Fruit, glorious fruit

Pin It For those of you who know me well, you know that fruit is not one of my favorite foods.  I'm a banana/apple kinda girl and even the apples don't thrill me unless they're the "good" apples (or in a pie or something).  I used to love strawberries (in fact, still do), but developed an allergy to them in my 20s so can no longer eat them :-(  I am more of a veggie person - oh, and a chocolate person, mustn't forget the chocolate.  Well, last night I tried a different kind of smoothie (I'm a smoothie newbie of sorts).  I'd been making them with OJ and fruit, but it KILLS me to spend 3 points+ on juice.  Last night I decided I was going to use a cup of skim milk instead of the OJ and see how it went.  It was delish!!  So this morning for breakfast I had my usual oatmeal, 2 tsp PB and 2/3 banana (4 points+) and then I made another smoothie - 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup frozen raspberries, 1 cup frozen mango and 1/3 banana, bit of splenda and some no-sugar added syrup (both zero points+) and some vanilla.  YUM!!  My whole breakfast was only 6 points+!  AND...I've achieved my fruit/veggie quota for the day.  All in one meal.  I know I'll have more veg later in the day, but I thought it was kind of funny that it's not even 9am and I've had 5 fruit servings today...could make for an interesting day...we'll see!

We've broken up

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My scale and I, that is.  This morning, as I do every morning (and then some), I got on the scale when I got up.  My scales have been fairly close to the WW scales lately, so I was devastated to see I had GAINED over a pound and a half since last week!  I was nearly in tears in the shower - what did I do wrong?  Did I have too much sodium?  I know I started free weights recently, but come on, I'm not body building!  I nearly didn't go to WW.  I weighed myself again after I was almost ready to go.  Same number.  I got dressed...and had lost 0.4 pounds.  This is when I made a resolution.  If I was down at WW, then my scale and I were breaking up.  That's final.  He clearly doesn't love me anymore and obviously is just toying with emotions.  He's just not reliable anymore. He never calls, never writes...oops, sorry, got carried away.  So I go to WW and am DOWN 1.4 lbs!  I am SO over him (my scale) and I am going to bury him in the depths of my storage closet (I can't throw it out - my mother raised me not to throw away perfectly good things...is it still perfectly good?) and I'm going to write him out of my life for good.  So folks, it's official.  We're through.

On another note, I picked up my LaTortilla Factory large tortillas today at Pete's Frootique.  They are only 2 Points+ each!  Yay!!  It could be a tortilla pizza night for me (thanks to Cheryl, I have turkey pepperoni again!).  I also picked up a Pete's salad...oh my, so yummy...and with the dressing and my added protein when I got home, only about 6 Points+ for a huge salad. 

Individual Ham, Cheese and Veggie Frittatas

Pin It A friend of mine found this recipe on the Weight Watchers site.  It looked awesome to me!  Of course, as always, I decided to tailor it to my needs/preferences/product on hand :-)  The link to the recipe is for the original recipe.  Changes I made were:  Egg Creations (6 servings) instead of real eggs; 6 servings vs 8 (used my large muffin tins) and orange pepper instead of red (wild and crazy, I know!).  My friend mentioned that she thought the person who came up with the recipe may have used shredded hashbrowns.  Unfortunately, we can't get the shredded ones here in Canada, so I used the small cubed hashbrowns. 

Here are some pics:

Pre-cooked

Fresh out of the oven



On my plate with my veggies

My thoughts on the recipe:
The smell when they were cooking reminded me of that smell when you get McDonald's breakfast at the drive-through (that's a good thing in my mind!).  The recipe was VERY easy and quick to make.  I think next time I will use fewer hashbrowns as the egg mixture didn't really soak into them and they were a bit dry.  I may also spritz the hashbrowns with olive oil so they brown up a bit.  I may also try it with real eggs vs the Egg Creations I used.  The recipe is definitely a keeper, but I think it just needs some tweaking.  I'll make the 6 servings again, but will add a bit more spice, maybe some more milk and, like I said, I'll ease up a bit on the hashbrowns.  Another 4.5/5!

On the exercise front, I did 5 K (3.something miles) today in 49 minutes on the treadmill.  I think that's a record for me (staying on the treadmill that long!).  I used the treadmill with the personal trainer and the fancy schmancy screen on it.  It was kinda fun.  I did the run in stints - 2 mins, 2 mins, 90 seconds, 90 seconds.  The other day I did 2.5 minutes, but couldn't get there tonight.  By the end of it, my hips were screaming at me.  Not that I can't do 5 K - done it many, many times - usually do more when I walk outside, but it's the longest I've ever run AND I dont' normally go that long on the treadmill (I get bored easily) and I think that's what's killing my hips.  Also...I surpassed my fitness minutes goal for January!  I had aimed for 600 minutes and I'm at 679 and January isn't even over!  Maybe I'll aim for 1,000 in February...ambitious for a short month!

100 Pounds of Lessons

Pin It An amazing post by an inspiring blog author. I hope to follow in Emmie's footsteps in the next few weeks! Check out her blog here: 100 Pounds of Lessons

It's a salad...it's a stir fry...it's...

Pin It Super supper!  Last night I was in a great rush when I got home.  I had 50 minutes to do a 30 min workout (wii yoga), make supper and get out the door...bringing my supper with me.  I started by stir frying some veggies (peppers, mushrooms, corn, red onion) and chicken in 2 tsp of olive oil and lots of spices.  I thought I'd just have that.  Then I got the idea to make a salad.  Then I decided to throw them together!  I used a bit of Blue Menu California Dressing on last night's supper and it was DELISH!  I decided to have almost the same thing tonight, but had Blue Menu Lemon Poppy seed Dressing instead of the California dressing.  It was almost as good as last night's, but not quite.  Last night's was out of this world.  I did put a tad too much Chipotle Chili Powder in it...that's not to say I'll back off next time (other than I'm almost out and I need a trip to the US to get more...half the price in the US!!).

Here are some pics of my super supper / stir fry/salad:

I blame it on my bra

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So I really, really did plan to go to the gym right after work tonight (since I was WAY too sore last night to go...likely due to the almost 2 hours I spent there on Sunday, plus my uphill workout on Monday).  I had my gym gear with me, even had an extra pair of sneakers in the office. Just in case.  5:00 comes and I head to the ladies room to change into my gear (if I don't change before I leave the office, it's just so much easier to turn left out of the elevators and go home than to turn right to go to the gym).  I get in the stall and am so pleased with myself.  Look at me, going to the gym for the third time this week!  I take off my work shirt.  I take out my gym shirt.  I look at my bra.  I look at my pale pink gym shirt.  I'm wearing a black bra.  Now there are lots of things I will wear - a BLACK BRA under a pale pink t-shirt is NOT one of those things.  *sigh* I really did have good intentions, I promise you!  So, alas, I got my work shirt back on, put on my boots and headed for the bus...home. 

Now I will tell you that I did do some Wii-ing - last night AND tonight.  Last night I did about 16 minutes of Wii Yoga and tonight I did 24.  I still have a charley horse in my left leg from last night's yoga, but I persevered! 

Tomorrow is another day.  I am going to go put a WHITE bra in my gym bag NOW...white bra under dark t-shirt=OK.  Black bra under white t-shirt...not OK!  I'm usually so careful...

My Story

Pin It I think I may have mentioned a while back that a friend of mine suggested that when I come to the end of this journey, I write my story for the Weight Watchers magazine.  I have been giving it some serious thought and I think I will do that.  I'm wondering, have any of you written your story for a magazine, newspaper, blog (other than your own!)?

I'm not quite sure how to begin.  I have written some notes down and have lots of material here on my blog (obviously!), but I'm more of a blogger than an article writer...suggestions?

I don't think you all realize

Pin It what an inspiration you are to me.  This post is an other ode to my support system.  I am blessed to have such an amazing support system at home (well, with my family...I live alone, but my dust bunnies do support me!), at work, at church, in my circle of friends and online (which includes these people and SO many more).  I've had a few people ask me lately if I'm getting close to my goal weight.  God love them, I wish I were!  According to WW, I still need to lose just over 40 pounds more to get to the top of my range...we'll see.  But still, the fact that anyone even THINKS I'm close to my goal weight THRILLS me more than anyone will ever know.  I have never been this close to being "normal weight" in my adult life (and most of my teen years too!)  I had someone else tell me today that they're going to call me skinny from now on.  I told her I'd take it!  I know I'm not skinny (yet!) but it makes me feel good to hear it all the same ;-)

People tell me that my story/blog is an inspiration to them and for that I am so thankful.  That is the reason that I write this blog.  Hopefully somebody will be inspired by me like I have been inspired by so many others.  I firmly believe that I am to "pay it forward" in my journey.  So many of you have been there for me over these past (nearly) 16 months and it has made SUCH a difference in my journey (I hate that word, but have yet to decide another one that fits!).    So, if even one person is inspired by reading my story, then this blog was worth it.  There are so many wonderful bloggers out there with amazing/inspiring blogs (some very entertaining...you know who you are!) and I feel honoured that you have stopped by my little piece of cyberspace/blogland to read.

THANK YOU!  YOU make a difference  in my life.  I hope I never take your support & encouragement for granted - I could not have come this far without you :-)

Cheesy Baked Barley

Pin It Another recipe review!

Click here: Cheesy Baked Barley to see the recipe.  I had tasted this before (someone made it for Mom when she had her stroke).  I made a few changes to the original recipe.  It called for zucchini, which I did not have in my house, and red peppers (again, had none).  So I used orange pepper and green pepper and I also added some celery and a tin of mushrooms (celery and mushrooms are not listed in the recipe).  The original recipe also said this made two servings...I cannot IMAGINE eating half of this recipe on my own!  Wowsers, holy barley Batman!  I figured out the Points+ using 4 servings @ 4 Points+ each.  Tonight I had it with some leftover chicken and a few more mushrooms.  Yummy :-)  Another 5 in my books, especially given the "staying power" of barley!

before baking (I cooked it in individual containers for ease of freezing)

all done!

Tuna - it's not just for tuna melts anymore!

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Today I tried a recipe from a non-healthy-food website (shocking!!).  I tried one from the Campbell's Food website called Greek Tuna Broccoli Bake.  I thought it sounded good and when I calculated the points it worked out to 9 Points+ per serving - BUT that serving would be a complete meal.  A 9 Point+ meal isn't that bad in my books! 

pre-baking photo

post-baked photo (that's browning on the top from the broiling, not olives...yuck)

it in my bowl (yes, you need a bowl for this I think)

Overall it was great!  The brown rice doesn't absorb the liquid very well, but I never do find that brown rice gets light and fluffy like white rice does.  The brown rice in this recipe had a chewy texture with a slight bit of crunch.  But it wasn't a bad crunch.  I kinda liked it.  I may pre-cook the rice next time and see how it goes.  4.5/5 is my rating on this one.  

High fibre onions?

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Tonight I made Hungry Girl's Lord of the Onion Rings 2.0 recipe.  They were fairly easy to make, although a tad messy.  I think I should have cut the onions a bit thicker and I may have overcooked them a bit.  Overall, they were very good.  I would give them a 4/5 on my rating scale.  I suppose I could have given them a 5/5 but 1) I am not a HUGE onion ring person and 2) they were a bit dry (possibly due to the overcooking).  For the spices, I added onion and garlic powders plus chipotle chili powder.  I'm curious about other recipes that use Fibre 1 (in the US it's spelled Fiber One...the reversing of the r and e I can see...but wonder why the 1 to one?) cereal.  I now have a whole box of it to use and NO, I will not be eating it as "regular cereal"!  I'm OK with bran cereal IN things, but not alone...way too soggy...and I don't like it in yogurt either.  Suggestions anyone?

I realized as I was downloading the photos of supper tonight that I had forgotten to post photos of my Stuffed Pepper Soup I made last weekend!  Basically it's my Barley Stuffed Pepper recipe, but I chopped the peppers (5), added some chicken broth and water and left out the cheese.  I got 9 bowls of soup out of it and they were 5 points+ each.  I leave you with a photo :-)

The scales lie...photos don't!

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I seem to be seeing a general theme this week in blog-world.  I've read a couple of very inspiring posts from people who struggle with weight loss and the number on the scale.  One thing I have noticed is that photos tell a very different story than the scale.  Scales lie.  Photos don't. 

You really should check out April's page on Sparkpeople.  She has photos of herself at the SAME weight and is visibly smaller in the later photos.  Strange?  No, not really.  I've always been told that if you are working out, your body changes even though the scale does not necessarily change.  "Muscle weighs more than fat"...hogwash I thought.  A pound of muscle weighs EXACTLY THE SAME as a pound of fat!  True.  BUT.  That one pound of muscle takes up LESS ROOM than the pound of fat.  Make sense?  In my head I know this, but in my heart I refused to believe anything but what the scales tell me.  To me, the scales are the be-all and the end-all of weight loss.  Now I am realizing that this is not so.  I wish I had realized this many months ago, but, alas, I am a slow learner. 

My friend Charlie at Operation Shrink Charlie's Big Butt also recently posted photos of herself on her blog.  Her photos show her in a bikini 10 pounds ago and now and what a difference!  You wouldn't think 10 pounds would make that much difference, but WOW...great job Charlie!  Charlie, like me, is a scale addict.  We weigh constantly.  I think her addiction might be a tad higher than mine on the addiction scale, but not much.  Get in in the morning, weigh myself, go to the bathroom, weigh myself, get a haircut/eyebrow wax, weigh myself (you never know how much that hair might have weighed folks!)...you get the idea.

I think I will start "weighing myself with the camera" if you will.  I'm not sure I'm ready to actually give up the scales like Charlie recently has (she's going to weigh in once a month), but maybe if I take photos every other week I might be able to see a difference there that I don't necessarily see on the scale.  I do so hope that the scales start moving faster though - being this close to 100lbs lost is killing me!!!  6.2 pounds to go!

Sorry for all the pics guys - for some reason blogger is not recognizing my hard returns (even when I hard code them in HTML)...hope to have it fixed for the next blog! But for now the only way to break up my paragraphs is with pics :-)

Operation Hunan Chicken..and free weights

Pin It My friend Cheryl and I have discovered (re-discovered?) a local Chinese food place that ROCKS.  It's a place I went to as a kid, but over the years it went down hill.  A couple years ago they were bought out by another local Chinese food place (that I loved, but was about 20 mins away) and their menu improved so much!  We love their Hunan Chicken.  Really, what's not to love? Chicken, veggies, yummy sweet/salty sauce...oh my.  I have been craving it literally for months.  I told myself I could only have it very early in the week (like within a day or two of weigh in) because of the sodium.  I'm so afraid that sodium will make me retain fluids on weigh in day!  It kills me when I eat right, exercise and the scale doesn't reflect it, so if I know it's salt-related...grrrr  Ok, all that to say, on Tuesday (yes, late in my WI week, I know) we did it.  Hunan Chicken, Chicken Chow Mein and an EGG ROLL!  I love egg rolls.  The Hunan Chicken and Chow Mein (1 cup of each) was 9 points+.  I left out the fried rice (10 points+ per cup!!!!) and had myself an egg roll instead (I think it was 5-6 points+).  Yummmmmm  It was so good.  But now I feel like I had my fix and I'm OK for a while.  I just had to share.  I can't believe I went that long without having it.  I think it was early fall when I had it last..

Last night I had a session with my trainer and she convinced me to try (again) free weights for my upper body.  I have a fear of free weights.  I have this fear that I'll be holding these heavy items over my poor little head and will DROP one on my face.  Now I don't know about you, but I kinda like my face withOUT the dent in it.  So, I put my fears aside and gave it a try.  I have to say, one thing I hate about free weights (other than the skull crushing possibility) is the metallic smell that you get on tour hands...ewwww.  It went OK.  Other than leaning forward with weights in my hands makes my arms look like deflated balloons and I want to tuck the loose skin into the sleeves of my t-shirt (that would not really be possible, but you get the point).  My other concern is that my right rotator cuff bothers me - believe it or not, a water aerobics injury! I might have to break down and go see my doctor for a physio referral to get it fixed...I hate bothering my doctor for non-emergency things!

OK, no gym tonight.  I think I've got a touch of the flu and just didn't have it in me to go.  I'm off tomorrow and am going to tour our new Canada Games Centre fitness facility (pool, gym, indoor running track, etc.) and to sign up for my membership....yay!!!  It doesn't open until March 5th, but I am so excited.  From now until then I am going to the gym next to my office...I might make it to the gym tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to wii my butt off :-)

What IS different?

Pin It When people comment on my weight loss, oftentimes the comments I receive start with "you must feel so much better!" or "you must have so much more energy!".  I have to be quite honest.  I take a teensy bit of offense to this.  I'm not saying this to make anyone feel bad or to stop people from commenting on my weight loss.  I guess I'm just making an observation and sharing my thoughts.  First of all, even when I was at my heaviest, I didn't find I had a lack of energy.  I didn't feel "bad" at all, quite frankly.  I felt normal...for the most part.

What how did I feel then?

• I hated that I had to shop at plus size stores where selection was limited and really had no concept of buying regular size clothes
• My size was clearly above-average compared to my friends and co-workers
• Airplane seats were not comfortable
• I avoided certain public situations because of my size
• I dreaded getting on the scales at the doctors office - I actually refused - because I was embarrassed about the number

How do I feel now?

• I can shop at regular stores (although I always hesitate and feel like an impostor when I walk through the doorways of the regular stores and I truly have no idea WHAT stores I should be going to!)
• I am now at a size that, by North American standards is average....I'm actually almost OUT of that "average" size and into the next size down from that (2 pairs of pants I own say that I'm out of that size already!)
• Airplane seats fit fine...they are still ridiculously small though, I'm just sayin'!
• I am excited to get on the scales at my doctor's office to show her how I'm doing - she is very encouraging and proud of my progress
• I am more confident
• I can cross my legs BOTH ways
• I LOVE vegetables - I never really minded them before, but now I CRAVE them....even some I hated as a kid like cauliflower :-)
• I am proud of my accomplishments and not afraid to tell the world! (clearly, since I'm writing this blog!)

So I guess all this to say, no I don't have more energy and no I don't physically feel much better, but I think psychologically I feel better about myself.  I'm still the same person I always was, but I am more willing to let that person show through.

I truly hope I have not offended anyone.  I know that when people make those comments, they are truly making them out of the kindness of their hearts.  The one that really made me shake my head though was the lady who told me how much YOUNGER I looked when she looked at my pre-WW photo...I smiled...and then she said "you looked FIFTY-SEVEN before!!!"...um, excuse me??  I was 33 when the photo was taken (see below)!!  That one hurt.  But again, she meant it as a compliment to me, I know this deep down - but what she didn't realize was that she was still talking about me.  I'm still me.  I may look different, but that's it!

Rant done. G'night folks.



me at my heaviest looking "57"





Me about 10 pounds ago



Barley...the other whole grain

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I've discovered barley recently.  As some of you may remember, I used it in my stuffed peppers a couple of weeks ago and again last night in my stuffed pepper soup.

Tonight I was pondering what to do with the leftover barley from last night's soup (made 3 times what I needed).  One cup of dry barley yields 3-4 cups of cooked barley - it's a very economical food, I must say.  The entire bag was about 77 cents and will probably make about 8 cups of cooked barley in the end.

I decided to wing it.  I had veggies in the fridge, I had to have my healthy oils with my supper, so I thought of chopping up my veggies (celery, onions and mushrooms - I forgot the peppers!) and sauteing them in the olive oil and some spices (red pepper flakes, garlic, etc.).  After the veggies were done I tossed in 1/2 cup of cooked barley and heated it through (adding a bit of chicken stock).  I then added 2 egg whites and all of a sudden this was turning into "friend barley" (think fried rice, but with barley) so I added soya sauce and a few dashes of hot sauce for good measure.  YUMM!!!!  This was soooo good!  I've done a bit of googling to compare barley to rolled oats/oatmeal.  From what I've read, if you get the "real" barley (not the pearl kind found in the grocery store, which is what I used), it beats oats on almost every level - 3FatChicks' website spells it out, but basically in protein and fibre barley kicks butt against oats!  Barley is a bit higher in calories (per cup), but from the sounds of things, it's totally worth it.  I think I'll take a trip to a health food store to see if I can get some real barley and check it out.  I certainly enjoyed it for supper and I think tomorrow I will try it in place of my regular oatmeal for breakfast.  Perhaps 3/4 cup of barley, splash of milk, cinnamon, apple and some no-sugar-added syrup for sweetness...Perhaps some of my usual peanut butter, but the barley itself is pretty high in protein, so it may not be necessary...I usually add PB to my oatmeal for the protein - hoping it'll keep me fuller longer.

So folks, that's my take on Barley....the other whole grain :-)  What's next to try...quinoa maybe?

Once again, my true love has not let me down

Pin It I nearly forgot to blog my review on another Blue Menu product.  I can't believe it! 

Here it is:

I would take a shot of it out of the package, but there really is no need to.  It looks exactly like the photo.  The taste is AMAZING.  On the WW Points+ program it is 2 points+ for 3 slices (and they're BIG slices).  Add them to a toasted Egg Creation sandwich with a 1 Point+ cheese string and you've got a delicious breakfast (or lunch or supper). 

The turkey bacon I have tried in the past did not even LOOK appealing.  It had a bit of a spam look to it. When cooked, it looked even worse.  Looked something like Purina Beggin' Strips for dogs quite frankly.  Not something I want to pair with my eggs, I must say!

Overall, I'd give the PC Blue Menu Turkey Bacon a 5/5 rating.  I know it seems that I give all of the Blue Menu items a very high rating, but these ratings are honestly well-deserved.  Presidents Choice (PC) has done an amazing job with their Blue Menu line of healthy products.  Believe me, if I didn't like a product, I would give it an honest review!!

Another giveaway!

Pin It Head over to the Friends for Weightloss website to enter to win one of two great prizes!

PC Blue Menu Shepherd's Pie

Pin It I had heard about this product recently and tonight at the grocery store it was calling my name.  So I bought it... skeptical as I was, I decided it would be supper for tonight.

Here is the package:

 Here it is out of the oven:

 And here it is after I butchered it to get it out of the pan and onto my plate:

My thoughts on this product.

AMAZING!!!!  It's topped with cauliflower instead of potatoes and you can't even TELL!  I ate the actual serving size stated on the box (1/4 of the tray) and it was very filling with my veggies I had on the side.  Total is 6 Points+ and well worth it.

Definite 5/5, 5 stars, 5 hearts, 5 happy faces

I have yet to be let down by a Blue Menu product and am so happy about that.  Blue Menu really makes a conscious effort to make healthy food, low in sodium that tastes great, whether from a can, fresh or frozen.

We have a winner!!!

Pin It Congratulations to Post #10 - the winner is Charlie from Operation Shrink Charlie's Big Butt!!!

Charlie, I'll send you an email with the claim code.  Thanks for plugging my blog and my contest!

Contest closed!! Winner announced shortly...

Pin It

Cook With Campbell's - Greek Tuna Broccoli Bake

Pin It I think I might make this on the weekend...

Cook With Campbell's - Greek Tuna Broccoli Bake

Giveaway contest closes tonight folks!!

Pin It Don't forget to enter before 9pm Eastern/10pm Atlantic time tonight!!

http://onprogram.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-freebie-time.html

Check out my original post on this giveaway and leave your comments on THAT post.  Don't forget to include your email address - I will not hunt down anyone who has not left their email!  Additional entries allowed if you blog/tweet about the giveaway (leave me a link please!)

Sweet or Salty?

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What is your preference for treats?  Sweet or Salty?  Personally, I have times when I crave BOTH and just can't choose one.  Today was one of those days.  Several years ago a friend of mine introduced me to popcorn with M&Ms added in (while the popcorn was still hot)...thank you Danielle!  Today that's just what I wanted, but I did not want to spend the 6 Points+ on the 1/4 cup of M&Ms that I have in the house - I will save those (dark chocolate, peanut imported from the US) for a special occasion.  Tonight I popped my 3 Point+ bag of microwave popcorn and added 2 tablespoons of mini dark chocolate chips (2 Points+) for a very satisfying 5 Points+ treat.  It was SO good.  Now I will caution you - the "naked" chocolate does melt and make a bit of a mess, unlike the candy-coated chocolate, but still worth it!

Hungry

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Am I the only one who has this problem?  Even when I eat the "right" things, I find myself hungry only a short time later!  For example: breakfast this morning was oatmeal, 1 large banana, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and a large glass of skim milk at 7:30am. Less than two hours later I have hunger pains.  Lunch was 2 cups of squash and apple soup, one low fat (jumbo) banana oatmeal muffin and a large apple.  An hour later, hunger pains.  Snack (2:30ish) was hummus, a whole wheat pita and carrot and celery sticks.  4pm, hungry again!  Am I crazy?  Is this normal?  I don't have this problem every day, but when I do it drives me crazy.  I know I have weekly points I can use, but it just frustrates me because I should NOT BE hungry...If I were skimping on my meals or not eating breakfast, I could understand it.  I try not to go more than 3-4 hours without eating because if I do I get horrible pains in my stomach.  I'm also not thirsty - today I probably had about 10 cups or more of water, plus my 2 cups of milk.  I am not PMSing, marathon training, growing (at least I hope not!) or pregnant..any ideas folks?  Open to suggestions.

New blog design!

Pin It I created my very own logo using LogoSnap, so I decided to make some cosmetic changes to my blog...what do ya think??

Squash & Apple Soup - review update

Pin It Squash & Apple Soup

PointsPlus™ Value: 4
Servings: 5 generous servings

Ingredients:
2 cup(s) onion(s)
6 cup(s) water

2 small apple(s)

1/2 tsp table salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cup(s) butternut squash, peeled, cubed

1 Tbsp ginger root, grated

Instructions

Heat oil over med. Heat and add onions, sauté for 4-5 min.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree until smooth.

I've only had a taste of this, but YUMMY!  5/5 rating from me.

Update on this soup:  Day 2 of this was even BETTER than day 1!!!  I need to bring something else to have with it for my lunch though - I was hungry this afternoon :-)

Low fat banana oatmeal blueberry muffins

Pin It Jumbo Low fat banana oatmeal blueberry muffins
PointsPlus™ Value: 4
Servings: 11

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Splenda

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp table salt

2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ cup banana, mashed

1 tsp vanilla

1 item egg white

1 cup unsweetened frozen blueberries

Instructions:

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Fold blueberries in last. Place approximately 1/3 cup of muffin mixture in JUMBO muffin tins and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry.

4 WW Points+ per muffin or 2 muffins for 7 WW Points+

So I just tried one of these.  They are OK.  A bit dense and not a lot of flavour.  About a 3.5 out of 5.  I think they need a bit more splenda maybe and I think next time I might put the oatmeal in the food processor before I add it...I will make them again as I think it is a good base recipe, but I think I may go back to the chocolate chips called for in my original recipe - it will increase the points, but I think it will be worth it.

Sweet potatoes with COCOA!

Pin It Not much to this recipe, but Heather over at Heather Eats Almond Butter inspired me to make these.  All I did was dice up a medium sweet potato (leave the skin on!), toss in a bowl with 2 tsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp ED Smith no sugar added syrup (or you could use any syrup you choose), chili powder to taste, pumpkin pie spice (couldn't find my cinnamon!) - about 1/2 tsp or so.  Mix it all together and place on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (sprayed with cooking spray!) and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Enjoy!  Rating 4.5/5

Here are some photos:
 

some ingredients





before



after



whole meal





Motivation needed...I think

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I've been on this journey for just over 15 months.  Lately the journey has been frustrating.  I'm still doing everything "on program" 99% of the time (a slip up maybe every few months where I have a day when I don't track...usually ends up being a meal that I don't track).  My average weekly weightloss for the past month is 0.5lbs per month.  I am not happy with these numbers.  I say I need motivation - is it really motivation I need?  Or maybe I need a change.  My current gym membership expires on the 19th of this month and I am 99% sure that I will not renew.  We have a new fitness centre due to open this month in my neighbourhood that I am going to join (gym, indoor running/walking track, pool, etc.).  Now I know the opening will be delayed by at least a month (these things always are!) and then the Centre will be closed for the Canada Games for 2 weeks at the end of February.  So here we have it.  There will be at least a month and a half where I will have no gym access.  I have a couple of options.  The gym in my complex at work will let me have a monthly membership for a LOT less than my current gym (who wants almost $70/month if I don't re-sign for a year!).  The problem with this gym is that it is located downtown, so I either have to go before or after work (I know I won't get in the car and drive down there outside of work hours).  My current gym has locations all over the city.   My  trainer is at the gym at work.  Trainers at the work gym are MUCH cheaper than my current gym and if I sign up as a member, I get my PT sessions even cheaper.  Hmm, I think what I might do is sign up for 2 months downtown and add some more PT sessions...ok, decision made! 

Ok, so I still feel like I need a change.  But I don't know what.  I've been doing my Wii Fit Plus and loving it, but I know it's not an honest-to-goodness workout - it's a nice addition to "real" workouts, but doing the Wii Fit alone just isn't going to cut it (so says the 0.6 lbs I lost this week while I avoided the gym and did Wii Fit only).  I think I need some variety in my meals.  I have the same breakfast every day - "real" oatmeal (not instant or quick oats) with a tablespoon of peanut butter and either a banana or apple cut up in it.  Lunches I really struggle with...you can only eat so many sandwiches and salads.  Ideas anyone?  My suppers are fairly consistent too - roasted sweet potatoes, roasted other veggies (some combo of cauliflower, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) and then either chicken or fish (usually Tilapia or Salmon).  All roasted.  All the time.  I add my olive oil to my veggies and then add spices - usually the spices vary a little bit, but my fav is the Chipotle Chili Powder.  I honestly have no problem with repeat breakfasts and dinners.  But I suspect that my body might.  Am I crazy?  Maybe so.

Now I'm not a bad one for BLTs (bites, licks and tastes) or picking at things, but occasionally I do do this.  I am going to make a conscious effort to NOT pick - and if I do, I'll count the points because:

I think I need to come up with a meal plan.  I do pre-plan my meals - but only one day at a time.  I think that's why I like the consistent meals that I've been eating - they taste good and require very little planning.  Tomorrow I think I will pop into the WW centre and buy the new WW PointsPlus cookbook (I have a $5 coupon!) and try some new recipes. I'm also going to make a Squash Apple Soup recipe that Mom emailed me yesterday - sounds like a good lunch idea to me!

Ok folks, it's time to hit the ground running!!!  I saw Dr Oz this week and he had the numbers 2010 on the stage (big!) and he kicked the last zero out of the way and replaced it with the number one, which he pointed out was a nicer looking number...the 1 is much skinnier than the 0...this year will be a skinnier year for me too.  This year I WILL reach my goal.  I don't care if it kills me!!

Are you with me?  Will 2011 be a year of change positive change?  Never ever ever give up!

Don't forget to visit yesterday's post to enter my giveaway contest!  Only comments left ON the giveaway post will count towards the draw!