Baltimore Bound!

Heading into Baltimore today for a music conference!  Today's a busy travel day, so I don't have time for a large update.  Starting the day off with my yogurt and packing many fig bars so that at any point throughout the next few days, if I'm a little hungry, I have a guilt-free snack right there!


Interesting fact- Baltimore has very few Weight Watchers centers.  I may not be able to weigh-in until next week!  I'm still going to attempt to find some place I can get to, but if not, you and I will all have to wait in suspense until next week!

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!

Breakfast Burrito

Normally, I try to keep my breakfasts around 5-6 Points+.  This one is 8, but it's simple and delicious!  I'm going to keep it in mind for days when I am home and want a slightly more substantial breakfast.  It's pretty much what I eat on the weekends for breakfast, just in a tortilla (thus the extra points).  One of the keys ingredients are Mission Carb Control tortillas.  They have a great texture, and so much fiber.


For this meal, I use a large one (4 Points+).  Place one slice of WW American Cheese on it, heat for 15 seconds.  Cook up 4 slices of center cut bacon, add on top of the cheese.  Then, make 4 egg whites in a pan (salt and pepper if you like).  Place cooked eggs on bacon, roll up the burrito, and viola!

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!

Week 14 Weigh In

Current Weight: 195.2 lbs

Weekly Loss: 0 lbs       Total Loss: 26.8 lbs

I apologize for the lack of a posting yesterday, and the lack of pictures today.  

Life has been crazy.  

I'm also attributing the lack of weight loss to the lack of gym-attending.  Lots of lacks going on.  The next few weeks are going to continue to be hectic, but then it'll get back to normal.  I'm just glad I'm not gaining!

Must...stay...away...from.......

TAKEOUT!!!  


My busy schedule is catching up to me, and I've been coming home between 8 and 9 at night.  Eating dinner at that time sucks enough, but cooking then eating dinner makes it even worse.  I'm allowing myself to pick up dinner somewhere on the way home just once a week.  It's never as healthy as I would eat at home, and it's expensive!


Monday was a very rough day, so takeout it was!  Enter Tuesday.  A better day overall, but still very long.  Takeout was calling my name!  My wallet and my stomach didn't really want it though, so I decided to go home and figure out something fast!  I also had 20 points left for the day (I didn't eat much because I was busy), so that was another issue.  I don't want to eat anything heavy or mass quantities that late at night.


So, off I go to scour the pantry and the fridge for a satisfying lower quantity-higher points dinner that would be ready quickly with little effort.  Enter soup and salad.  Now, when most people hear soup and salad, they don't exactly think of filling or dinner.  If you have the right soup and salad, it can seem just as hearty as a full meal.


I started boiling some water, put in 2 oz. of whole wheat rotini.  As that's cooking away, I start getting together my gorgonzola salad.  It's my favorite, but it's high in points as far as salads are concerned, so I rarely make it.  It's made up of spring mix, 1 oz. gorgonzola cheese (never buy the pre-crumbled!  Not only is it more expensive, it has no flavor compared to buying a good wedge and crumbling it yourself!), 1/8 cup Craisins, and your favorite light raspberry vinaigrette.  Deliciousness in a bowl, and it adds up to 6 Points+ (depending on your dressing).  If you want to add more points to it, throw in some almonds!


By this time, the pasta was done cooking.  I drained it, and added 2 cups of Trader Joe's creamy tomato soup.  Heat that up, and viola!  The soup with the pasta comes to 10 Points+, and it's so satisfying!  The soup and salad did the job, but didn't leave me feeling overly full (as takeout usually does!).  


What is your favorite soup/salad to make?

Portion Control!

A major part of developing healthy eating habits is working on portion control.  It is so easy to over-do it and make healthy foods unhealthy.


A new habit of mine is portioning out food right when I bring it home.  I whip out my food scale and little baggies, and start measuring away!  Then, when you are hungry for a snack, you can just pick up a little baggie instead of being tempted to just eat out of the larger bag (and probably eat much more than just one serving!). 


With other foods, such as meats, I also measure out one pound quantities before I put them away.  This helps make dinner quicker.  Just grab the pre-measured, pre-trimmed meat, and you cut out one step.


Give it a try this week when you do your shopping!

Thank You's and Issues!

I have to say that starting this blog has been such a great motivator for me.  I've received so much positive feedback from all of you, and it's kept me going when I feel like just giving up.  Thank you all for that.


I would also like to thank my friend Billy N. who was thoughtful enough to design an amazing header for this blog!  That was so nice of you!


These next few weeks are going to be rough!  I'm extremely busy, stressed, and fighting off a cold.  Back at college, I developed a nerve issue in my neck from supporting my bassoon during long rehearsals.  I would get a burning, shooting pain from my left shoulder up through my neck.  Nothing helped it but time.  It was debilitating whenever it occurred, and left me in tears.  Even though the bassoon isn't around anymore, the nerve issue struck up again!  


It started the other week in the car.  You know when you turn your head, and it snaps itself back?  Yeah, that hurts a lot.  Then it happened again a few weeks later.  Then by the end of last week, my neck thing started happening again.  I know I've been tense because I'm stressed, and I think that did it.  I haven't been using my left arm much because I don't want to aggravate it.  I tried to go to the gym yesterday and just let that arm hang while I did some cardio, but even that got it hurting, so I'm taking a few days off.  


Hopefully my busy schedule will offset my lack of exercise this week.  I'm still eating well, so that's half of the battle.  We'll see by the end of the week!

Week 13 Weigh In

Current Weight: 195.2 lbs

Weekly Loss: 2.2 lbs          Total Loss: 26.8 lbs

I couldn't get this picture clear
for the life of me!

Well, at least there's a benefit to being so busy!  

I lost the weight I gained last week, and then some!

I'm glad that I'm continuing to eat the right things, because that can really throw me off.  I'm still exhausted today, but at least it's Friday and I'll have some time to get a little rest over the weekend.  I have a feeling that hust being able to wake up naturally for the next two days will really help me out.

Time is (not) on my side...

I'm tired.  

Don't worry, I'm not using it as an excuse for anything, I'm just tired!  I think I may be spreading myself a bit too thin these days, between work, rehearsals, working after work, taking classes, and working out.  My body was used to my schedule.  I was waking up 10 minutes before my alarm went off every morning.  I still had long days, but they felt fine.

Enter daylight savings time.  Sure, it's just an hour!  HOLY CRAP MARIE!!!  This one hour change completely messed up my internal clock.  I'm sooooooooooooo tired every morning.  Granted, I'm having 12-14 hour days, but I was going strong!  Now, it's a push to keep myself moving by the time I get to the gym at 7 or 7:30 at night.  I'm too determined though, so I'm still pushing myself.  Hopefully I'll be used to the time change shortly.

Has anyone else had difficulty adjusting?

Working out at Work

If you're going to do it, then do it 100%, right?


That's my philosophy, and for the most part, I think I'm doing a good job.  I'm always trying to find ways to help myself get ahead of this whole weight-loss thing.  Why not do something at work?  Now, I'm not one of those people who goes out on a walk during lunch, I need to eat during my lunch time, I'm hungry.  


I've been walking around more often.  I go to check my mail a million times a day!  I don't expect there to be anything new, but it's that much more activity for me.  Another thing that has been helping me increase my activity has been our play rehearsals.  I'm the director for the 5th grade play, and that means choreography!  Today was our first big dance rehearsal, and I worked my butt off!  The kids did a great job, but I made sure to give 100% of myself.  Not only did it help them learn it and keep their energy up, but I got a workout and was sweating!   Tomorrow we have a 2 hour dance rehearsal, and I'm ready!!!!!

Here's an action shot!

Gym Pet Peeve of the Week

Like any gym, there are many personal trainers around with clients.  Most of them appear to be very motivating and doing all of the right things, like making sure their patrons are using the proper technique, proper posture, etc.


So, a few weeks ago, I noticed a new trainer around.  She's on the younger side, seems nice enough.  My issue is with her clothing.  Now, my gym has signs all over which post the rules for working out, as well as what type of clothing is appropriate.  No jeans, only sneakers, etc.   The first time I saw this trainer, we'll call her Sally, she was in what appeared to be a cross between a wet suit and a full body leotard.  I'm sure it had some sort of benefit, and it wasn't really inappropriate, just... well... odd.


Anywho, a week passed, and I see Sally the next week.  It seems she ditched the seal outfit, and instead donned a pair of jeans, clunky belt, a cut off shirt and boots.  I'm going to assume that she was going to meet her friends at the mall after to grab a latte and window shop, because that's just how she appeared!  I couldn't believe that someone who is supposed to be showing people how to work out the right way could come to the gym wearing that.  


So, trainers, please dress how you would expect your clients to dress- like you're going to the gym, not like you are going to go chill with your BFF's.  

The dog workout!

This weekend made me so happy just thinking about things warming up a bit out there.  Saturday I was busy working, but Sunday both Chris and I were home.  The sun was out, the weather warmed up to a tolerable level.  It was time for a nice long walk with the dogs.


Now, our dogs have walking-on-a-leash issues.  They were chained up their whole lives before we got them, so they just know how to pull.  We've tried every collar-leash-contraption out there, and nothing really works.  It's not totally their faults.  They aren't at the point where one of us could walk both without being afraid of being pulled down the road, or losing one if a cat walks down the road.  Chris and I work with them whenever we do take them out together, but unfortunately, those times have been far and few between.


Until now.


We decided to take them out any day we are both home and it's bearable outside.  Hopefully during the summer Chris can work night shift like he is now, and we will have all of those morning and early afternoon hours together.  The dogs shall be walked for at least a half hour every morning (or most mornings) and they shall learn how to walk.


Until they really learn, I am using the dog walking to get a full-body workout!  My legs are getting a workout not only from walking, but also from preventing my body from falling forward.  My arms are getting a workout trying to hold back the dogs and teach them the proper position for walking next to me.  It's great!  Upper and lower body- all in one workout!  And the dogs are happier!

Week 12 Weigh In

Current Weight: 197.4 lbs

Weekly Gain: .6 lbs        Total Loss: 24.6 lbs

 

Well, it turns out that I am human after all!  Apologies for the dark clothing!

I knew I would gain at some point, and at least it happened during a week that I slacked off!  I ate well this week, but was a little under the weather and barely made it to the gym.  I'm okay with gaining, and I'm kind of glad that I did.  It is giving me a little extra push to get things going again.  

Today, I'm heading back to the gym after work and getting my act back together!

Oh, and the other day, I went shopping, and size 12's closed!!!  WOOHOO!!!

This weekend, besides getting back into my workout routine, I'm also going on a mini-shopping spree.  I have a good amount of gift cards to use, so I'm treating myself to clothing.  I realized that I feel so crappy when my clothes don't fit, but so amazing when I'm wearing the right size.

Mall...BEWARE!!!

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. 

This ish is bananas...

I had a craving.  An ice cream shake was needed.  Emergency!  Emergency!  Code red!  CODE RED!!!!


Well, ice cream wasn't exactly in my future, at least not in the quantities I really wanted.  Time to improvise.  What about those frozen bananas chilling in my freezer?  You know, the ones that were so ripe and I didn't want to make banana bread so we peeled, sliced and froze them?  Enter the greatest thing ever.


Take about a cup of frozen banana slices (about 1 large banana worth).  Put them in a blender with 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 3 packets of Splenda and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  Blend away!  If you have an old blender like mine, you may have to put some extra effort in to make sure the banana gets pulverized.


This comes out so good!  It has a WW Points+ value of 1!  It completely satisfied my craving!  It's sweet, nice and creamy, and you don't have to add any ice since the banana is frozen, so it doesn't get watered down.  I may even try adding some vanilla protein powder to make it a bit more complete and drink it before the gym.  Perhaps maybe some of my light chocolate syrup would add a little something to it as a dessert. 

Can one be obsessed with a sandwich?

I never really enjoyed bringing a sandwich for lunch.  It never really fulfilled me.


I now am addicted to a specific sandwich.  On long days, I eat 2 of them.  It's only 5 Points+.


Need I say more?


Take 2 slices of WW wheat bread or light wheat bread (2 Points+ total), spread on 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese (1 Point+), 3 ounces of Boars Head Buffalo Chicken Breast (2 Points+), and some iceberg lettuce.  Enjoy it with something nice on the side.


OMG.  Amazingness in a nice, little package.  Those Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges come in a variety of flavors, and so far, I love them all!  The blue cheese goes great on this sandwich, the mozzarella one I spread on a tortilla for pizza, then chipotle one goes on a tortilla for tacos, and the swiss one works well in any sauce you want to make creamy.

Gimme something sweet!!!

There are days when you just need something sweet to act as dessert.  A gallon of ice cream, while the most desirable, isn't ideal.  Here are my latest top choices, depending on the craving:


Something chocolate:

1. Chocolate Almond Milk- 1 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk + 4 tbsp Hershey's Lite Syrup (3 Points+)
2. Jello Mousse Temptations- Sugar Free Chocolate (2 Points+)
3. WW Chocolate Caramel Bar (2 Points+)

Something Creamy:

1. Kozy Shack- No Sugar Added Rice Pudding or Tapioca Pudding (2 Points+)
2. 2/3 cup Fage Total 0% Yogurt with 2 tbsp Strawberry Preserves (4 Points+)

Then there's the always enjoyable fresh fruit option!


What are your favorite go-to dessert choices when you are trying to be "good"?

Week 11 Weigh In

Current Weight: 196.8 lbs

Weekly Loss: 2.2 lbs         Total Loss: 25.2 lbs

I'm feeling good!  I didn't expect to lose that much this week.  

I'm glad now that I'm moving farther away from that dreaded 200 mark!

This week at yoga, I was finally able to do the crow pose (bakasana).  You're basically in a squat with your hands on the ground between your legs, and you lean forward until your feet are off of the ground and you are supporting your entire body with your hands.

Image from www.theyogaposes.com

I wasn't ever able to do that before, but I did it on Wednesday.  

I held it for a solid 5 or so seconds (I was too busy being amazed at myself to count!).  

I felt so cool!

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Lately, we've been keeping chicken breast in the refrigerator all trimmed up (thanks Chris).  I like to marinade mine in salsa and grill it up.

Here's a very quick dinner idea, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry!

Ingredients:


1 grilled marinaded chicken breast, diced
1 can red enchilada sauce, divided
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup shredded cheddar and jack cheese
3 corn tortillas

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Place chicken, half of the enchilada sauce and black beans in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir every few minutes to ensure even heating.

3.  Heat up a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Heat the tortillas one at a time, flipping after 2 minutes. This will soften them.

4.  Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.  Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up.  Place in the pan, seam side down.

5.  Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake until it gets nice and bubbly.

Total WW Points+ Value= 14

You really need to make this whether you are dieting or not!!!

"Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird" ~Jules Renard

This past weekend, I was going to meet Chris in the city when he got off of work at 2pm.  Since the weather is finally getting nicer, I decided to take the train in earlier and just walk around.  That's one of my favorite things to do (and I get in exercise!).  I love to walk around the city without having a specific plan of where I'm going.  I'm an observer, and I enjoy taking it all in by myself.


So, I skipped my usual morning trip to the gym, and arrived at Penn Station at noon.  I had a good 2 hours (I wish I woke up earlier!) to myself to do whatever I wanted.  I also love taking pictures, so I was sure to have my camera with me, complete with fully charged batteries and an empty memory card!


I knew that I eventually needed to end up at 59th street, so I decided to make my way over to Central Park via Times Square.  What a great day!  I kept my pace up, and enjoyed my day so much!  The walk to the park was nice and entertaining.


The park itself is always great.  I love how the terrain has a lot of hills, it definitely makes the walk more challenging.  I made a conscious decision to always take the path that would require me to walk on an incline!  I ended up walking for almost 2 hours straight, and even though my shins felt it the next day, I felt very accomplished.


We decided that once the weather gets a little nicer, we are going to do this more often!  Just spend a day walking around, discovering new places, spending time together, and getting in some exercise.  I also want to work my way up to being able to walk both of my dogs by myself this summer.  For those of you who don't know them, my dogs are energetic to say the least, and they aren't good walkers at all!  They constantly pull, but we are working on it.  Between training them and improving my own health, I should be able to take them out on my own.


Here's one more quote that I enjoy:  "People say that losing weight is no walk in the park.  When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem."  ~Chris Adams

The first sign of spring in the park!

Cleaning out the Closet Part 2

So, a while back, we spent a day cleaning out our closets and drawers and getting rid of anything we don't wear or that doesn't fit us anymore.

That felt so good that we had other closets to tackle!  Over the weekend, we decided to clean out our pantry closet, spice cabinet and refrigerator.  Not only did we find items that should have been thrown out years ago (we're talking like 2007 people!), but we also got rid of anything we don't eat anymore.

Now, when we look in our pantry, we don't see that tempting white flour pasta.  It's gone!  We only have our whole wheat pasta now.  No more white rice lying around!  The same goes for that year old box of sugary cereal that is just going to continue to sit there, waiting, tempting... Be gone!!!

It's a really great feeling to know that when you're looking around for something to eat, you're not going to make a poor choice because the only things in your house are good things (unless you consume massive quantities!)