My Wednesday

Blogger friends, the desire to cheat has about kicked my hiney. Thankfully (although I didn't feel that way at the time), my hubby saved me from it yesterday. I had already made up my mind to cheat. Something about the fact that I have been working towards it for the past few weeks, cravings on my mind and the fact that it was rainy. Why do I always want to eat junk when its rainy? So, I had just about decided to get Chinese take out. I was debating back and forth in my mind of whether to call hubby and ask him to bring it home. But before I finally chose to call him, he showed up in the driveway. And then he refused to go back and get it for me. Something about not needing to spend the money and driving back to town..BLAH.. I was ill as a hornet and he got the wrath for a few seconds but later, after eating my good dinner, I was glad that he had refused. And I therefore made it through ANOTHER day without cheating. No promises about today or the weekend though. The cravings are still there.

I just had a really great lunch. It was the Healthy Choice Ravioli Florentine Marinara. Now, I have had the healthy choice frozen meals before but I tend to usually prefer the LCuisines to the HC or SmartOnes meals because the other two choices tend to have dishes without meat and I LIKE MY MEAT. But, I had this in the freezer because my daughter the pasta queen had picked it up and never eaten it. It was DELICIOUS you all. It is ravioli filled with ricotta cheese and spinach and topped with a marinara sauce and mozarella cheese. 4 WW points, 230 calories and yummo. I will definitely be purchasing that again, and I happened to just get a coupon for buy 5, get one free HC meals!

Anyhow, I had leftover turkey chili for dinner last night and after eating it, because it was even better than the first night, I was full and satisfied and less mad at hubby for refusing me Crab Rangoon..LOL.

Tonight I'm thinking chicken. I haven't had it yet this week and its one of my favs.

Here's my food from Wednesday:
Breakfast: Wheat pita with 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and sliced turkey
Lunch: LCuisine glazed chicken
Afternoon snack: A peach and a peach greek yogurt
Dinner: 2 cups turkey chili, wheat thin crackers and 2 tbsp. fat free sour cream on the chili

Totals: 25 points, 1,334 calories, and approx. 30 minute walk and 84.5 oz. h2o

My Tuesday

Well, I resisted the temptation to cheat yesterday, but its still there. I made the drive home and was almost there, busy with other stuff on my mind and realized that I was almost home and hadn't even thought about stopping at the store or McD's. It was so beautiful, and cool outside that I walked again when I got home, making 2-30 minute walks yesterday. It was drizzling this morning but that didn't stop me and I walked in the rain! I'm happy about the decisions that I made yesterday and the ones so far today but I'm still taking it one decision at a time.

I kept busy when I got home yesterday afternoon which helped with the cheating desire. I walked again, then I tore apart my bedroom and dusted, washed the bedding and vacuumed the mattresses and the whole room and the floor under the bed. I was wore out but the exercise was good for my body!

Here's my food from Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1 whole egg, light, multigrain english muffin and 1 turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Lean Cuisine garlic chicken (this is so yummo)
Afternoon snack: A banana
Dinner: Homemade pizza on a wheat pita with sauteed peppers and mushrooms, chicken strips and 2% mozzarella cheese

Totals for the day: 18 points, 1,117 calories, and 2-30 minute walks!

I'm thinking leftover turkey chili for dinner tonight..its ready, its easy and its a dreary, cool and rainy day..what a perfect meal for that kind of day.

Til tomorrow!

Sunday & Monday

Well, I made it through the weekend but the temptation to cheat is still really strong. Maybe getting into the routine of my week will help some. I made some chili yesterday because I was home from work and have been craving some for a few weeks. My friend was telling me last week about the chili she made using ground turkey and it sounded awesome so I tried it. It was the first time I have used the turkey to make chili and it was really good. And I managed to get it down to 5 points per cup. I will likely tweak the recipe some and play around with it the more times that I make it. Tonight I think I'm having homemade pizza for dinner. It's sounding really good and its so easy to make, fast and there's little cleanup. Plus I can try out the wheat pitas I found at Trader Joes. I had been looking for a lower calorie crust. The wheat pitas I usually buy at the grocery store are really kind of small for a dinner pizza (150 calories) and the Naan bread I found is way too high in calories (300 calories). I found the bigger wheat pitas at TJ's for 200 calories so I'm going to try them out. I have started back to eating Greek yogurt which my daughter and I tried for the first time this summer and really liked but I go in spurts with my yogurt eating. I'll eat it alot, then stop for a while. I bought some last weekend at the store and have been having it at night as a dessert with some fresh fruit. It's SO yummy! So far, I'm liking the Chobani brand the best..especially the peach. If you know of any other good brands/flavors, let me know in the comment section, please and thank you!

Here's my food for Sunday and Monday.

Sunday:
Breakfast: 1 whole egg and 1 egg white scrambled with sauteed mushrooms and 2% mozarella cheese and placed over top of a light, multigrain english muffin
Lunch/Snack: Pretzels and 2 tbsp. roasted red pepper hummus
Dinner: 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast w/ bbq sauce, 2 cups Mediterranean veggie blend and 1 individual sized container of brown rice
Dessert: A pear and a peach greek yogurt

Totals for Sunday: 23 points, 1,191 calories

Monday:
Breakfast: 1/2 of a whole wheat pita with 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and 6 slices turkey
Lunch: Lean Cuisine bbq chicken pizza
Dinner: 2 cups turkey chili, with 2 tbsp. fat free sour cream and reduced fat wheat thins
Dessert: A peach and peach greek yogurt

Totals for Monday: 27 points, 1,389 calories

I'm still struggling daily with the urge to cheat and still majorly craving pizza and a cheesburger and fries. I'm thinking I should just go ahead and cheat and get it over with but I KNOW that is just me talking myself into cheating and rationalizing it. I KNOW that cheating to satisfy a craving will lead to another craving and another cheat and the cycle goes on and on. I'm just going to try to take it one decision at a time. I decided to take a walk this morning (and I did), I decided to eat a healthy breakfast (and I did), I decided to pack a healthy lunch for work (and I did). I will try to decide on the way home to go straight home without stopping at the store for ice cream and Cheetos and without stopping at McDonald's. I will try to decide when I get home to have a small afternoon snack with a Crystal Light instead of eating a bunch of junk and I will try to decide to get through this day without cheating. One decision, one good choice at a time.

Have a great day, make good decisions!

Stacy

Friday and Saturday

Well I made it through the movies and almost the whole weekend and I haven't cheated yet. I'm really having alot of cravings and a strong desire to eat badly though..sometimes this healthy eating is so easy and sometimes its really HARD. I walked yesterday morning, making 5 days this week. I felt really good after that walk too. Hubby and I went to the movies, and did some shopping yesterday. I ate breakfast before I left the house  but he did not. So, he was hungry for some lunch before the movie started and grabbed a burger and fries from the grill next to the theater. Since I had already eaten breakfast and was planning on a nice dinner, I chose not to get anything even though watching him eat that burger was hard. Since he had just eaten, he didn't want any popcorn so I bypassed that temptation. Before the movie, I had picked up an individual sized bag of pretzel M & M's and some Crystal Light. So, in the movies I had my 150 calorie M & M's and a bottled water with Crystal Light and it was good.

Friday's food:
Breakfast: 1 whole egg, light, multigrain english muffin and 1 turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Chicken griller on light wheat bun with 1/2 cup lettuce and bbq sauce
Snack: Pretzels with 2 tbsp. roasted red pepper hummus
Dinner: Homemade pizza on Naan bread with sauce, sauteed peppers and mushrooms, chicken strips and 2% mozarella.

Totals for Friday: 20 points, 1,233 calories, and no exercise :(

Saturday's food:
Breakfast: 1 whole egg, light, multigrain english muffin and 1 turkey sausage patty
Lunch: None
Afternoon Snack: Pretzel M & M's
Dinner: Chicken breast with bone and skin, bbq sauce, broccoli and Just for 1 peas/corn

Totals for Saturday: 23 poitns, 1,190 calories, approx. 30 minute walk

Just 3 1/2 more hours until dinner..the temptation to cheat is strong but I'm trying to keep myself busy..

My Thursday

Well I missed my walk this morning. I could say that I had alot of errands to run (which I did), or things to do around the house (which I did), but those are basically just rationalizations because I was just too lazy to walk! Something about Fridays just makes me want to skip my walk. Hopefully I will get one in this weekend so I can at least have exercised 5 days this week.
My dinner was AWESOME last night. I found some chicken breasts at the store which were still big, but managable and I roasted one with just seasonings. Then I roasted some red potatoes with fennell and some baby carrots and it was so good. The potatoes were really great, and I don't eat potatoes often when I'm dieting so I really enjoyed them. My husband even liked them, even with the fennell in them!
I get a bit hesitant when the weekend rolls around because the temptation to cheat is strong. Hubby and I are planning on seeing a movie this weekend and movie popcorn is one of my WEAKNESSES! So, we'll see how I do. He may have to sit a few seats down with that popcorn..LOL. I'm thinking of homemade pizza for dinner tonight, or maybe a small steak with sauteed mushrooms and broccoli. It really depends on what I feel like when I get home.

Here's my food for Thursday:
Breakfast: 1 packet maple and brown sugar oatmeal
Lunch: A banana and a sandwich of a whole wheat pita, 2 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and sliced turkey
Afternoon snack: None
Dinner: Chicken breast w/ bone and skin, 1 cup red potatoes and fennell and 1 cup baby carrots
Dessert: Sugar free double chocolate pudding

Totals for the day: 26 points, 1,571 calories, 84.5 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

I DID go over my prefered 1,500 calories per day but not by much and I might be counting the calories on the potatoes high so I won't sweat it too much.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be trying to stay on track amongst the many thoughts of cheating that I've been having lately. I'll let you know how it turns out next week.

Stacy

My Wednesday

Well, I didn't have pizza for dinner last night. I debated on what to have too long and ended up heating up the leftover Turkey meatloaf. It was really good but 3 days in a row is enough for me! Tonight I'm planning on borrowing an idea I saw on another blog (sorry but I can't remember which one..it wasn't one I read regularly, just came across it yesterday). Anyhow, I'm planning on having roasted chicken breast with roasted potatoes, fennel and carrots. That is if I can find some smaller sized bone-in chicken breasts at the store. It has come to my attention that the bone-in chicken breasts that you find in the store these days are HUGE. That's all fine and dandy when I'm eating whatever I want, but when I'm tracking points and calories, those are just too big. WW points are 1.12 points per ounce for bone-in, with skin, chicken breasts. And I found out today by calling the WW 1-800 number (thank you so much WW) that it IS the weight with the bone. So, I'm going to look for some smaller chicken breasts on the way home because what I have in the freezer is too big. I know, I know, that I should be eating boneless, skinless chicken breasts but honestly I love the flavor of the bone-in and the crispy skin and if I'm eating well, exercising and staying within my points and calories for the day, I think its okay.

I have a friend who just had gastric bypass surgery and after losing like 40-something pounds, she hit a plateau. Well, she recently overcame that plateau by cutting out starches and sweets. That brings us back to the are carbs good or bad debate. I know that I eat too many carbs. There, I've said it. But, honestly, I just can't see cutting them out right now for several reasons. 1- I love them..I am a big fan of the carbs. 2- I have changed my eating to where I only eat whole wheat or multigrain breads and brown rice. So, the only "bad" carbs I get are in my lean cuisines or on the rare occasion that I eat potatoes. 3- I really believe in the plan of allowing yourself to eat what you want as long as you are within your points/calories for the day. Now, I've done the low/no carb thing before and yes, I lost alot of weight but really I believe in a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods and for me, carbs are part of that variety. So, for now, I will allow myself my multigrain english muffins and couscous when I want it. I will continue to measure my portions, count my points and calories, and stay away from white rice and breads. For me, variety is one of the keys to sticking to this healthy lifestyle.

Okay, here's my food from Wednesday:

Breakfast: 1 whole egg, light, multigrain english muffin and 1 turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Lean Cuisine chicken alfredo
Afternoon snack: 3 pcs. melba toast, 2 tbsp. hummus and lean turkey slices
Dinner: 1 slice turkey meatloaf with ketchup & broccoli with white cheddar sauce

Totals for the day: 25 points, 1,150 calories, 84.5 oz. water & approx. 30 minute walk

My Tuesday

I'm trucking right along. Its funny how when you are eating bad, you are constantly craving more bad stuff to eat. But when you have been on track with eating good for a while, those bad food cravings hide themselves away to where you barely have them. THEN, when you have something stressful occur, they rear their ugly heads ready to take you down! Its like I go through my day to day not really noticing that I'm no longer eating all the yummy bad food I love. Then, if I allow myself to go there, and just think about or picture one of those yummy things, suddenly its in my mind again. AND, if I continue to picture and think about it, I eventually talk myself into having to have it! Its really wierd. So, I'm trying a new thing now. Once one of those food thoughts pops into my head, I'm trying to make myself pop it back out without dwelling on it. Because the longer I dwell on it and think about it, the closer I am to eating it. And let me tell you, advertisement doesn't help matters any. Take for instance the new Pizza Hut commercials for the Big Italy pizza. Now, I love pizza. I mean LOVE pizza. And of course, I haven't had take out pizza lately because I've been dieting. So, of course that Pizza Hut commercial is going to play to advertise this massive pile of delicious cheesyness that is the Big Italy. Just like those Olive Garden commercials, and the Red Lobster ones that air everytime there is a new special or when its Lobsterfest. How many times per day can they air those commercials? I mean really? Its not like a girl isn't having a hard enough time without having those commercials shoved in her face multiple times daily. Its especially a kick in the hind end to have one air when you are sitting down to your plate of chicken and broccoli which 5 minutes before looked really great, but after watching the commercial suddenly feels like you're eating a pile of plain rice cakes.

Okay..enough ranting about the Big Italy. But I feel a little better..lol.

I walked again this morning. I really like taking my walks in the morning because I feel like I've accomplished something and started my day off really well. But since the temperatures have been a bit milder, I kind of like my afternoon walks as well. Its nice to be out in the sunshine. I still prefer the morning walks though, so as long as I can get my butt outta bed in time to walk before work, I will keep doing so.

Tuesday's food:
Breakfast: Poached egg, light, multigrain english muffin and turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Smart Ones 3 cheese ziti with marinara sauce
Afternoon Snack: 7 Triscuit crackers, 2 tbsp. roasted red pepper hummus and sliced turkey
Dinner: 1 slice turkey meatloaf w/ ketchup, green giant broccoli and just for one peas/corn

Totals for the day: 26 points, 1,275 calories, 101.4 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

Since I'm craving pizza, I'm going to make homemade pizza for dinner again tonight. Oddly enough, as good as that Big Italy looks, the pizza I'm craving is the one I made at home last weekend. Thats progress I think.

Have a great afternoon, do something fun, enjoy the day, be good to you.

I'll be working on being good to me,

Stacy

Catch-Up and Monday

Gosh its been a long time since I've posted..not because I've fallen into that pint of Ben & Jerry's but just because of some uncontrollable things. I have stayed pretty much on track since my last post and I'm really proud of that! I walked 4 days last week. I had a family emergency requiring me to leave the house early on Friday and then I did not walk this weekend. But, I'm back to it this week with a walk both yesterday and this morning.
This weekend was a good food weekend for me mostly. Friday I stuck to the plan all day and had bbq chicken and broccoli for dinner with a total of 22 points and 1,140 calories for the day. Saturday I did great again and enjoyed a wonderful homemade pizza for dinner. I had really been wanting to make one after reading how great everyone elses sounded and looked. I used whole wheat Naan, peppers, mushrooms, onions, 2% cheese and Canadian bacon. It was really filling and yummy. I really need to find some alternatives for crust though b/c the Naan was 300 calories by itself! I looked into the wheat pizza crusts and those were about as much, and a pita bread (150 calories) just seemed too small to me for dinner. But, when I got home I compared the pita to the Naan and it wasn't really THAT much smaller, so next time I may switch. But, the Naan was good and I still kept within my points and calories for the day. My totals for Saturday were 18 points and approx. 1,010 calories. Sunday we drove Heather back to Greenville and went to IHOP for breakfast. A good point of why I don't like eating in restaurants when I'm dieting. EVEN if you try to order well, you CANNOT control what happens in the kitchen and what you get on your plate. I chose to order off the Just For Me portion of the menu which offers lower calorie choices. I ordered the Spinach, Mushroom & Swiss omelet that comes with a side of fruit. I also asked for an order of wheat toast with no butter. Well, the menu showed that the omelet & fruit was 350 calories. Then when my plate arrived the omelet was HUGE..I MEAN HUGE.. which IHOP's omelets usually are. BUT I had thought by ordering from the "healthy" side of the menu, that the size would be adjusted. Let me just say that I find it hard to believe that omelet AND fruit were only 350 calories. Then of course my "dry" toast came with a nice, buttery-resembling sheen to it. So, I ate a little over 1/2 of the omelet, mostly all of the fruit and 1 slice of the toast with jelly. All in all I don't think I did that bad, considering how I would've usually just said heck with the diet, and tore down the house. The rest of the day I had a wheat pita bread with 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and for dinner I had Hawaiin marinated chicken kabobs with peppers and mushrooms and some couscous.

Yesterday I had planned on having turkey burger patties with sauteed mushrooms for dinner with the leftover couscous and a veggie. On the way to the grocery store, that menu got changed to Turkey meatloaf. And it was AWESOME. If you are ever looking for something different to do with ground turkey, please try this meatloaf. It is really good. It calls for ground turkey breast, which is the best option via ground turkey but tends to dry out in cooking. What I like about this recipe is that the rest of the ingredients help to moisten the turkey to help with the drying out. You can get the recipe at foodnetwork.com, just type in turkey meatloaf and its the recipe by the Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten. The recipe calls for 5 lbs. of ground turkey but I cut everything in the recipe in 1/2 and use 2.6 lbs. (2-1.3 lb. containers) and it still makes a HUGE meatloaf which I portion into 7 slices averaging about 7-8 points and 295-300 calories per slice. I paired mine with some couscous and a Green Giant Just For 1 peas/corn veggie.

Here's my food from yesterday (Monday):
Breakfast: 1 packet WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, 1 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Spaghetti with meat sauce
Snack: 1/2 wheat pita bread, 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and 3 slices lean turkey
Dinner: 1 slice turkey meatloaf with 1 tbsp. ketchup, 1/2 cup couscous and Just for 1 peas/corn

Totals for the day: 25 points, 1,163 calories, 84.5 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

Tonight will likely be leftover meatloaf for dinner. Another thing I love about this recipe is that it feeds me for several days with no cooking!

Have a great afternoon and do something good for you!

I'll be doing something good for me.

My Wednesday

Well I did it! I got out of bed a little early and took my walk before work this morning. YAY ME!
I'm going to be brief because its about time for me to leave the office, so here's my food from yesterday:

Breakfast: Egg, light multigrain english muffin and turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Chicken griller patty on a wheat sandwich thin with lettuce and bbq sauce and 1 cup of pineapple
Afternoon snack: A banana and a fiber 1 peach yogurt
Dinner: Stuffed pork chop with bbq sauce and green giant peas
Dessert: Jello double chocolate sug. free pudding

Totals for the day: 23 points 1,332 calories, 84.5 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

I'm debating on some dinner choices tonight but leaning towards turkey burgers...
Have a great afternoon!

My Tuesday

Had another good day of good choices yesterday. I took that walk when I got home. It was so pretty out but its much harder walking in the afternoon sun then it is in the morning breeze. LOL. I found some new dessert options at the grocery store this past weekend. One was really yummy and one, not so much. I could kick myself for going back to eating desserts. Last time I was doing really well on my plan, I had gotten to the point where my sweets cravings were gone and I wasn't eating any desserts/bedtime snacks. Now, I'm back to liking something sweet before bed. And I've really been on an icecream kick lately from all that Ben & Jerry's I was eating when I wasn't on my plan. So, at the store this past weekend, I was looking for some different dessert options. I found small, individual containers of Great Value (Walmart brand) frozen yogurt in Strawberry, Berry, Blueberry and Peach Mango. I was really excited for the size of the container to be 160 calories. Then I got it home and it was BLAH.. I only purchased the Strawberry so I will try one more flavor before I totally rule them out. My other find was the Dole Fruit Crisp individual bowls. They come in Apple/Pear, Apple/Cinnamon and I believe some type of Pineapple. I bought the Apple/Pear which was a small container of fruit with a granola like crisp topping. I heated it up as suggested on the package and it was really yummy..similar to apple pie for only 3 points and 150 calories. Try them out if you get a chance.

Tuesday's food:
Breakfast: Poached egg, light multigrain english muffin and 1 patty of turkey sausage
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Chicken with Almonds
Afternoon Snack: 1 cup fresh pineapple and 1 Light Babybel cheese
Dinner: 4 1/2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast with bbq sauce, 1 cup Mediterranean veggies and 1 cup cream corn
Dessert: Apple/Pear fruit crisp

Totals for the day: 23 points, 1, 116 calories, 101.40 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

Til Tomorrow!
Have a great day!!

My Monday

Had a really good day yesterday. I took that walk when I got home because it was so pretty outside. I was really surprised to find myself so out of shape again. Up until a few months ago, I was walking at least 5 days a week, sometimes twice a day. Yesterday, I only made it once around the neighborhood and I was already feeling it in my thighs. I walked 30 minutes and thought about getting up and doing it again this morning but of course my laziness won out. I'm planning to walk again when I get home. It will take me about a week of consecutive work outs to get back into the "i'm going to exercise every day" groove.

Here's my food from yesterday:

Breakfast: Smoothie made with skim milk, WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, ice and 1/2 of a banana
Lunch: Other 1/2 of my banana and a chicken grillers patty on a wheat sandwich thin w/ bbq sauce
Afternoon Snack: Wheat pita and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow French Onion cheese
Dinner: 2 soft tacos with high fiber tortillas, fat free sour cream, salsa, lettuce, WW shredded cheese and chicken breast strips cooked in stewed tomatoe mixture
Dessert: Individual container of strawberry frozen yogurt (160 calories worth)

Totals for the day: 22 points, 1,363 calories and 84.5 oz. water

Again I came in under my points. I don't know what else to do at this point. I literally didn't have time to eat anything else. I was really full after the smoothie so I ate the rest of the banana with my lunch. After my walk and shower I still shoved in a snack even though it was only a few hours until dinner AND I ate dessert. I have just realized that on the days that I have soft tacos, I will just come in under points. I have checked the points and calories of my ingredients and they are just really low in points. They are actually a great value points and calorie wise b/c my 2 tacos were really loaded and I get really full from them for only 8 points and 449 calories. I'm not going to worry about coming in under my points b/c I still got in 1,363 calories which is pretty good (I'm aiming for no more than 1,500 daily).

Not sure what I'll have for dinner tonight. Seems like I spend alot of time and money in the grocery store and never have any options for dinner! I think I'll search online for some healthy dinner ideas.

Til Tomorrow!

Weekend Catch-Up

2 out of 3 ain't bad. As in I stuck to my plan 2 out of 3 days this weekend. Not awesome, but not too bad considering the many weekends where I've just completely blown it all weekend.
I really have to learn how to handle social situations and still stay on track. The last two social events I have been to, I have cheated. I stayed on track Friday, then we went to my cousin's for college football on Saturday and my plan want KA-PUT. But, I jumped back on track Sunday so I don't feel too bad about it today.

My points for Friday and Sunday:

Friday: For breakfast I had a light, multigrain english muffin with an egg and a turkey sausage patty.
Lunch: Garden veggie patty on a sandwich thin with ketchup, mustard, lettuce and a Nutrigrain bar
Dinner: Steak stirfry (yummy!) with olive oil, garlic, Honey Teriaki marinade, onion, broccoli, and mushrooms served over brown rice.
Dessert: double chocolate sugar free pudding
Totals: 25 points, 1,335 calories

Saturday:
Breakfast: Sandwich thin, poached egg, turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Skipped lunch b/c going to cook out..I know its a no no to skip lunch
Dinner: Hamburger with just patty on a bun with steak sauce, some chips, a few tortilla chips with a little bit of sausage/bean dip, one chicken wing and 2 meatballs.
Late snack: small individual bag of sour cream/onion chips and leftover stirfry from Friday. This was totally an up late watching tv/knowing I had already cheated so the heck with it meal.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Sandwhich thin, egg and turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Chicken Fried Rice
Dinner: BBQ chicken breast w/ bone and skin and 2 tbsp. bbq sauce and Green Giant Teriaki veggies.
Dessert: small individual container (150 calories worth) of Skinny Cow chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
Totals: 27 points, 1,426 calories

So, all and all I don't think I did that bad this weekend. My Saturday slip up would've usually led to an all out eating fest on Sunday but I jumped right back on track. I do need to do better about drinking more water on the weekends, and writing down how much b/c I seem to lose track of my water consumption easily.

This morning I made an awesome smoothie for breakfast. I took 1 packet of the WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, added 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 a banana and an ice cube and blended it all in my Magic Bullet. It was really yummy and filling. I left 1/2 the banana to eat with the smoothie, and then packed a yogurt to go with my sandwich at lunch b/c I wasn't sure that the smoothie would keep me full. But it really filled me up, more so than my usual breakfast so I saved the other 1/2 of banana to eat with lunch and skipped the yogurt. That'll give me plenty of points to have a nice snack this afternoon, as I'm planning on chicken soft tacos for dinner and those are pretty low in points.

The weather is BEAUTIFUL here. It is really nice and mild out..not the hot weather we have been used to. So, I'm thinking of taking a walk this afternoon. I have been putting off starting back exercising b/c I'm just too lazy to get out of bed early enough in the mornings. But this weather has made me want to take a walk. We'll see if I still want to once I get home, as there are plenty of chores to do and Young and the Restless is on at 4:00..LOL..I KNOW I need to start exercising again, but I'm always this way at first, I dread initially starting it but once I get on a roll I enjoy it...I'll let you know tomorrow what I did or didn't do..LOL

Have a great afternoon!

Wednesday & Thursday

Sorry I missed posting yesterday but I left the office early to drive to Greenville to see Heather and just didn't have the time to blog. I've done well since getting back on track Tuesday and I'm hoping to make good decisions over the weekend which is always a challenge for me.

Wednesday I had a packet of instant apple/cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast (2 points, 130 calories).
Lunch: Chicken griller patty on wheat sandwich thin with bbq sauce and shredded lettuce and a peach (4 points, 330 calories)
Afternoon snack: Another peach and a 100 calorie packet of goldfish (3 points, 170 calories)
Dinner: Large roasted chicken breast w/ bone and skin, 1/2 cup creamed spinach and 2/3 cup Steamfresh corn, carrots and asparagus mix ( 14 points, 700 calories).
Now, I'm still having a hard time counting the big chicken breasts with the bone in them. According to calorieking.com they should be approximately 56 calories per oz. BUT, is that the weight WITH the bone in? Because that is how I weigh mine, and that is how i'm counting mine. But, 560 calories for a chicken breast seems high (thats at a weight of 10 oz. w/ the bone). So, not sure if i'm doing that right. If anyone knows, please email me or comment on the post.

Totals for Wednesday: 23 points, 1,330 calories, 67.6-84.5 oz. water. I lost track after the 3rd glass.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Light, multigrain english muffin with Turkey sausage patty (2 points, 160 calories)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Macaroni & Beef (5 points, 260 calories)
Afternoon Snack: None..on the road to Greenville
Dinner: 2 Turkey soft tacos with fat free sour cream, ground turkey, taco seasoning, shredded lettuce, WW mexican shredded cheese and salsa (9 points, 492 calories)

Totals for Thursday: 16 points, 912 calories, 67.6 oz. water
I was way under points and calories for yesterday. But I was on the run and missed my afternoon snack. Then I ate dinner around 7 and was REALLY full because my tacos were loaded so I didn't feel like a dessert. Again, just got busy, it wasn't a conscious choice to be that low in my points/calories.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I'm hoping to maneuver mine with good choices even IF the hubby wants to eat out or cook on the grill.

My Tuesday

Well, I did good yesterday. Stuck to the plan all day, drank plenty of water and didn't have any mad cravings either.

I ended up low on points yesterday since my breakfast was minus the egg and my lunch was minus the side item. I even added cheese to my salad and had a hearty afternoon snack but still came in at only 22 points. I was satisfied though so I'm not going to worry too much about it. But I have a bad pattern of either going way OVER points (cheating) or coming in UNDER points (unintentionally). I know that its important to eat all of my points everyday but I can't see eating 5 more points at the end of the day if I'm physically not hungry. Oh, if I could only apply that outlook to say I can't see eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's if I'm not physically hungry!

Anywhoo..here's my totals for yesterday:

Breakfast:
Light, multigrain english muffin and 1 Turkey sausage patty (2 points, 160 calories)

Lunch:
MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Burger on a Wheat Sandwich Thin with lettuce, tomatoe, mustard and ketchup (3 points, 240 calories)

Afternoon Snack:
1 fresh peach (1 point, 70 calories[estimate from calorieking.com])
7 Reduced Fat Triscuits & 1 Light Babybel cheese (3 points, 170 calories)

Dinner:
Turkey Taco Salad with lettuce, tomatoes, WW shredded Mexican cheese, ground turkey w/ taco seasoning, salsa and Light Ranch dressing and 1 High Fiber tortilla (12 points, 506 calories)

Dessert:
1 fresh peach (1 point, 70 calories)

Totals for the day: 22 points, 1,216 calories, 84.5 oz. water

Not sure what I'll have for dinner tonight. I have plenty of ground taco turkey leftover but I'm kind of craving stir fry...

Hope everyone has a great evening!

Catch Up and Fess Up

Wow, its been almost a week since my last post. In that time, I have fallen into the a few days on a few days off pattern that I have done many times before. I didn't stress over it though because I knew the temptation would be strong with my daughter back in town and us cooking a big family meal on Sunday. So, I enjoyed my weekend with my family, ate more than I should (and willingly admit it) and I'm attempting to jump back on track today. I have realized that being at home is a mess of temptation for me. Being off work yesterday led to bad choices. My hotspot time of temptation during the week are the hours of time between getting home from work and eating dinner. I'm sure its boredom that leads to the bad choices, so I really need to find something to do to occupy my time. I have chores around the house but sometimes my work is caught up and I decide to enjoy some relaxation and tv time. Which of course leads to the temptation of wanting something yummy to eat!

I'm doing good so far today, and when I went shopping this weekend I stocked up on healthy choices for the week. So, I have a good dinner planned and all the ingredients at home with no need to stop by the store. I bought some AWESOMELY DELICIOUS fresh peaches at Sams this weekend. I love fresh peaches but often find the ones in the grocery store to be hard as a rock. These ones are tender, ripe and yummy. So, I will have them for snacks/dessert this week. I also stocked up on the double chocolate sugar free pudding that I love to enjoy for 1 point as a dessert.

I had to adjust one of my favorite lunches a tad bit today because we shopped at Target this weekend and they didn't have the Merita Lite Wheat hamburger buns that I like to use for my veggie burgers. Actually, I have only been able to find these buns at Food Lion, but I don't really like to shop there because I find them a bit more expensive than other places. The buns are a great find because they are only 1 point and 80 calories per bun. I had looked a while to find a 1 point bun for turkey burgers, etc. I usually just run into the FLion by the office and get the buns when I run out. But, I was already on my second grocery trip for the weekend and didn't feel like having to make another stop before work in the morning, so I just picked up some 100% Wheat Sandwich thins. They are 1 point and 100 calories, so I was a bit hesitant about them because 1-20 more calories is 20 more calories and 2- I really prefer the texture of a bun. Well, I used one on my veggie burger for lunch today and it was pretty good. I noticed because the bread was thinner and more dense than the usual bun, that I could taste the burger and toppings better. So, I think I'll stick with them at least long enough to finish the bag that I bought. Also, I find that I end up at my points limit during the day with still many calories left (trying to stick to 27 points and 1,500 calories). I usually reach the 27 points at around 1,100-1,300 calories so the extra 20 calories for the sandwich thin won't really hurt me.

Well, let's see how I handle this afternoon with my downtime after work. I've only had 5 points so far today so I have plenty of room left for a decent afternoon snack. The 5 points only wasn't intentional. I realized that my eggs were expired which cut 2 points off my breakfast and in my rush this morning, I forgot to pack a side item to go with the veggie burger so I'm low on my points so far today. That means a nice snack and maybe some shredded WW cheese in my taco salad tonight!

I'll be back tomorrow to share my points/calories for today.

Have a great day!

My Tuesday

Much better day yesterday. YES, I am still craving that Ben & Jerry's and its driving me a little batty but so far, so good. The real challenge will be when Heather comes home this weekend. Her and I start out with the intention on motivating each other to do well, but end up being partners in crime when we eat yummy things that we shouldn't!

I got back on track yesterday after my bad food choices on Sunday and Monday. And I have to tell you I wasn't happy about it. Actually I was quite ticked off at being "back on" the plan. Do you ever get really mad about having to stick to your plan? Its really crazy isn't it? To be mad about something that I am doing by CHOICE. I don't HAVE to stick to the plan, I choose to. And its something thats GOOD for me, but it royally ticks me off to do it sometimes! That's the point that I was at yesterday. I had enjoyed my few days of splurging and I was ticked off about it being over. I was cranky, whiny and I bit poor hubby's head off a few times when I shouldn't have. It's so easy to see why I have failed at this so many times before. Because its MUCH easier to go off the plan and be happy. And don't we all love when things are easier?

Alas, the easy route is not always the best route. I made much better choices yesterday and I can only try to take it one day at a time. I made that healthy dinner last night. It was chicken stir fry with onions, mushrooms and brocolli and it was good and filling.

Tuesday's Food:
Breakfast:
Lite, multigrain english muffin (1 point, 100 calories)
1 whole egg (2 points, 70 calories)
1 Turkey Sausage patty (1 point, 60 calories)

Lunch:
Smart Ones Salisbury Steak w/ Asparagus (4 points, 200 calories)

Afternoon Snack:
2 cups raw veggies (broccoli, baby carrots, grape tomatoes) (1 point, 121 calories)
1/4 cup fat free sour cream w/ powdered ranch dip mix (2 points, 70 calories)

Dinner:
Minute Rice individual container brown rice (4 points, 230 calories)
3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken (3 points, 84 calories)
2 cups mushrooms, onion, and broccoli (1 point, 115 calories)
Honey Teriaki Marinade (2 points, 80 calories)
2 tsp. olive oil (2 points, 80 calories)

Dessert:
Sugar free jello Double Chocolate pudding cup (1 point, 60 calories)

Totals for Day: 24 points, 1,270 calories, 84.5 oz. water

The calories for the chicken and the veggies are found from an old PE book and calorieking.com and are estimates.

Tonight I'm craving a Turkey Taco salad, or thinking of trying it with ground chicken instead of turkey. It all depends on if I feel like stopping at the store after work or not. Have a great night.

Stacy