboard on my lap, that might not work. We'll see.

I'm going to start eating lots of stir fry with veges and chicken and see how that works with my numbers. I'm keeping up with the protein drink in the morning, and I'm dialing back the fruit deserts a bit.

I want to start drinking green tea, because I heard it helps with metabolism. I also need to focus on drinking more water. I've added a water log to my weekly food journal. I'm considering adding sugar/protein columns too. We'll see how this week goes.

All in all, this week was productive and I'm happy with the weight I lost, but not as good as I think it might have been.
Wish me luck on another week of dieting.

The importance of looking good

I really feel it's important, if you're serious about losing weight, to feel good about yourself. The better you feel about yourself, the better you'll want to feel, and the harder you'll work to feel that way. So here's what I'm doing to feel good about myself.

1. I got a haircut. (I'm also trying new styles that I hope will help me look and feel younger and thinner.)
2. I'm wearing makeup all the time. And not just every day hohum makeup. I'm watching youtube tutorials by makeup artists (and bored 15 year olds lol) to learn newer and prettier ways to wear my makeup.
3. I got new and very pretty underwear. You'd be surprised what a difference something like that can make in how you feel about your body.
4. I'm dressing nice. Ever day, whether I'm going out or not. 
5. I've refused to let myself look at the snacks my 1y/o and 3y/o eat as if I'm suffering by not eating them. Instead, I'm taking pride in my willpower, which helps me to have more willpower.
6. I refuse to kick myself when I eat something I shouldn't. That's the very behavior that kept me heavy after I had my daughter. 

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to make yourself look and feel pretty while you diet.

Oh, and this is also a great way to feel better about yourself when you go shopping for clothes. Do your hair, wear nice makeup, and wear your nicest underwear. You'll feel much better about yourself.

Bavarian Berries and Cream - 2 points

I have to have a dessert now and then, and this one is a good dessert for when you want something fancy.

8 servings - 2 points per serving

Ingredients
1 Bavarian Sponge Cake - 16 points
1 bag mixed frozen fruits - 0 points
1 banana - 0 points
1 cup fat free pudding - 0 points 
4 Tsp fat free whipped cream - 1 point

Thaw frozen fruit in microwave or refrigerator. Brush fruit juice on cake to moisten. (You can use a liquor, but this will add points.) Cover with pudding. Cut banana into slices. place banana slices around the outside of the cake. Fill center with berries. Cut into 8 slices. Scoop whipped cream on each of the 8 slices and serve.

To get fancier, you could cut the sponge cake in half and fill with more fruit, then use a frosting tube to spread the whipped cream in prettier ways. I'm a bit simpler, so...

Reuben Casserole - 6 Points Plus

I love reuben sandwiches, but with all that fattening cheese and sauce, plus butter, they aren't worth the points. So I came up with a low points version of the recipe. This is a really simple and quick dinner.

serves 4 - 6 points plus per serving

Ingredients
6 slices of corned beef (cut into strips) - 6 points plus
1 jar of sauerkraut (drained) - 0 points
4 slices rye (cut into chunks) -- though I use sourdough - 8 points (might be more. check your brand)
2 tbsp thousand island - 3 points
1 tsp mustard - 0 points
1 tsp relish - 0 points
1/2 cup swiss cheese (though any white cheese works, and some are lower in points) 6 points


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix mustard, relish, and thousand island in casserole dish. Add corn beef strips and mix thoroughly, so corned beef is mostly coated and covers the bottom of the dish. Spread jar of sauerkraut over the top, then top with bread cubes and finally the cheese. 

Cook for 15 minutes until bread is brown and cheese is melted.

Sheppards Pie (Cottage pie) - 5 points per serving

Another recipe I really love is Shepard's Pie (Cottage pie). Here's a healthy(er) alternative.

Serves 6 - 5 points per serving.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped - 6 points
Head of cauliflower, chopped - 0 points
1/4 1% milk - 1 point
2 tbsp fat free sour cream - 0 points
1 lb 95% lean ground beef  - 20 points

1 tsp garlic - 0 points
1/4 cup chopped onion - 0 points
3 cups frozen vegi mix (I use carrot and pea mix, but you could use 0 point vegis to save points) 2 points
1 tsp soy sauce -0 points
2 tsp red wine  - 0 points
2 tsp ketchup - 0 points
2 tsp flour - 0 points
1 cup fat free beef broth - 0 points
Salt and pepper - 0 points






Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in a large pot until fork tender, usually about 9 minutes. Drain well. Put milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper (to taste) in blender with cauliflower and potatoes. Blend to mashed potato consistancy.
While potatoes are boiling, saute onion and garlic until they begin to brown then add the ground beef. When brown, drain, then add soy sauce, red wine and ketchup, along with frozen vegis. (if  you use fresh vegis, be sure to saute them a bit, then cook the beef.)
When everything is soft and smells cooked, put it into a pie tin and cover with potato mixture.
Cook for 16-20 minutes until bubbling.You might broil a minute or two at the end to brown the top, if you'd like. Or add a bit of cheese if you want to be extravagant. Just be sure to add the points.

Stuffed Mushroom Caps - 1 Point

I love stuffed mushrooms, but it's hard to find a delicious mushroom cap for so few points. Here's what I've come up with. If you want to drop a to 0 points, you can use spray instead of oil and omit the cheese, but I find the flavor suffers.

3 caps per serving = 1 point per serving

12 large mushrooms - 0 points
1 bag fresh spinach (coarse chopped) - 0 points
1 tsp olive oil - 1.5
1 tbsp garlic (or to taste) - 0 points
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan - 3 points
(salt and pepper to taste)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray cookie sheet with pam. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Place the caps on the cookie sheet and chop the stems. Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic with stems until garlic just starts to turn brown. Add the spinach, salt, pepper and turn once or twice until spinach starts to wilt. Toss with cheese until mixed well, then stuff into mushroom caps. Cook for 12-15 minutes.

Tamales in casserole form - 5 points per serving

I love tamales, but they take a lot of work and you have to have special equipment which, when you have a 5'x 3' kitchen, isn't really possible to store. This is my easy peesy alternative.

30 points total
5 points per serving.

1 cup Maseca    12 points
1 tbsp olive oil    4 points
1-2 cups Fat free, low sodium chicken broth 1-2 points
1 chicken breast (skin and fat removed) - 6 points
1/2 cup jack cheese (shredded) - 6 points
2 cans of green chiles - 0 points
Misc zero point vegis at your discretion - 0 points
Salsa verde - 0 points






Bring broth to boil in a narrow saucepan. Add chicken and boil for 20 minutes or so until chicken is white in color and breaks up with a fork.

While chicken is boiling, thaw any frozen vegis (I like Mexican mixes with zucchini, but you can choose your own) and coarse chop them then stick them in a bowl. Drain chiles and add chiles to vegis. Mix well.

When chicken is cooked, take it out of the broth and let the broth cool while you shred the chicken with two forks and add it to the vegi mix and stir thoroughly. Measure Maseca into glass casserole dish and mix in broth and olive oil until it makes a paste consistency. Spread it around the bottom of the dish so you have a thin (1/4 - 1/2 inch depending on the size of your dish) masa base. Pour enough salsa verde to cover the masa completely. It's important to keep the masa moist so you get a tamale texture. Top with vegi mix, then cheese.

Cover with foil to hold the moisture, and cook for 30-40 minutes until the masa takes on a spongy look.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into 6 slices and serve. If you want a heartier meal with thicker masa, you can use a smaller dish and cut it into 4 pieces for a 7.5 point meal.

Cheese Bread Soup - 7 Points

This is one of my favorite fast and light meals. The picture shows both the tear and the cookie cutter method of inserting the bread.

7 points per serving


1-2 servings
Ingredients
2         cans Progresso Pot Roast light soup           8 points
1         slice Market Pantry sour dough bread         3 points
1/4      cup Market Pantry 5 cheese Italian blend     3 points

Turn on your broiler.
Use ramekin (almost like a cookie cutter) to punch out a perfect size in the bread. or you could rip the bread into chunks and separate into two piles. Place bread on cookie sheet and broil until it's barely brown, but watch out, it will burn quickly so check it often. While it's broiling, pour soup into Ramekins and microwave for 1 minute or so to warm. Place the ramekins on the baking sheet and put the bread on top, toasted side down. Then cover each with cheese and broil until the cheese is melted. This will only take a minute or two, so be ready.

The tray will be hot, so you may want to use a table protector for hot foods while you eat.
The picture shows both the cookie cutter method and the tearing method.

Welcome to my blog

I gained a lot of weight over the last three years, with the help of two kids and some fenugreek--which mildly increases breast milk production, but also makes you gain up to 4lbs a week. (And the nurses don't tell you this.) :$
I intend to get back to my pre-wedding weight of 200 lbs. Then I might try to get to my goal weight of 175lbs, but with my height and frame size I've never been below 185 in my adult life, so that might be tough.

I'll be taking this journey, with the help of Weight Watchers Points Plus system. I don't do meetings, and my husband isn't willing to let me pay for the online stuff until we've recovered from Christmas, so in the beginning I will be using daily allowance and online points calculators and some really great advice I've found online.

Online support and information can be very helpful, if used with logic and taken with a grain of salt.

Using the daily allowance calculator, I discovered that there is a floor for the points system, which is 29 points. I also discovered that I should lower my daily points by 1 point every 10 lbs. My initial points should be 41, but I'm giving myself 36 because it will keep me on track. When I think I don't have any points left, I will really have five left. Though the free fruits and vegis helps with that too.

I'll be posting my weight once a month, updates once a week, and my favorite recipes when I come up with them (including the Plus value.) I'll probably blog every once in a while about how I'm feeling or what I've been doing.

Thanks for visiting, and feel free to tell me what you have learned about WW while searching the internet or going to meetings. Or just say hi.