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