Weekly Weigh In and Chicago

This week, I maintained my weight.  I am guessing that I did lose a little before I went away and then put some on.  My body feels bloated still from eating more salt/fat/sugar than I normally do on a regular basis.  I'm calling this week my detox week!

I spent 3 days in Chicago for a mini-vacation with my best friend.  She was there working, so I was on my own for the most part.  I had a great time!  The weather was beautiful, so I spent most of my days walking around.  The first day I forgot to track my miles, but I used my free Endomondo app the rest of the time (a really great app if you want to track any sort of outside activity!).  It tracks how far, how long, average speed, and more!  Here are a few examples of the feedback from the app:

I walked over 30 miles while i was there!  My legs are exhausted, but I'm proud of myself!  There were a few times when I really wanted to hop on a bus or in a cab, but I didn't!!!  

I'm not going to lie, I ate a bunch of stuff that isn't on the weight-loss wagon, but that's part of travel for me.  I did discover some delicious, healthy meals along the way!

Crepes filled with spinach and mushrooms at the farmers market (above)
Grilled fish tacos at Howells & Hood (below)

The rest of my meals weren't horrible, health-wise (except the deep dish pizza- which, in retrospect, I shouldn't have eaten- I was so disappointed in the taste!  I'll stick to NY style pizza, thank you!), but they weren't healthy, either.  

I'm glad to be home, back in my routine and my kitchen!

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Burger Joint

The other day, I was on a field trip with my grad class (hooray field trips as an adult!) and we were going to a burger joint for lunch.  Upon hearing this, I became upset, thinking that I was either going to be stuck ordering a burger and hating myself for the amount of points I would use up, or that I would have to stay away from any type of burger and be the girl who orders a salad and stares longingly at everyone else's food.

Off to the restaurant website I went, and, much to my surprise, they had a few "healthy" options.  My choice was for a tuna burger marinated in ginger, soy and scallions.  I was picturing minced tuna formed into a patty, but was pleasantly surprised when out came my plate with a tuna steak on the bun.  It was delicious, I only ate the bottom half of the bun, and got a side of sweet potato fries.  Let me tell you, this was the best thing I had in a long time, and I wasn't upset at the lack of beef in my burger.

I'm determined to recreate this marinade at home, it's my mission of the week.  Stay tuned for the recipe!

Deli Lunch

I wasn't in the mood to make lunch this morning.  A sandwich just wasn't going to be what I wanted.  It's been gross and rainy, and I wanted something hot.


I headed down to the deli during lunch time, but I knew that I didn't want a wrap or anything cold.  Luckily, they have great daily hot lunch specials.  Meatballs?  Nah, too many points.  Same goes for the sausage and peppers and lasagna.


I hit the jackpot with chicken cacciatore!  It looked so yummy, tomato sauce and lots of veggies.  I got that with steamed veggies as both of my sides.  I took off any chicken skin, and dipped the veggies in the sauce.  For a Points+ value of 11, I had a very hearty and satisfying lunch!

I was really happy to see a relatively healthy hot lunch option!  The next time you go to your local deli, try something other than a sandwich if it's available.  You might be very pleasantly surprised!

Chinese Food Revelation

A while ago, if I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it very well may have been chicken chow mein.  I love it, and love Chinese food in general.


I have had a revelation.  I can't believe I'm going to say this.  


Chinese food just doesn't do it for me anymore!  I got some last night before a concert.  I ate quite a bit with some brown rice.  It tasted good, but it wasn't satisfying in the least!  Insanity!!!


So now, whenever I'm craving some takeout, I have to remember that while I'm eating away my points, I'm still going to be hungry afterwards, and that's not worth it!

The Fast-Food Conundrum

Normally, I tend to avoid fast-food chains since they are usually filled with high fat, high sodium, high carbohydrate foods that I'm trying to avoid.  Yet, while away, I found myself sticking mainly to these same eateries.


Why?


They have nutritional information available.  They give you everything you need to know in order to make a better choice.  You can take a few minutes before you go out to get a meal and check out the stats of whatever you are thinking of ordering online.  Subway might not have a fantastic turkey sandwich, but I can better estimate what I'm about to eat than if I went to a deli.  The same with breakfast.  Dunkin Donuts has a lot of horrible choices, but they also have some not so bad ones in there (my favorite is the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Wake- Up Wrap checking in at 5 Points+).  And, of course, there's my beloved Panera, which can be just as unhealthy if you're not careful.  The thai chopped chicken salad made another appearance, and was just as delicious!


So, my mentality about fast-food has changed.  It's no longer something to steer clear of, but it's something to rely on in a pinch, so long as one remembers to order the right things!

I am in love!

I have a new love in my life that completely satisfies me and leaves me feeling full of pure joy.


It's a hot pot.


While in Baltimore, I found a restaurant that served Dim Sum and your standard Chinese fair, but they also had hot pots.  I had never had a hot pot before, it sounded very appealing, so it was ordered.


A hot pot is, well, a hot pot!  It's filled with broth (we had ours arrive with half chicken broth and half spicy Szechuan broth), and served on a burner to keep it simmering at a decent rate.  We ordered chicken, spinach and vermicelli to go with it.  Out came huge plates of fresh spinach, very thinly sliced raw chicken (which may have had a slight bit of cornstarch mixed with water on it) and rice noodles.  Similarly to fondue, you cook your ingredients in the broth until they are done to your liking, and enjoy!  Hot pots don't involve skewers or forks, though.  You fish out your meal with a wire mesh spoon.

This was such a great meal!  Both of the broths were extremely flavorful, and the ingredients were so fresh.  It also turned out to be amazingly healthy, no oil or other fat source needed.  I also wasn't left feeling bloated and stuffed at the end, which usually happens after a large meal.  I ate a lot, but it was just protein and veggies.  Yummy!


I'm determined to create my own hot pot in the next few weeks.  I'm going to utilize my electric wok to house the broth.  I just have to experiment with seasonings to get the flavors right.


If you have the chance to head to a restaurant where they serve hot pots, go.  Now.  

You're going to think I'm insane...

...but I hate shopping!


I've accumulated a decent amount of gift cards to a department store.  I finally was in the mall area, so I decided to finally use them and get some clothing that actually fits.  I swear, I walked around every women's clothing department at least 5 times and didn't see anything I even wanted to try on!  NOTHING!!!  Everything was either meant for 13-17 year olds or way too old and farty looking.  I can't deal.


I'm hoping that I was just not in shopping mode because I've been running around like crazy.  I'm going to give it another go over spring break when my play is over and I'm more relaxed.  I think I'll drag Chris with me, too.  He's a great shopping partner!


On another note, the next few days are going to be a challenge for me.  I'm going to be in Baltimore at a conference, and I'm a little nervous about being able to find food that fits my plan.  I know I can do it, and I'll probably feel less anxious about it once it's here.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Panera

Panera Bread used to be one of my favorite places to go when I had time to kill in between driving to teach lessons or go to class.  I would have a you-pick-two with broccoli cheddar soup, a baguette and bacon turkey bravo sandwich, sit there reading a book, and relax for a while.  Delicious!  


20 POINTS+ PEOPLE!!!!!  (For those of you not doing WW, my total Points+ allowance for an entire day is 31, to put it in better perspective).  Now, the soup and half sandwich aren't that good to justify spending 2/3 of my daily points on that meal, especially when it's likely that I'll be hungry not too long after.  


Saturday night, I was planning on going to Panera for dinner.  I haven't been there in months.  I knew I would plan ahead so that I wouldn't make a quick decision that I would regret later on.  Panera has a really great nutrition calculator on their website, so I went on to explore.  I decided on a full portion chicken noodle soup and a full thai chopped chicken salad with everything (including the crispy wonton strips)!  The meal was HUGE and cost me 14 Points+.  The soup was delicious, and the salad was amazing!  It's spicy, and has so many different flavors going on that all work together.  I got apples as a side and enjoyed a great unsweetened iced tea.  Next time, I think I'll stick with the same soup and salad, but as a you-pick-two because it really was too much!  The combo will only be 8 Points+.  


If you are heading out to a Panera, whether you are watching what you eat or not, try that salad!  It's really a winner!

Takeout...

I've been trying extremely hard to avoid takeout since I know it's not great for me.  I also hate not being able to be 100% sure of the nutrition facts and having to make educated guesses.  


Last night when I finally got home, the last thing I wanted to do was cook.  Even a little bit of cooking repulsed me.  It was a long day, I felt like poop.  I would have just gone to sleep, but my stomach was screaming at me to eat something.  A burrito was sounding perfect at the moment.


I was determined NOT to order a burrito, so I called my husband hoping he would talk me out of it.  His advice?  Go for it, you deserve it!  HUH?!?!?!?  What happened to telling me not to?  How could he do this to me?


So, I went ahead and ordered a nice beef burrito.  I had plenty of points left for the day, and even with the burrito I had points left to spare.  Instead of eating the chips the restaurant includes with the order, I cut up my own corn tortillas and baked them up in the oven sans oil to enjoy with my TJ's salsa.


Let me tell you, my husband is one smart man.  I was so happy that I didn't have to cook.  The burrito was delicious, it fit into my WW plan with room to spare.  I went to bed promptly at 9 without a dish to wash.  Maybe it's not a horrible thing if I eat takeout once in a while, provided I plan for it earlier and don't go overboard. 

Wait... I eat that much in one day?!?!?

I know you've all heard it and read it a million places before, but it's true!


One of the biggest techniques that has been helping me lose weight is keeping track of everything I eat.  WW has a great online tracker that I can access on my phone.  I always put in the foods BEFORE I eat them, and that keeps me from unintentionally sabotaging myself by eating way too much of something.  It also makes me very aware of what I'm putting in my body.


Even before I started WW, whenever I used some method of tracking what I put into my body, I've been successful.  I've used apps for both the iPod touch and my Evo that track calories, and both made me hold myself accountable for what I eat.  


Tracking also makes me feel better about enjoying something I really want.  I figure out a portion that fits into my plan for the day without depriving myself totally or overdoing it.


If you are trying to lose weight or just to eat right, start writing down what you eat.  You don't have to include nutritional info if you're not worried about it, just keep yourself mindful of what you are consuming.  You'll realize just how many times you mindlessly eat throughout the day.  


I have to admit, I've kind of gone overboard with the tracking thing, but it really helps me!  I measure out everything at my house before I eat it.  I look up restaurant menus before going out and figure out exactly what I'm having and how many points it will be (P.S.- why don't all restaurants have their menus online?  Most do, but too many still don't!  I'll rant about that in another post).  I plan the whole day around a meal out.  It may be compulsive, but it's working!  I constantly force my husband to track his foods because it bothers me when he hasn't tracked for a whole week (but he has like a gazillion points and just eats the same things over and over again!).  


And, if you're like my husband and I, you'll send each other messages and pics of foods you would love to eat except that the disturbing nutritional information makes you physically ill!  Like a slice of fettucini alfredo pizza (is there really a need for all of that?  Have pasta or pizza, not both!  The 2 pieces of broccoli in there does not make it any better!) or a meal consisting of multiple buckets, yes, buckets, of fried chicken that a single person is consuming in one sitting (I like my fried chicken, but not by the bucket full!).  


Try it for one week, or even just one day.  I dare you!!!

Going Out to Eat

I read something important this week.  It said something to the effect that when you are going out for a social occasion, stick to your eating plan.  When you are going out to enjoy great food, then enjoy great food!

Chris and I have had a hard time going out to eat.  Most things are just way too unhealthy and not worth the points.  Others, we make better (and cheaper) at home.  So, we really haven't gone out to eat much at all since we started WW.

Tonight, I am lucky enough to be going out for both!  We are heading out to Pancho Villas in Huntington. It's our favorite place on the Island pretty much.  They have these amazing soft marinated steak tacos.  Mmmmmm....

I planned for it during the day, having a small breakfast, snack and lunch.  And you know what?  I'm going to enjoy my food tonight.  Every last bite that I want, I'm going to have.  Some sangria?  Only if I think it's worth it!  I already decided that the margaritas I love so much still aren't worth a whopping 9 points+!  

So, Pancho's, here we come!