One small change - June 23, 2013

Pin It Sadly my hard work did not show on the scales this week.  I stayed the same :(  Onward and upward though.  I admit that I did go to Sobeys to visit my best friend in the bakery - she greeted me with "Sorry Honey, no red velvet today!"  Even though it has been several weeks since I've been to see her, sadly she still remembers me... I ended up with a peanut butter chocolate cupcake.  While very good, it was no red velvet...  Oh well....

This week we discussed VACATIONS vs vacations - VACATIONS being going away somewhere you don't go all the time (special occasions) vs taking time off and hanging around home (aka stay-cations).  My One Small Thing for this week as I prepare to head on VACATION is to make a concerted effort to track and stay on-point while I'm away - both with food and with fitness.  I will treat myself, yes, but I will not seek out opportunities to indulge myself (although a Beaver Tail in downtown Ottawa on Canada day may be in order...those of you not from Canada should Google Beaver Tails!).  My plan is to track while I'm gone and to keep my "at home" meals as healthy as possible.  Knowing the friend I'm going to visit, I'm sure that won't be an issue (she's a great supporter!)

On another note, I had my photos done yesterday... I'm not much for getting my picture taken, but I was getting my corporate head-shots done for a thing at work.  The photographer (Nicole Lapierre) was a lot of fun and insisted I bring a change of clothes for some less "corporate-y" photos (included in the fee, of course)...my mother will love these, I'm sure. Despite my hesitance to have my picture taken, I did have fun!  I'll post a pic or two once I get them from her.

Will she make it to the finish line?

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Well folks, today is day 6 of my commitment to tracking for a full week.  Yesterday I realized that it was our building's annual Ice Cream Day... not just any old ice creams though - they bring in the Nestle ice cream freezers full of delicious frozen goodness.  Now in my past life (you know, last week) this would have derailed me - I would have felt like I deserved it (there's that sense of entitlement again....) and would have probably not tracked it...or the rest of the week (why do these things always come up on Thursdays...so close to the finish line?!)  This week, however, I tracked it.  Actually I took a guess that it would be 10 points and I plugged that in.  On my way home from work on the bus I decided to actually look up the nutritional info and calculate the REAL point value for my evil treat... guess what?  It was 9 points!  Sweet!  Sooooo, I have tracked all week and I still have weekly points left.  Here's hoping I don't blow it tonight!  Nope, nothing special on the go tonight - but I tend to have those out of body experiences on Friday nights where I look down and see myself chowing down on anything in sight - knowing full well that I have to weigh in the following morning.

My other One Small Change for the week was to try to implement some more/new power foods (green triangles).  I was reviewing the WW Power Foods listing the other day and I realized something - I eat a TON of power foods.  Looking at that list I realized that I eat nearly everything on there that a) we can get around here and b) that I'm not allergic to.  There are a few exceptions, but for the most-part, I think I'm in good shape when it comes to power foods.  I did have a power food that I hadn't had in a while - cabbage...yummm  I made my cabbage roll casserole...sooo yummy and it lasted me nearly all week! I still have half a head of cabbage left so if anyone has ideas on another recipe I can make for the upcoming week...let me know!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's update to see if I make it - and to see how a full week of tracking reflects on the scales.  I'll also bring you next week's "One Small Change".

One small change - June 15, 2013

Pin It Last week's small change was to try and change up my breakfast.  As I mentioned before, I eat the same thing for breakfast nearly every single day (oatmeal, banana, peanut butter).  My plan this week was to try a different breakfast two times during the week.  On Saturday I made myself a delicious omelet with lots of veggies, some Canadian bacon and low fat cheese.  It was yummy, as I suspected it would be.  On Sunday I had Corn Bran Squares with banana and blueberries.  Another nice breakfast.  I learned two things - Corn Bran Squares do not keep me full as long as oatmeal, but eggs do.  The problem is...the omelet took WAY more time to prepare (hands-on prep) than I am interested in spending on a work-day morning.  Lesson of the week: eggs on the weekend, oatmeal during the week.  Small change of the week....done!

Next week I have committed to make a change back to an old habit: tracking.  I have been tracking for the first part of the week and then by late Wednesday/Thursday I stop.  I don't know why, but I do.  For three years I tracked faithfully, but lately I'm falling behind.  This week I will track for the full seven days - no matter what.

My other small change this week is to try and find a new power food.  For those of you are WW members, you know those foods - they have the green triangle next to them :)

Ok, here we go.. another new week with loads of possibilities!

We've broken up...

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As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it has become necessary for me to break up with the bakery lady at Sobeys.  She just knows me too well and I am not comfortable with that level of closeness - especially when I don't know her name.  So the past two weekends have been... wait for it.... red-velvet-free weekends :(  Sure, I miss my friend at the bakery who knows my "usual", but sadly the fact that she KNEW my usual was an indication of a serious matter that I needed to get hold of.  I did have a "big" treat this weekend (cheesecake), but that's not something that is a) readily available to me and b) an item likely to send me over the edge.  Cupcakes, on the other hand, are a different story.

So I have managed to go to Sobeys two Saturdays in a row and have avoided the cupcake display completely.  I think I will try to go until vacation to have another red velvet.  After my trip to Ottawa, if I have not gained weight, maybe (MAYBE) I will treat myself to a red velvet when I return.

Nothing much to report beyond my two weekends sans red velvet.  Making an old favorite this week (Stuffed Cabbage Casserole) and am considering a Rhubarb Coconut Muffin (snagged some fresh rhubarb from Mom today!)  Will report back on the muffins if they turn out.

Oh, I nearly forgot.  Each week at WW, Fiona asks us to write on the back of our weekly one small change we will make for the week, based on the topic we discussed.  I am going to start blogging about my "One Small Change".  This week's change is to switch up my breakfasts a bit.  For nearly 4 years now, I have been eating (nearly every day) oatmeal with peanut butter and banana (sometimes I go wild and will swap out the banana with an apple... or throw in some blueberries if I'm feeling crazy).  I eat this because it keeps me full, it's low in points (5!) and it's quick and easy.  I do realize that I need t make a change though.  Perhaps I'll try an egg some morning this week.  I already mixed things up on Saturday by having an omelet rather than oatmeal...crazy, I know!  Today's was different too, but I'll leave you with some mystery.  I'll try posting each Saturday on the previous week's "One Small Change"... stay tuned!