False number perhaps...

Pin It So as I mentioned in my last post, there is no WW this week because the centre is closed.  Today I decided that I would weigh in on the Wii instead of skipping WI altogether.  According to the Wii, I am down 5.8lbs!  Now, I know the Wii tends to be pretty consistent, but I have to remember that I am comparing it to my Weight Watchers weigh in - I have no idea how it runs in relation to WW (hopefully it's bang on!)  Sooo, all that being said, next week may show a gain, mainly due to the difference in WI scales...next week I will post my true loss compared to last week's official WW weight.

I was so surpised yesterday morning when I opened (eventually!) a new GARMIN NUVI GPS!!  Yay!  I am so excited!  It was one of the few things I had on my "list" this year and my wonderful family went in on it and gave it to me!  I never really thought I would get one since they are NOT cheap :-)  So, SM - maybe a road trip to YOW is in order next summer?!  I also treated myself with extra vacation time this year.  Last year our firm, in an efford to save $, offered employees the option to purchase additional vacation time.  The great thing about it is that they allow you to "pay" for them over a series of pay cheques.  Last year it was 11 pays and I bought 5 days - this year, they are offering it over 17 pays!  I decided that since I was planning my trip to the UK in September (where I plan to use all of my 3 weeks), that I would treat myself to TWO weeks!  Realistically, it makes very little difference on my pay after the difference in taxes...so now I won't have to wait almost a whole year for vacation!  Last summer I took a road trip to NY (via Mass. to visit my cousins) and got to spend my vacation enjoying the company of the Brown family - this year, especially with my Garmin Nuvi, I may try for Ottawa :-)

Well, I'm off to make my lists - hoping to have people over for NY Eve and am having the whole family over to my apartment on Jan 2 for Christmas "take 2" when D&B and the girls return from Ontario.

Sorry for rambling on today!

Happy Boxing Day!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Pin It I started using Dean and Bren's Wii Fit (house-sitting for them) on Monday night and again last night.  So far I like it.  I did so well in the Hula Hoop game that I unlocked the advanced Hula game (will try maybe tonight).  My plan is to do at least 10 mins on the Wii Fit each night/day that I'm there (til Jan 1) and see how much of a difference the exercise really does make in my W.I. numbers - there is no W.I. this week as the WW locations are closed Friday and Saturday - I would have gone tomorrow, but they are only open until 11 and I am technically scheduled to work til 5 (although I think we're closing at noon!).  To weigh in today (Wednesday) is just too early since I just did so on Saturday.  The good thing is, WW does not charge you for a missed meeting this week as they were closed :-)  So my next W.I. will be Jan 2nd...stay tuned!

Tomorrow night I am heading to Cole Harbour to visit with Mom and Dad and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with them.  Mom's sister (Paula) may come for lunch if she doesn't get called into work (she works at the hospital).  Christmas night I'm back to D&B's place where I will vacation until they return on Jan 1 - I don't go back to work until Jan 4.  It's nice to have all those days off and only have to take TWO vacation days!  Our office is only open Dec 29/30 :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Woohoo!

Pin It Finally did it!  20.6lbs gone for good - I've worked hard to lose them and hope never to find them again!  This message will be short - I am typing with freshly manicured nails (fingers and toes...well, typing with my fingers, not toes!) and am waiting for them to be dry enough to get dressed for my work Christmas party...On my way in the door from my grooming appt, I was walking so carefully and I turned the wrong way and have wrenched my left shoulder/upper back...should be interesting trying to climb into my Spanx with wet nails and a should/back injury!! 

The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl

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I have just finished reading The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid (aka Dietgirl) - a girl who decided at 351lbs it was time to make a change and, slowly but surely, she did. 

Never in my life have I read anything that better described how I feel.  I won't bore you with details, but lets just say I highly recommend this book for anyone with any kind of body image issues and/or issues with losing weight/getting healthy/exercising, etc.  WARNING - this book contains some language that is a tad colourful, but quite honestly, nothing any worse than what you might hear on the bus or at work. If you can get past the occasional swear word and find the real feelings in this book, it is well worth the read. 

I give it a 10/10 rating and for a non-fiction book (at least for me), that's fantastic.  This book reads like a typical fiction novel, but is entirely true!  I am now off to explore Shauna's website and see what other treasures I can find.

Product Review - Blue Menu chicken strips

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The reviews are in and these are a 9 out of 10 in my books!  Nice crunchy coating over white meat chicken...definitely worth a trip to the Superstore for these.  Next time will try them with the PC Thai Chili dipping sauce (used honey mustard today since that's all I had).  Side dishes with these tonight were curry roasted potatoes (I put WAY too much curry on them...oops!) and green beans...yummy!

You wouldn't worry so much about what other people thought if you realised how seldom they do.

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This program really works!

Pin It Well, I'm "this" close to another milestone at WW.  Today I lost 2.2lbs for a grand total of 19.8lbs (SO CLOSE!)  I am absolutely thrilled to have lost anything this week especially after my trip to NL last week (where I confess, I did eat chicken wings...twice!) 

I keep promising myself that I will start (again) exercising.  I did go to the gym once last week...and that was it.  I just can't seem to find a good time to go...My latest plan was to go after work and take the last bus home...this week that wasn't an option since I worked past the last bus and/or didn't even get a lunch break most days this week...today I am doing a deep clean of my apartment, so I'm counting that as "exercise" for today, but I really do need to get serious about this.  I also need to get back on the cooking "wagon" - as much as I love boneless chicken breasts...I cannot go another week of eating them almost every day!!!  I am "on call" this weekend for work, but at least I am home, so I can cook/clean until I get the call to work...and then I'm working right here from my desk in my cleaning clothes...who will know?!  I did set some boundaries with work though - not available until after 12 noon today (still no call, yay!) and not until after 3pm tomorrow...let's hope they don't call at all :-)

Well, my 10 minutes for my disinfectant spray on the counters is likely up now, so time to go wipe 'em down...the floor in the kitchen will be next...I hate floors...

Off the Rock...and the wagon...somewhat

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OK, I have to admit it - I counted points on Thursday...most of Friday and then Friday night the wings came out again and the points went out the window...I'm sure I have had worse eating weekends, but this one wasn't in my top 10 best ones, that's for sure!  Back on the wagon tomorrow morning and 100% on program from now until WI day on Saturday morning.

Here are some pics from the trip:

 

Tales from the Rock

Pin It I arrived in St. John's around 11:30 last night and was met by my wonderful friend and her hubby at the airport.  We took the long way around to get to their condo so we could take a little tour of the city (as much as we could see at night!) then arrived at their place and we chatted til after 1am!  Man it was hard to get up for work this morning.  Arrived at the office around 8:30am and couldn't get connected to the internet for the first hour...once I was online though...I hit the ground running...never stopped until it was time for me to go to lunch - and if I hadn't already committed to going to WW, I'd likely have worked right through.

Today's food did NOT start out good.  For breakfast I had a large tims coffee (with milk) and a mini aerobar.  I brought an apple with me to work, but where I was weighing in, I didn't want something heavy in me (usually I weigh in Sat morning BEFORE I eat).  For lunch I had a McDonalds Spicy Thai Chicken Salad (the grilled chicken one) - only SIX points for the salad AND the dressing!  SO impressed with this salad, it was awesome!

Now for the news I am SURE you have all been waiting for (yeah right!), I am down 2lbs this week - not bad since I only weighed in 5 days ago!

Well, off to do some more work, but just wanted to keep you posted on progress.

Product review - Vitamuffins!

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OK, one word...YUMMO!!!  I give these a 25 out of 10 they are so good.  The best part is, at 100 calories and 7 grams of fibre, they are only ONE point each!!  The chocolate ones are hard to find - found these at superstore in the Organic freezer section. Sobeys only had the blueberry bran or cranberry ones though...too bad about that 'cause they're $1.00 cheaper at Sobeys.  Superstore sells them for $4.99 (or was it $4.49?) per box...either way, over $1 per muffin :-(  BUT if you need that chocolate fix...totally worth it!  They are also available to order online.

From what I understand, they have muffin mixes too, but I have not seen them around here.  Ontario may have them as their Canadian distribution centre is in Toronto...

Doing my skinny dance!

Pin It Which would be great if a) I were skinny...and b) I could dance! ;-)  All jokes aside, today was a great day.  Down 2 lbs at WW (see my little flower and lady bug ticker above for my total as well as my first BIG goal (which I'd like to reach before going to the UK in September).  It is by no means my final goal, but it's a HUGE chunk of it!  I left WW and to went to my hairdressers for a trim "up the neck" (anyone with an inverted bob may know what I'm talking about) before my trip to NL this week...I know I'll need somethign to keep my neck warm, but I figure it's more fashionable (or "Fashion" as Kamryn says) to use a scarf!  Then I went to Penningtons/Additone-Elle and spent WAY too much money...but got some great deals!  Then to Frenchy's where I got sweaters for the kids to wear in the Christmas play at Metro, then the used bookstore...where I got books for a certain someone (won't name names in case he's reading this!) for Christmas.  Then home, cooked soup and my Adobe Chicken Stew, parade of lights, babysat the kids and now I'm home...basically been on the go since 9:30 this morning :-) 

Oh, I forgot to explain my title of today's blog!  I brought my usual sizes into the dressing room with me today and low and behold...several of them were TOO BIG!  This is also after spending all day yesterday hauling up my undies AND my dress pants at work (not a pretty sight, don't try to picture it!)  Anywho, that's all I have to write for now.  Will post recipe and photos tomorrow from today's cook-a-thon.

Nighty night...

Mindless eating

Pin It Ok, it became apparent to me tonight that I am a mindless eater.  I guess deep down I've always known it, but tonight it became truly obvious. 

I was sitting at my computer with my allotted 2 nibs (the long ones, not the tiny ones)...I ate one...I ate the 2nd one...and the next thing that approached my lips...was a PEN!  I almost ate my pen!  I think my new goal should be to pay attention to WHAT I am eating...no, I don't necessarily mean fat, calories or sugar...I mean - AM I EATING FOOD??!! 

Well, you know what they say - if you can't laugh at yourself...lol

One more full day before weigh in day...meant to cook tonight, but ended up eating leftovers instead.  Recipes for tomorrow are Adobe Chicken Stew and some recipe with turkey kielbasa and lentils...can't recall the name of it...

Chipotle & Honey Glazed Pork Roast

Pin It This is tonight's recipe (compliments of Recipezaar.com)...check back later for pictures!

Tanya

Chipotle & Honey Glazed Pork Recipe #49161

Easy, quick, and subtly spice, this one's a winner for weekday dinners, or even for company. Nice any time of the year with salads or fresh corn in the warm months, and with winter squash and spinach during cold months. Adapted from epicurious.com,

by Lizzie-Babette

30 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 6 (6 points per serving)

• 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (1/4 cup total)
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 lbs 2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloins
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Purée chipotles in adobo with garlic and honey in a blender until you have a smooth glaze.
3. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and allspice, rubbing the mixture into the meat.
4. Put pork on a foil-lined baking sheet and spread with the glaze to coat well.
5. Roast the pork in the middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer registers 155°F, about 20 minutes.
6. Let pork stand 5 minutes on a cutting board before cutting into thin slices.

OK, I forgot to take pictures, so am including a picture from the recipe website.  But it was GREAT!  SPICY hot, but great.  Maybe next time I'll cut it down to two peppers from three.

White chocolate, oreos and peppermint...oh my!

Pin It Just had a visitor from a hotel chain in PEI come to visit...and as always, these people bring gifts...often they bring samples of their hotel's special brand of shampoo, soap or lotion that they supply for their guests...sometimes a little trinket...but Islanders tend to do stuff a little differently (and better) than the rest of the world...they brought me their own special "bark"...white chocolate, crushed oreos and peppermint...OH MY! A nice big bag of it too. I took it straight into George's office and said HELP ME - you HAVE to take it away from me!! And he did. Few! That was close! I have to say - chocolate (don't care what colour), oreos and mint...THREE OF MY FAV things in the whole world! But i just knew that 1) counting the points would be tough and 2) I would not be able to stop at just one piece...the whole bag would have been gone!!!

One more "hotel" visit left to come...the Delta is next (must be the season for sales calls)...thankfully they usually bring soap!

Egg white omelets ARE good!

Pin It My first attempt at an egg white omelet!

Egg-White Omelet With Vegetable-Cheddar Filling - 2 points total!  7 including WW toast with REAL margarine!

Cooking Time: 4 to 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

You Will Need
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed, thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded low fatcheddar cheese (0.5 ounces)
Vegetable cooking spray

What to Do
1. Whisk egg whites, water, dill (if using), salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Toss spinach, tomato, and cheddar together in a small bowl.

2. Lightly coat an omelet pan or small skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat 1 minute. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until eggs begin to set on bottom.

3. Spread filling over half of omelet, leaving a 1/2-inch border and reserving 1 tablespoon mixture for garnish. Lift up omelet at edge nearest handle and fold in half, slightly off-center, so filling peeks out. Cook 2 minutes. Slide omelet onto a serving plate and garnish with reserved filling.

Serves: 1

Per serving: Calories 110, fat 0.5 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 3 mg, sodium 906 mg, carbohydrate 8 g, fiber 1 g, protein 18 g. 

I also added one large mushroom, chopped small.  Afterall, what's spinach without mushrooms in an omelet!  And it added no points...I can't believe this BIG omelet was only 2 points!

Down down down...

Pin It Down again!  Lost 1.8lbs today...total lost to date is 13.6 - hopefully next week I will hit the 15lb mark and get another 5lb star!


Went to Dave's Fruit & Vegetable stand over in Dartmouth today after I picked up Mom and Dad from the airport.  I got 4 bags of veggies (also included a PC Blue Menu turkey breast with gravy, sliced ham [thick slice for supper] and a large package of sliced roasted turkey breast for sandwiches) all for under $40!  At Sobeys that would probably well over $50!



For lunch I had a healthy clubhouse sandwich ( 2pc whole wheat bread, 1 oz reduced fat cheese, 3 slices roast turkey breast, 3 slices tomatoes, 1 tbsp miracle whip light, 3 slices pre-cooked bacon, handful of baby spinach)...all for 9 points!

Tonight I had the *turkey, mashed sweet potatoes and snow peas & carrots (picture below)...entire meal (INCLUDING the 2 tsp of omega oil on the veggies...2 tsp/day of oil is HIGHLY recommended for successful weightloss...otherwise I'd have had these veggies dry!) was 10.5 points...and I could not finish it all!!

* update on the turkey...I would say it was OK...maybe a 6.5/10.  Had the taste of that water-processed chicken that you get sometimes in the frozen section...I likely won't buy it again, but am glad I tried it.  I always wonder about those frozen roasts...now I know!  The M&Ms stuffed turkey breast is MUCH better (I'd give that one a 10!)

At my WI today, I also bought a new cookbook...they are half price for the month of November!  So far, some great looking recipes!

I owe, I owe, it's off to shop I go...

Pin It I use the excuse "it was for a good cause"...after a yummy roast beef dinner (Thanks Tina!!), Tina and I went shopping to fill our Samaritan's Purse shoe boxes (nothing like leaving them until the last minute...they're due Sunday!)  We hit the dollar store, Miracles and Canadian Tire...I did spend money on myself at Canadian Tire, but I'm told it was justified (Shark Iron on HALF price!  $39.99!)  Now I think I will sit in front of my DVR (well the TV too) and watch a bit of the boob tube and pack my shoe box.  Tomorrow is WI day, AND Mom and Dad come home from their trip...now if I can only remember to pick them up...must set reminder in my cell phone...hopefully I will hear the alarm!

Won't be checking in until late tomorrow as I will take Mom and Dad home and then they'll likely want me to visit for a bit.

Catch ya on the flip flop!

Look out Rock, here I come!

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Well, I've been talking with my friend Tanya in Newfoundland about going over to visit her for a while and today I finally booked my ticket.  Porter Airlines had a seat sale on - $59 each way!  Plus, all of my EY senior peeps will either be in St. John's at the same time or on vacation.  My plan is to fly over on a Wednesday night and work from the St. John's office on Thurs and Fri - this way I'll get to spend a few evenings, plus the whole weekend with Tanya and her hubby, Ed.  I'm so looking forward to this trip!  I miss talking to her every day (she used to work in our St. John's office) and I know we'll have a great time.  Our plan for my first full night there (Thursday) is, of course, to watch Grey's Anatomy!  She's my G.A. pal :-)

So...this is my first trip to The Rock...and I really want to try Chess' Fish & Chips...must check out the point value...I'll be working out 24-7 the week before I go to build up my activity points (to add to my 35 flex points!)  I am going to TRY and make it to a WW meeting while I'm there (BEFORE I eat the fish and chips I hope!)

One more full day before weigh in...a bit nervous this week as I went to a small group potluck last night...I was well within my points (not my daily points, but rather my daily remaining, plus my flex points) and I still have about 7 flex points remaining for the week...I've NEVER used this many of them before!  The most I think I've used is 10...this week I have used 28!!  Yikes!  Well, they do say that some people NEED to eat their flex points to lose weight...Please Lord, let me be one of those people...at least this week!!

"See" you Saturday afternoon!

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.”

Pin It I think today was the best WW meeting I've ever been to in my life. No, it wasn't due to a large loss (although I did lose 1.6lbs for a total of 11.8lbs lost since Oct 2). Today's meeting was about staying motivated. I normally go to these meetings with (I admit) a bit of a chip on my shoulder - I tend to think that other people (other than the leader) speak too much and don't let the leader have her turn...after all, that's what she's there for...isn't it? Today I had an "aha" moment...most of the 30 minute meeting was spent with the leader talking to those of us in the meeting about what motivates us...two girls were there who had just started coming to the meetings a couple weeks ago...they had both been doing WW online for quite a while and one of them had lost 120lbs!! The other had lost right around 100lbs. They are both bloggers and have blogged their WW journey online (once I check out their blogs for myself, I'll post links here). They met in one of the WW message boards online and have become friends and inspirations to each other over the past few years. I had a chance to chat with them for a few minutes after the meeting and am awed by their determination and attitude. One of them started her journey as a type 2 diabetic and was on cholesterol meds - she is now only on the cholesterol meds (she's been told by her Dr that it's not weight-related, but rather hereditary). This week, these two young girls (couldn't be more than 24 or 25 maybe...) will be my inspiration, while my motivation is to get "healthy". I've always claimed to be healthy - I'm not on any meds, don't have any health problems (beyond allergies to dust, cats and strawberries!) and rarely get sick...but I've come to realize that I'm NOT healthy...I am high risk for diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. On a more vain note, my other goal is to go on my trip to England next September and not have to worry...will the seat belt fit? Will I have to be embarrassed and ask for an extender for the seat belt?

Signing off...no great recipes planned for the week, but...who knows! Let's see where the week takes me :-)

Soup, soup, everywhere is soup!

Pin It Ok, I made two soups this week - Taco Soup and Stuffed Pepper Soup. Both of which are low in points and high in satisfaction (and on top of that, freeze amazingly well!)...also, if you can fry ground beef, chop a pepper and open some cans, you can make these soups - SO easy!

Taco Soup

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 9

Ingredients

12 oz cooked ground beef, 5-7% fat, scramble fried, drained and rinsed

1 packageTaco Seasoning Mix

1 serving(s) Ranch Dressing Mix
19 oz (each) canned black beans, kidney beans, romano beans (any combo will work - just make sure you have 3 cans of SOME kind of bean...not GREEN or BAKED!)
28 oz canned tomatoes(that's the really big one)
19 oz canned tomatoes with flavors (petite cuts with diff. flavs are good)

1 med size can of corn
1 1/2 item(s) bell pepper(s), red and/or green, chopped (usually I don't add these, but I had them in the house, so what the heck!)

1 clove(s) garlic clove(s)

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Once beef is cooked, add all other ingredients (DO NOT drain any of the canned items) and simmer until cooked (15 mins or so) or put in slow cooker.


Stuffed Pepper Soup
4-7 Points per serving ( Depending on meat used)

2 pounds extra lean ground beef -- or ground turkey (I recently made it with only 3/4lb of ground beef and it was great)
3 cups green peppers -- cut in 1" pieces (or mixed peppers)
28 ounces tomato sauce (I use the Hunts spicy spaghetti sauce)
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)

Brown ground meat--drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil--lower heat and simmer 15 minutes or until peppers are tender, stirring occasionally.
Makes 10 servings.

NOTE: Use extra lean ground beef, 92%fat, 8%lean ground beef, or ground turkey, nutritional information follows
NOTES :
Per serving (extra lean ground beef): 7 points
Per serving (92% lean, 8%fat ground beef): 4 points
Per serving (ground turkey): 5 points

Milestone

Pin It I finally hit the 10lb mark! Lost a total of 2 lbs today, to bring my total weight lost in 4 weeks to 10.2lbs - wahoo! I would have been sorely disappointed if I'd not hit that 10lb marker this week!

well, off to put away my groceries that should be made of GOLD for the price I paid for them! Making Taco Soup this week and possibly also a batch of stuffed pepper soup - red and green peppers were on sale this week and I already have the hamburger cooked and in the freezer - likely enough for both recipes...it'll be a week of soup! Good think I love soup!

Tom Yum Soup

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Tom Yum Soup

4 Tbsp Tom Yum soup paste
6 cups water
3/4 carton chicken broth
1lb chicken breasts - chopped (raw)
2 cups slided mushrooms
lemongrass
lime leaves - 3
thai chilis - 3 (whole)
ginger (fresh) - about the size of your thumb to the first joint
galangal (I'll have to find spelling of this) - same size as ginger


Boil water and broth. Add paste, lemongrass, ginger, galangal and stir until paste is disolved. Add chicken, mushrooms, lime leaves (whole), and chlis. Cook until chicken is cooked. Remove lemon grass stalk, lime leaves and chilis (unless you WANT to bite into one!) and serve.

Now after I made this and ate it (and loved it!), I realized I was missing a few things that Bianca told me should go in - fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice (fresh)...but I don't think I missed them! Next time I will add them to see if they add any more flavour.

Not lost

Pin It Nope, didn't get lost at Sobeys...got home around 2 and decided to make my Tom Yum soup right away...let me just say this...YUMM-O! I didn't add all of the spiciness that it called for (cut it back by about 1/4), but next time (um, maybe next weekend) I'll add the full shot. Pot made 5 servings at 4 points each - I could have added more mushrooms and broth to make it go further and cut down on the points - maybe next time.

My loss this week was 1.4lbs. Not what I had hoped for, but I'm averaging 2.7lbs per week so far, so I guess, by WW standards, I can't complain...my biggest issue is I'm watching The Biggest Loser where these people are losing upwards of 15lbs in a week! Now mind you - they have personal trainers for 6-8hours per day...and no outside temptations (other than the challenges)...

Nope, it's not time yet...

Pin It Have not gone to WW yet...just sat down and planned my menu for the week - going to sobeys after WW...here is the menu (no particular order, just meal ideas for each meal of the day):

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal (packet) with apple
Cheerios
Egg white/bacon/tomato omelet
Apple pancakes
PB and Banana sandwich on toast
Yogurt with berries
BLT

Lunches:
Tom Yum Soup
Frozen WW dinner
leftover stirfry
Turkey/Ham sandwich
leftover corn chowder
BLT
Asian Brown rice

Suppers:
Tom Yum soup
Stirfry (chicken)
Shrimp (garlic with tomatoes...maybe over brown rice)
Fish of some sort - likely tilapia or salmon
Chicken x 2 (BBQ enough for 2 meals)
Corn chowder

Off to shower and head to WW....hopefully by the time I return from the grocery store, my obnoxiously loud neighbours will have finished moving out...I am PRAYING that's what is going on up there...otherwise I'm gonna go up and knock some heads together!

Post three!

Pin It I did it! Three posts this week! Figured I'd better post tonight as my week officially starts tomorrow and I'm running out of time! The only other exercise I did this week was a walk over to the mall this afternoon for one of my bosses - only 15 mins, but more than I'd have gotten sitting at my desk! Today, veggie eating is not going so well...only had the fruit/veggies in my frozen dinner (spinach and mangos) and mashed potatoes at supper time...it's 8:30...I have from now til bed to have 3 more servings! and that's just to reach my minimum requirement!!

Weigh in day tomorrow...stay tuned!

Negligence

Pin It Ok, so I've been a bit negligent in writing...here is how I've done on my goals for the week so far:

My goals this week:

• 2 x 30 minutes of intentional exercise - so far, once- just got back from a 5.5k walk with Linda
• Blog x 3 - this is blog 2
• Try one new recipe - no new recipe, but have successfully planned my first "eating out" experience since re-joining WW - Tina and I are going to Swiss Chalet tomorrow night...I'm having everything I'd normally have except for the fries and I STILL will have points leftover! Can't wait to sink my teeth into that chicken :-)
• eat MORE than the 5 servings of fruit/veggies per day

• Saturday - 6
• Sunday - 8
• Monday - 5
• Tuesday - 6.5
• Wednesday - 5
• Thursday - 6 (maybe 7 if I eat this apple I've been carting around all day!)

Down again!

Pin It -2.2 this week for a total of 6.8. Was hoping for more, but considering I did little to actually MOVE my chubba around (ie, exercise), it's not bad. I stuck to the program like glue and intend to do the same this week, but will make more of an effort to do some intentional exercise. Stopped at Farmer Clem's and Pete's after WW today and got mostly veggies - a new squash to try (not sure what it's called, but it is white and green striped...), a new kind of apple (something gold...not my usual Jona gold, something else...) and some other stuff...Also picked up some veggie chips from Pete's - surely not "good for you", but better than regular potato chips I'm sure!

My goals this week:
2 x 30 minutes of intentional exercise (cleaning the tub doesn't count)
Blog x 3
Try one new recipe
eat MORE than the 5 servings of fruit/veggies per day

Down!

Pin It
Today I am down 4.6lbs! That's all I have to say. The week went well, even after having ladies' night last night, I stayed on program! I am about to sit down with my new cookbook (I have to replace my eating habbit with something...turns out it's gonna be buying cookbooks...again!) and plan my week. I'm also going to make a crust-less pumpkin pie for thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

WW Recipes

Pin It Asian Chicken-and-Rice Soup
2 cups water
1/4 cup quick-cooking brown rice (I used the Uncle Bens Perfection)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 8oz package cremini mushrooms (sobeys didn't have these, so I used regular white)
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
1 carrot shredded
3 scallions
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil

Combine water and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the broth and mushrooms and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender (10 mins).

Add spinach, chicken, carrot, scallions, soy sauce and ginger. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, 8 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and serve at once.

Filling Extra: double the amount of carrots and scallions in the recipe, without increasing points.

2 points/serving
serves 4

Raspberry-Oatmeal Muffins with Orange Glaze
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fat free vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
t Tbsp grated orange zest
1 cup fresh or UNTHAWED frozen raspberries

Glaze
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, spray liners with cooking spray.

Whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until blended. Gently fold in frozen or fresh raspberries.

Spoon batter into the cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. About 20 mins. Immediately remove muffins from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.

To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over muffins with a spoon (make sure muffins are cooled). Let glaze set for 10 minutes.

1 muffin = 3 points

Day two

Pin It

Today was better than yesterday...yesterday I was starving by 5pm, today, not so much! I had a more filling breakfast, which I think made the difference. Here is what I have had so far:

Morning

medium banana(s)

1 cup(s) low-fat milk

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins with Orange Glaze

1 cup(s) black coffee

2 tbsp whole milk

Lunch

1 serving(s) Rolled gold pretzel thins (1 oz)

1 small apple(s)

Chicken spaghetti squash spaghetti

Supper

4 oz pink salmon fillet (see photo - I know, it looks like an eggroll)

1 1/3 serving(s) Asian Chicken-and-Rice Soup (see photo)

16 oz low-fat milk

Snacks

1 cup(s) Honey Nut Cheerios

1 cup(s) low-fat milk

Have not had the cheerios yet - those were my anticipated snack for the evening...but even after I have them, I still have almost 6 points left! That's like TWO cans of REAL coke!! I may splurge...and have one...too bad it's after 9pm...do I really need to sleep tonight?? :-)

Day one

Pin It Day one has not been too bad. A bit hungry this afternoon, but it's not that I can't have enough food, I just need to plan better.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal Raspberry muffin with orange glaze
1 cup 1% milk
coffee with 1/8 cup milk






Lunch:
Knorr Yellow Soup
6 ritz crackers
2 slices bodywise multi-grain bread with 2 tsp margarine (man is this bread thin!!)
100 calorie vachon cake

Snack:
1 cup grapes
100 calorie pack of sun chips
coffee with 1/8 cup milk

Supper:
2 cups milk
chicken spaghetti squash spaghetti:

• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 4 oz chicken
• 1/4 diced green pepper
  

Snack:
1 oz rolled gold pretzel sticks

The deed is done

Pin It Originally my plan was to keep this to myself for a while - keep the pressure off a bit, try going it in stealth mode...but alas, I cannot keep it to myself. It's far too difficult to keep these things quiet when we live in such a social world that revolves around these things..."what is it?" you may be asking...I've finally broken down and joined Weight Watchers. Yes folks, I am a repeat offender. They really should lock me up and throw away the key. My hope and prayer is that this time I will stick with it. During my trip to the UK last year, I really felt like my "chubba" as my friend Ann calls it, held me back. I'm finally ready to get rid of my "wobbly bits" as another friend calls it (you know who you are!). Doing this in silence would really just be setting myself up for disaster...how easy is it to fall off a wagon that nobody even knows you're on...if they don't know you're on it, how can they kick you back on?!

Officially I joined on Thursday evening - Thursday was the day I finally decided to do it and, as it so happened, there was a special on for new (or new again) members where you get one month free (yay!). The catch was that the special ended today (Saturday) and Thursday's meeting was the ONLY one that would work for me this week. Because my schedule was a bit hectic between Thurs and today, I decided that my regular meeting day (and weigh in day) will be Saturdays, beginning next Saturday (three meeting options available Saturdays!), so tonight I went grocery shopping and tomorrow my plan to conquer the wobbly bits begins.

I have one beef with grocery shopping (well, more than one...but this is today's beef)...WHO in the world ever said that it was cheaper to eat healthy??? I spent over $100 at the grocery store tonight (picture below - in addition to this stuff, I have a few frozen items in the freezer)!!!! Thankfully I had a Sobeys airmiles gift certificate to cover part of it. The sad part is, I picked up a few groceries on Wednesday night too! Man oh man... I do have to admit that part of this grocery order contains stuff that will last a long time (fish sauce, sesame oil, cumin, chili garlic sauce, etc.). Some of these were kind of costly, but I do have several recipes that use them, so it should work out in the end. Now I know there are going to be those of you who will argue the "real" cost of eating cheap processed foods...that's not what I'm talking about. I live in Canada where I have "free" healthcare and I have a great health plan at work (which I pay my share of, regardless of whether I eat healthy food or junk food). I'm talking actual dollars out of my pocket cost :-)

I am going to try to be good about posting my food journal on here, as well as any new recipes I try (yes, I bought another WW cookbook to add to my collection!) I will also post my results on Saturdays to keep you posted.