One Month At A Time - Laura's Journal

[mackeysmom]

Today wasn’t too bad.

I slept late since I couldn’t sleep last night. I had a turkey & cheese sandwich for breakfast. I made it with a potato roll – not the best choice, but it was all I had in the house and my grocery budget is too tight to waste any food. I had an apple and a Snapple Iced Tea with it. (I should add that I drink upwards of 100 oz. of water each day – so although I don’t mention it, I am drinking it.)

I went to a fundraiser for a local cat rescue today – I knew there were going to be some catering booths giving away free samples, so I got a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts on the way so I would have coffee taste in my mouth and wouldn’t want to sample savory foods. (I almost caved in at the cupcake booth, but managed to walk away!).

When I got home, I did some prep work and some cooking for the week. Made a big batch of peppers and onions, along with a big batch of potatoes and onions. (Each cooked in a little olive oil.)

Lunch was two slices of a “concoction” that I make. It is spinach, eggbeaters, a mix of 4 different reduced-fat cheeses, Canadian bacon and bisquick. When I was following Weight Watchers, each slice was 1 PointPlus – so these two slices were around 100 calories total.

Took advantage of the weather and worked outside for a while – gardening, cleaning the deck, cleaning the garage, etc. I’m sure I burned some calories doing that.

Dinner was peppers, potatoes and ham mixed with one egg and some eggbeaters – topped with some reduced-shredded cheddar. I also had about a cup of broccoli on the side. I did splurge and have 8 oz. of part-skim chocolate milk with the eggs.

I’ll probably have a cup of tea when I’m done posting. I SHOULD have another piece of fruit, but I might have a 100-calorie snack pack instead. I’m going to try to get to bed at a normal hour tonight – not sure if I will take a Tylenol PM or not.

All in all, not a bad day. Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Another not-so-bad day.

Breakfast/lunch was another turkey/cheese sandwich on a potato roll with an apple and some pretzel sticks. I was hungry after my 3.5 mile walk and popped up a 100-calorie bag of popcorn when I got home. (With a little olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.)

Dinner was one of my concoctions of peppers, spinach, onions, ham and whole wheat pasta. Sounds odd – but is very tasty and filling.

I felt pretty snacky tonight and had a banana, a Fiber One brownie, and some Jell-O. (Not at the same time – over the course of the evening.)

Once I put everything into My Fitness Pal, I was still a few calories under for the day – so I didn’t feel too bad about it.

Pretty happy that I’ve strung together two “OK” days.

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Today you get two days in one …

Yesterday I was rushing around in the morning. I was going to a job fair and wanted to get there early since they were expecting a lot of people to show up. In the car I had a Light & Fit Banana yogurt (added some whole grain Cheerios to it for “crunch”) and a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.

When I got back, I was pretty hungry. I was tempted to grab a slice of pizza, but knew that I had a lot of stuff in the fridge. I made a stuffed potato with broccoli, cheese, a few bacon bits and a little reduced-fat sour cream. I finished it off with an apple.

Dinner was two small boneless pork-chops that I sautéed up with some Paul Newman’s low-fat sesame ginger marinade. I made some brown rice (which I topped off with mango/peach salsa and had some sautéed spinach on the side.

Just an FYI - those blue plates are salad plates, not large dinner plates.

I managed to get a 3 mile walk in and “treated” myself with some microwave popcorn (sprinkled with some grated parmesan cheese and EVOO).

While watching TV later on, I had a half of a banana.

All in all, not too bad. My Fitness Pal says I was over my calorie allowance by 86 calories. I’m sure I could have cut those calories easily – but I’m only 3 days into counting calories and have to get used to counting BEFORE I eat and not AFTER.

Today I didn’t have breakfast. I had an early lunch (11:00) with a friend, and only woke up at 9:00. My cup of tea held me over. Lunch was Panera – ½ cup tomato soup and ½ turkey café sandwich. I caved and ate the chips – I love Panera’s chips.

I ran a few errands and (despite the rain) walked 3 miles.

Dinner was two small boneless pork-chops that I sautéed up with marinara sauce and some cubed potatoes. I had some creamed spinach and unsweetened applesauce on the side. (Sounds like a pretty awful combination – doesn’t it?) But, it was delicious.

After dinner I did a 20 minute Biggest Loser Boot Camp workout.

TV snack was microwave popcorn (w/EVOO and grated cheese).

I have some work to do tonight, so I’ll probably have a cup of tea and 2 Stella D’Oro Anisette cookies.

I’m pretty happy that I’ve been able to track everything for four days. I’ve resisted the urge to step on the scale – I’ll wait until Saturday.

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Just a quick post to tell you about a great find:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, pistachio nuts but can't keep an open bag in the house. I have ZERO willpower when it comes to them. I found these single-serve bags at my local supermarket. (1.5 ounces, 130 calories.)

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

So, I made a decision today. Well, actually – two decisions.

1) I re-joined Weight Watchers today. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea where the money will come from, but I don’t have a choice. The bottom-line is that the only time I’ve been consistently successful is when I actually attend meetings in person.

2) I decided to place a brand-new weight-loss ticker in my signature. I’ve had the “21 pounds lost” ticker for over a year, and haven’t lost any additional weight in that time. Time to start fresh.

Foodwise, I had a banana and a yogurt for breakfast. (I ate it at the meeting, as I wanted to get weighed in on an empty stomach).

Lunch was a Bagel Thin, one scrambled egg & three egg whites and a little feta cheese. I also had an apple (not pictured).

Dinner was a salad (lettuce, cabbage, red onions, sunflower seeds, green olives, a few croutons and Marie’s Low-Fat Blue Cheese). It was a HUGE salad – you probably can’t tell from the picture, but that bowl is the same bowl I use when I pop up some popcorn.

I also had two small chicken pinwheels, and some mashed potatoes. (I took some red bliss potatoes and mixed in a little salt, pepper, ½ T of light butter and 2 T of fat-free half and half.)

As I type this, I am having a small bowl of berries with a little fat free whipped cream.

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[Happy Duck]

Thanks for the great reading. I love your idea about taking pictures of food....I think I'll try it! Although I'll now be paranoid about presentation....... Keep it up!

 

[mackeysmom]

Thanks for the great reading. I love your idea about taking pictures of food....I think I'll try it! Although I'll now be paranoid about presentation....... Keep it up!

I stole the idea of taking pictures from a blog that I read.

As for presentation - I usually have to crop out something from the background (a remote control, the newspaper, piles of junk mail, etc.) since my kitchen table is always out of control with clutter.

 

[mackeysmom]

No breakfast today – I met my friend for our weekly lunch at Panera – so I just had a cup of coffee when I got up. Lunch was Panera’s Chopped BBQ Chicken salad with an apple on the side. (I forgot to take a picture, but it is a HUGE, gorgeous salad.)

I was hungry during the afternoon, so I popped up a bag of microwave popcorn and added a little grated parmesan cheese to it. I recently bought a Misto – so I misted some olive oil on the popcorn as well.

Dinner was a repeat of a concoction I made a few weeks ago – potatoes and boneless pork chops cubed and cooked in a little marinara sauce. I also sautéed up some baby spinach in a little Misto’d olive oil.

I tried something new for my evening snack. A while back, I got a Yonana http://www.amazon.com/Yonanas-902-Cream-Treat-Silver/dp/B005083ECS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337736659&sr=8-1 Amazon describes it as: Yonanas instantly turns frozen fruit and other flavorings into a delicious and healthy soft-serve treat. The unit combines frozen bananas and any additional fruit or chocolate and instantly churns the ingredients to produce a treat with the texture of frozen yogurt or soft-serve ice cream, but without the additional fat, sugar, or preservatives. The chute easily accepts berries, sliced mango, or cantaloupe along with frozen banana, and the integrated spinning blade mashes and incorporates the fruit into a silky-smooth confection with the texture of soft-serve ice cream or yogurt.

I only had frozen bananas on hand, so I made a standard Banana Yonana.

It wasn’t bad – it did taste like I was having an ice cream treat. After I snapped the picture, I added a little Fat Free Cool Whip. I’ve already put some strawberries in the freezer so I can have a banana/strawberry treat next time.

All in all, not a bad day. Tomorrow I will be having dinner at my sister’s house, so I’ll have to be extra-careful with points for breakfast/lunch.

Until then …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Before I start with today’s food – I have to admit that I had a little binge last night after I had already posted. But, it was a “healthy” binge. I had a few slices of Boar’s Head Turkey, a reduced-fat string cheese and 12 Special K crackers. It was completely out of boredom – I was not hungry.

Today I just had coffee for breakfast. I was out running errands, and just didn’t have time for a real breakfast. For lunch, I made breakfast. I had an omelet made with one egg, three egg whites, 3 slices of microwave bacon, 1/8 cup of shredded cheese, and a Bagel Thin with a little ICBINB spray. Very filling for only 9 PointsPlus.

After my afternoon walk, I had an apple.

Dinner was at my sister’s house. She made pan-fried breaded chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes and spinach. Since my sister is a fellow Weight Watcher, she had her scale and measuring cups handy – so I was able to figure out my points. After dinner, I made s’mores with my nieces. I toasted up two marshmallows for myself and had a cup of mixed berries.

I actually came in 1 point under my target for today. That NEVER happens. I also came in a little low on veggies today – I’ll have to make sure I do better with that tomorrow.

Tomorrow will have another challenge – I’m meeting a friend for dinner tomorrow night. I recently did some cat-sitting for her, and she’s taking me out to dinner to thank me. Not sure where we will wind up, so I will try to make breakfast and lunch on the low end of points.

I’m pretty happy that I’ve been able to string together 3 good days in a row.

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[disappearing otter]

Hi Laura -

Just read this whole thread and loved it -- especially this quote:

It is frustrating because I KNOW what to do, but actually DOING it is another story.

Glad to see that you've got a streak going! That said, every day gives you a new chance to start over. So don't sweat it if you miss a day, or make a bad choice here and there. You get to start over.

Keep up the good work!

 

[mackeysmom]

Glad to see that you've got a streak going! That said, every day gives you a new chance to start over. So don't sweat it if you miss a day, or make a bad choice here and there. You get to start over.

So true - I actually have a little needlepoint in my home office that my grandmother made. It reads: Every day is an opportunity for a new beginning.

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Another morning with only coffee for breakfast.

I dropped my iPod Touch the other day while I was walking and shattered it. I had an appointment at the Apple Store this morning and didn’t have time for a proper breakfast.

Needless to say, I was hungry when lunchtime rolled around. I bought these Flat Out wraps the other day and decided to try one today. I “fried” up some Boar’s Head ham in a little Pam to get it crispy and then added a little mustard and melted some American cheese on top. It was OK - the flavor of herbs was pretty strong – it might be better suited for something like a homemade pizza.

I was still a little hungry, so I had a bag of WW Popped BBQ Potato Crisps (only 2 points).

I wasn’t meeting my friend for dinner until 7:30, so I had an apple and ½ banana after my walk.

We had dinner at the diner. I had a small salad (with dressing that I smuggled in from home), a grilled chicken Panini and 20 french fries. I actually counted them out and smothered the rest in Cole slaw so I wouldn’t be tempted to pick on them.

Not bad point-wise. I had to dip into my weekly points a little – but that is why we have them, right?

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

My Internet was down yesterday, so today you get two days in one.

Yesterday I finally had a little breakfast. I had a Light & Fit yogurt mixed with some whole-grain Cheerios and a few strawberries. For lunch I had two eggs and cheese on 2 slices of Weight Watchers Whole Grain bread. Nice and filling for only 8 PointsPlus.

Dinner was a repeat from earlier in the week. I “fried” up a pork chop in a little marinara sauce. I made mashed potatoes with a little fat-free half and half and light butter, and some creamed spinach.

I had all intentions of following-up with a nice big salad to get my veggies in for the day when my doorbell rang. It was a friend bearing gifts:

A small cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream from Baskin Robbins.

Much tastier than a salad. I ate it and THEN looked up the points. Not too bad and I only had to dip into my weekly points by 3. No biggie – but I wasn’t hungry anymore and didn’t get my allotted veggies in for the day.

Recently I decided to go back to school and earlier this week I received my acceptance letter. This morning I got a text from one of my friends congratulating me and inviting me out for a celebratory lunch with a few friends.

We wound up at a local burger place. We (four of us) split two appetizers and each had a burger and fries. I wasn’t sure how to count the Points for the meal, so I decided to use Red Robin’s nutritional information to estimate. WOW – the meal cost me nearly 50 points.

I used my 31 given points and used weekly points and earned activity points for the rest. Was it worth it? At the time I thoroughly enjoyed it, but probably could have eaten half of what was on my plate and still been satisfied. On a positive note, I did turn down dessert and didn’t have a drink from the bar.

Since my Weight Watchers location is closed on Monday due to the holiday, I was planning on weighing in tomorrow. Probably not the best choice with a burger and fries in my belly – but I have to face the music. I drank more water than normal to try to flush out the sodium and just had a big salad for dinner.

Tomorrow I’m going to a friend’s house – she just opened her pool for the season and will test out the water if it is warm enough. We will probably get a pizza, but I’m sure I can fit it into the plan for the day.

And for no reason other than to show how cute he is, here is a picture of my Blackie:

Until tomorrow…

- Laura

 

[disappearing otter]

Hi Laura -

hope your weigh-in went well. I've been considering going back to WW (haven' been in several years...) because while I think any method of logging food is good, I also think that not all calories are created equal... so I'd like to learn about the new PointsPlus system. Besides, my old leader is still there, and she was really inspirational the last time, so... it certainly couldn't hurt!

 

[mackeysmom]

Just a quick post today - no food diary or pics.

I had my first official weigh-in today (one day early due to the holiday) and I'm happy to say that I am down 4.2 pounds.

Mini-goals for the week:
1) Eat more vegetables,
2) Be better with eating breakfast,
3) Remember to take my vitamins every day

I've been considering going back to WW (haven' been in several years...) because while I think any method of logging food is good, I also think that not all calories are created equal... so I'd like to learn about the new PointsPlus system.

Otter - I've been through so many different variations of the WW program and by far, I'm happiest with the PointsPlus system. In my opinion, it is realistic and do-able for "real life"

Until tomorrow...

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Breakfast today was a smoothie made with a banana, strawberries, Greek yogurt and a little fat-free milk. It was a nice day out, so after breakfast I went to a friend’s house and went swimming.

Spent a little visiting with my friend and had a slice of leftover pizza and a salad there. I was feeling snack-y afterwards, so I popped up some microwave popcorn and snacked on that while I cozy-ed up with a new book.

Dinner was some roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and spinach.

Just did some odds and ends around the house after dinner and realized that I still had 7 points left for the day. I had a chocolate pudding with some fat-free cool whip. I still have a few points left, but I’m not hungry so I won’t eat them for the sake of just eating them.

So I’m pretty happy that I was able to string together an entire week of being on program. Even though the loss was only 4 pounds, I FEEL better. It is amazing how quickly your body responds to better foods. That’s not to say that I was 100% healthy, but I certainly ate healthier than I’ve been.

Until tomorrow …

- Laura

 

[disappearing otter]

Hi Laura --

great job staying on program!!! And 4 pounds is fantastic! Here's to another successful week ahead.

Oh! I also keep meaning to say how cute I think your plates are.

 

[mackeysmom]

Oh! I also keep meaning to say how cute I think your plates are.

Thanks, I got them at Homegoods - dinner plates, salad plates and soup/cereal bowls. I'm still kicking myself for only getting service for four.

 

[mackeysmom]

Forgot to post last night – sorry.

Yesterday was an annoying day. It was very humid, I was cranky, I was waiting for the cable guy to come. I made breakfast, though. One egg and three egg whites mixed with a little feta cheese on a bagel thin.

Lunch was a salad – romaine, carrots, cabbage, green olives, croutons, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, mozzarella cheese and low-fat dressing. Very filling and very good.

After having so much success with my Yonanas machine, I decided to dust off another kitchen gadget I hadn’t yet used – my quesadilla maker. First I measured my ingredients (peppers, onions, black olives, low-fat cheese, picante sauce and low-fat sour cream.) …

Then I warmed up the quesadilla maker …

And the result was a yummy quesadilla. Since I used the smaller tortillas, I had some peppers/onions that wouldn’t fit so I had those on the side.

Later on, while watching Chopped, I decided to pop up a bag of microwave popcorn (with a little grated cheese).

I’m not sure if I’ve previously mentioned the problem I have with microwave popcorn. I sometimes have a problem stopping at one bag. For a while, I had to ban it outright from the house. I’ve been good, though. Until last night. I knew it was coming. As I was eating the first bag, I was already thinking about eating the second bag. As I was eating the second bag, I thought about eating a third bag. But instead of popping up a third bag, I decided to “counter balance” it with something sweet. Two cups of Jello pudding and fat-free Cool Whip later, I felt sick to my stomach and annoyed that I had wasted nearly 15 of my Weekly Points. Oh well, at least I had the points to waste, right?

Until tomorrow (or actually, tonight , since I’m about 12 hours off schedule) …

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Here I am again …

Busy morning, so breakfast was quick and on-the-go. I had a banana and a large Dunkin Donuts coffee (2 points worth of cream and 2 Splenda).

By the time noon rolled around, I was starving. I wasn’t sure what I had in the house, but I WAS sure that I was in the same strip mall as my FAVORITE local pizza place. I popped in and was thrilled to see that they had a pie of my favorite specialty pizza just out of the oven and still hot. Bruschetta pizza – thin crust (like a grandma pizza) with chopped up tomatoes, onions, basil, red pepper and small pieces of fresh mozzarella. I treated myself to one slice, brought it home and absolutely savored every last bite.

(The picture doesn't do it justice as I had eaten about half of the toppings before I snapped the shot.)

It’s Wednesday, so that means dinner at my sister’s house. Tonight she made pulled chicken, flavored rice, corn on the cob and broccoli. Absolutely delicious.

After dinner my sister, niece and I took a 3-mile walk together. It was muggy and buggy, but we stuck it out. After that, I took my nieces and nephew to the local Italian Ice place. I treated myself to a kid’s sized chocolate water ice.

All in all, not a bad day. I’m proud that I only got one slice of pizza – in the past I definitely would have gotten two slices. Baby steps, right?

Until tomorrow …

- Laura