Pooey!

For want of a better word! Pooey, I gained 1lb this week.  I was wondering why/how? but then I looked back at my tracker and I used 17 of my WP’s this week. You’d think that shouldn’t matter but in my case I think it does. I still think 29 daily pts is too much for me if I want to still lose a few pounds.  Now the question is DO I need to still lose a few pounds? The answer is ‘probably not’! What I think I need to start focusing on is not so much weight but more about getting toned. There’s just something in my brain though that keeps telling me I need to get to a certain number on the scale before I’m satisfied with my efforts! 

I’ve started working out more, and am using weights. It could be the scale will go up once I start gaining muscle, so I will have to just accept that.

Anyway, moving on, let’s talk food! I tried a Hungry Girl Chili-rific Burger this week – oh my! This is a Boca Burger (that means it’s not real meat Nenna!) on a light whole wheat bun, ww cheese slice and 2 tblsp of turkey chili (onions and pickles underneath). The recipe says 6pp, but I’m sure it’s more, this might be the old points? The burger alone is 3 now, the bun 2, cheese 1 and chili 1 . So, I’m saying mine was 7pp!

Also made Gina’s Baked Seasoned Fries  A-Mazing!!! I usually just sprinkle salt and a little olive oil on my fries then bake them in the oven, these have chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram and paprika!  Whooo, they sure were tasty!

I only did one large potato instead of 2 medium (which served 2 for 5pp each) so I’m guessing my large potato was about 6pp and I halved it with hubby. I loved this meal for a total of 10pp.

Also on the menu this week was our usual spaghetti and meatballs. We often have this, the key when you’re counting points is to measure out the spaghetti and don’t go crazy with the meatballs. There was a time I would pile my plate with pasta and have at least 4, sometimes 5 meatballs! AND garlic bread.

This plate was 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti 4pp, 1/2 cup marinara sauce 2pp, and 2 meatballs 2pp each – total 11pp (added 1 tblsp of parmesan cheese). Served with a spinach salad with kiwi fruit and 1 tblsp of lite champagne vinaigrette 1pp.       

Total meal 11pp – LOVED IT!

Hump Day

It’s midweek already :-)  I  feel like I’m doing well this week, hoping I can keep it up until my Friday morning weigh-in. I am really trying to exercise a little each day but I realized I am not mentioning it here! I usually write on my Facebook status (otherwise I’d forget) what I did, but my sis doesn’t have a FB account (and I know she’s the one that read’s this blog the most) ;-)  So I should mention it here for her too. I do also track my exercise on my WW page but I can’t ‘recap’ what I’ve done unless I go back and look at each single day!

So, just to recap for this week, on Monday I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, a combination of walking and some jogging (but mainly walking!), then yesterday I did a 20 minute Walk Away The Pounds 1 mile walk. I had wanted to get on the treadmill again (I’d really like to improve and be able to jog a little better without getting so out of ‘puff’! but the tv we just hooked up in there, well I messed it up by pushing a button and I lost the picture and didn’t know how to get it back! So, I opted for the dvd workout instead. Today I hope to try the treadmill again.

A breakfast this week, 3/4 cup of CocoRoos! (the generic brand of Coco Puffs) cos my daughter wanted them, but they are only 2pp per 3/4 cup, served with 1 cup of ff milk, 2pp and 1 banana. I felt like a kid again ;-)

  At the weekend I tried Gina’s Skinny Chicken Waldorf Salad. My mil was coming over so I thought it would make a nice light lunch. Everyone enjoyed it. I had mine in two slices of lite bread, but yesterday I used the rest of it up and had it wrapped in lettuce leaves. The salad is 5pp per cup, served with 10 pop chips for an extra pt, and a Kosher Dill Pickle – yum.

I’m off to have coffee with a friend this morning, haven’t had breakfast yet. Hopefully she’ll have some Vitatop Muffins like last time ;-)

It’s slow going…..

I always feel great on Friday, but come Monday morning I sometimes feel like I’m back to square one?!  Not that I binged at the weekend, I did pretty good, but I did have wine, and a cocktail on Friday night. Plus, it’s that TOM this week (time of the month) and I just feel a bit bloated.

So, it’s slow going, but it’s going in the right direction, so no complaints really – right!

Something I had for breakfast one day last week….. my yummy baked beans on toast, plus a side of sauted mushrooms – just 3 pp!

A Saturday morning breakfast consisting of 1 English muffin (3), 1 egg (2) and 3 slices of extra lean turkey bacon (1) Plus I just had to have some orange juice, (3), for a hearty 9pp – it was a great way to start the weekend.

 I made Gina’s Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps last week too, LOVED THESE! 1 portion = 4pp

I didn’t even need to add cheese like her recipe suggests! They were super tasty for lunch, along with some cherry tomatoes and 10 Popchips for 1pp.

I did a 30 minute walk/jog on the treadmill today. I’m off to a good start to the week – how bout you?

Weigh In Day!

Got on the scale this morning and I have lost 1.4lb this week :-)  Whoo hooo, that’s a total loss since Jan 1st of 7.6lb. I am super happy and unlike before when I would get sick of ‘cutting back’ after a few weeks, I feel more like moving forward and keeping on track with what I’m doing. Because in all honestly, I’m not cutting back on anything!

Something like this will be breakfast this morning – does this look like ‘cutting back’?

I love my Heinz Baked Beans. I just think it’s funny that I have to buy them in the ‘International’ aisle at my grocery store. It’s the only kind of beans I ate back home in England!

They are virtually  fat free and only 2pp per 1/2 cup. I had ‘beans on toast’ yesterday  for lunch so I will use some this morning for breakfast, along with some fried mushrooms and tomatoes and some turkey bacon, along with a delicious hot cup of coffee.

I’ve just told hubby to get on the scale before he jumps in the shower . . .  I want us both to have the same weigh in day! Problem is we can’t remember what he weighed at the beginning of the week! So, I’ll post his loss/gain (hopefully a loss) next Friday.

Not a pretty sight!

But they tasted SO good :-)  These are Butternut Squash Fries! Or as my hubby called them (when I told him how I would be cooking them) ‘Bakes’!  I got the recipe from Hungry Girl, she showed how to make them on her show the other week. It says to bake them for 40 minutes! I checked them after 20 minutes and they were cooked (imo) but I turned them over like the recipe said and let them go another 20 minutes! by which time they had shriveled to barely nothing! This is one half of a butternut squash.  I honestly don’t think they need to be cooked that long.

I’ve since seen them on WW site , and their cooking time is only 20 minutes total . . .  don’t they look much nicer? The picture below is linked to the WW recipe. The good thing is mine still tasted nice. It really was just like having sweet potato fries (which I love) but without the extra points (mine were only 1pt because I tossed in 1tsp of olive oil).

 

Now something that looked much prettier, was my iceberg lettuce wedge I had the other day. Just 2pts for the lite blue cheese dressing and 1pt for bacon – deliciously refreshing!

Things are still going well and hubby is still on board with me. I know he just started, but I think I’ll get him to weigh in with me on Fridays ;-)

Look Nenna!

Nenna (Brenda) is my sister back in England :-)  We were talking the other day about Indian food, it’s one of our favorites, and ‘over there’  they have the best Indian takeout food (im0) and I MISS IT!!  Brenda can get some really good WW Indian food in the frozen section of her grocery store, and I was rather jealous, until I found this. . .

Actually I’m still rather jealous, because I had a yummy WW frozen meal last year when I was back home for a visit and it was MUCH tastier than this one, but it was better than no Indian at all ;-) But like most frozen meals, they don’t look anything like the picture on the box!

I had this for lunch on Friday (8pp) along with a yummy juicy Tangelo! By the time you spoon out the chicken the sauce is kinda all mixed up with the rice!   Still tasted pretty good though and I will probably have more, although I think I will look for some recipes online and at WW and try to make my own too!

This big box arrived on Friday too! At first I had no clue what it was, but then I saw that it said ‘dry ice’ and I realized it would be the giveaway from Danica' that I won on Feb 4th! Miniture Icecream bars (only 2pp each), Kristen and I tried one straight away, they were delicious. Definitely a daily treat for me while they’re in the freezer. Thanks again Danica :-)

So, it’s Valentine’s Day today… do you have any special plans? We don’t (other than a trip up to my daughter’s school for their valentines party at 12.30). When I say ‘we’ I mean just me, hubby is at work).

I wanted no cards or flowers from hubby (we are sending all our spare cash to pay off our cars faster) BUT he gave me the best present ever yesterday?  He said he was going to join me and do the WW points plus :-)  I am so happy and excited – I hope he will stick with it, he hates following diets! But this is not a diet right, it’s a way of life, it’s how you should eat ALL THE TIME. The great thing about WW is that you can eat what you like and don’t have to give up anything, just have it in moderation and ‘COUNT THOSE POINTS’!!!  So, I will be journaling here how he’s doing too from now on.  I’ve already packed his lunch for today and counted all of his points for him (jeez, he should be able to stick with it, how nice that someone does all the counting for you, eh!) ;-)

If only. . . .

We eat (and drink) with our eyes! If only my Skinny Caramel Macchiato that I had today actually looked like this!!

 And I wish my oatmeal looked like this!

I had both today when I went out for coffee with my friend Cindy.  Don’t get me wrong, they were both still very good, a really nice treat, but the coffee was served in the usual white paper cup, and I skipped the caramel drizzle because the guy said it wasn’t sugar free! Total for my drink was 4pp (even though WW online said it is 5pp!) I used the Nut. Information from Starbucks website to calculate the pts and I’m sticking with 4 (plus I didn’t drink the whole cup anyway).  The oatmeal was 3pp and the brown sugar on top 1pp.

You know I said I wasn’t an oatmeal kinda girl, but I have to tell you this was the best oatmeal I’ve ever had!. I think the brown sugar had a lot to do with it (because it was pretty bland tasting before I sprinkled it on). And it was only an instant packet too! I’m wondering if that’s all I need to do to make my oatmeal yummy? Make some plain oatmeal and add sugar? I will have to try it.

Well I started this post yesterday but didn’t get it finished so I’ll do it now. Today is Friday and that means WI day! I got on the scale this morning and  . . . . . . . . .  gained .6lb :-(

I’m really not surprised. I didn’t track very well at all last weekend and I think I’d gained about a pound by Monday. I did well the rest of the week and exercised too but it’s just not enough to get that pound back off AND some!  So, this weekend I MUST TRACK and even if I use my ‘weekly points’ which I often think I don’t but I obviously  do (I just don’t track them!) I should at least try to stay within those 49 pts.  So, all is not lost, I don’t feel down about it, quite the opposite, it just motivates me to keep going in this direction which I know is the right one. How can eating fruit and veg and exercising be wrong? ;-)