Monday Monday...

I rediscovered an old favorite this weekend. I was browsing the cracker isle in the grocery store and decided to check out the nutritional info on Melba Rounds. They are only 1 point for 7 rounds. I decided to try them out (in Garden Vegetable flavour) I topped them with a little Fat Free Cream Cheese and it was a perfect little snack!! Yum! Check them out next time you swing by the grocery store.
Well it's Monday and although I am a little disappointed with some of the food choices I made this weekend (ex. The 2 PIECES of Blueberry pie!), today is a new day and I am determined to get past this little plateau I am having.
I also found some more 'before' pictures for comparison. I finally found a few of me standing up, so I will be posting those soon. (I have to work up the nerve!)
I decided today that once the weather gets a little nicer, I am hoping to start walking outside at least 3-4 times/week. I feel like I should be getting in a little more cardio. 30 mins after supper would be great and it will also give hubby and I some time to unwind together after a long day. Or I could even squeeze it in on my lunch hour.
This weekend is my big trip to Calais, Maine (in search of low fat Weight Watcher products!) I am really looking forward to it and hope to return with lots of new ideas.
I also got in a 45 min weight training session today after supper.

Here is my rundown for today...

Breakfast:
2 c. All Bran 3
1/4 c. skim milk 0.5

Snack:
7 Melba Rounds 1

Lunch:
Rigatoni Pomodoro Pasta Dinner 4
(I'm such a creature of habit!)
1 fat free Vanilla yogurt 1

Snack:
100 Calorie snack size popcorn 1
Total: 10.5

Dinner:
85 g Whole Wheat Flax Omega Pasta 5
1 Tbsp of Basil Pesto 2
Fried Veggies (Spinach, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes)
1.5 c. Brussell Sprouts 0

Snack:
1 C. Grapes 1
7 Melba rounds & 1 Tbsp of Fat Free Cream Cheese 2

Daily Point Target: 22
Total Points Used: 20.5

Flex points remaining: 35

This could possibly be a really dumb question but does anyone know if popcorn is considered to be a vegetable? When you think about it....it's really only popped corn kernels. And corn kernels are vegetables right? That's my logic.

I also saw a really interesting post on another blog today. It was a list of 100 things about that person. I thought it was so fun to read, I've started my own list. It may take me a few days though; It's harder than you think!!

Carolyn

Exhausted!

Just got back from Fredericton and I had a ball with Gracie (my 13 month old niece) and Andrew and Erica (my brother and sister-in-law) too of course! We had a little girls day out shopping trip and Gracie had a blast at the mall! She was talking to everyone who walked by.
Why is it that whenever we are away from home, we feel like we are on vacation, or we aren't accountable?? This weekend in Fredericton, I did stay within my points (of course I used all my flex points!) but I was also a lot more lenient than I would have been at home. All in all though I had a great weekend with my family!
Having said that...Grace is a little ball of energy and I am exhausted!! Kudos to Erica who is a full time Mom, I don't know where her energy comes from! I certainly got a workout today playing with the little munchkin! I posted a pic of her (mainly because I want to show her off) She could quite possibly be the world's most adorable baby! (no bias here) She changes so much everytime I see her and she is so curious. She is even starting to get a little attitude. She has so much personality and I just love her so much!
Erica and I were looking through some old pictures last night and I can't count how many times I had to cringe when I saw my "old self". It is difficult to see me with about 60 more lbs on. I look at that person and I feel like it is someone else. I feel so sad for the person in the picture because I know how bad she felt about herself, how self conscious she was. I wish I could have turned back time and told her what I know now. But you live, you learn. And they do say that hindsight is 20/20!

Here is today's rundown.

Breakfast:
1 cup of cereal (Oatmeal Crisp) 3
1/4 cup 1 % milk 0.5
1 Cup of grapes 1
Total: 4.5

Lunch:
Leftover homemade Lasagna 8
(even better the second time around!)
Caesar Salad 5
ANOTHER piece of Blueberry Pie 8
Total: 25.5

Supper:
Undecided...I'm not very hungry as lunch was pretty filling.
I may just make a light salad later tonight.

Hope all is well with everyone, once again, Thanks for all the feedback!

Carolyn

Chocolate Cravings...answered!

This is a GREAT new product from Cadbury. For those of you who are addicted to chocolate (as I am), This is a fantastic chocolate fix that you don't have to feel guilty about! There is only 100 calories so it is a smaller portion than your average chocolate bar but it definitely hits the spot when you are jonesing for chocolate! Although there is no fiber...there is only about 5 g of fat which isn't really that bad. I was pretty skeptical of these when I first saw then because they looked so small, but it just makes you appreciate it even more!! They come in 4 flavors; dairy milk, dark chocolate, toffee (My absolute favorite!), and mint chip for all you mint lovers. Cadbury Thins are definitely worth a try!

I love Saturdays!

Just a quick post tonight....wanted to write out my daily food journal so I would have an idea how I am doing this weekend. I am in Fredericton with the little munchkin! We have been having a great time playing and laughing!
I also got up this morning and went for a 45 min walk/run. It was 5 degrees out this morning and it was beautiful!
Here is how I am doing today...

Breakfast:

2c. All Bran Flakes 3
1/4 c. skim milk 0.5
Total: 3.5

Lunch:
Frozen dinner
Rigatoni Pomordoro 4
(I was in a rush to get on the road!)

2 cups of grapes 2
Total: 9.5

Dinner:
Erica's famous lasagna 8
Ceasar salad 5
Total: 22.5

Snack & Dessert:
Bluberry pie 8
Cadbury Thin 2

Total Point used today: 32.5
Flex Points used: 10.5

Remaining Flex points: 10.5

Eric also picked up a homemade blueberry pie and since I have a few bonus points left (quite a few actually) I think I'll indulge!!

I have gotten quite a few e-mails of encouragement and I really appreciate it!! Thanks everyone!

Carolyn

PS Comments are appreciated, I am still looking for ways to improve the blog so leave a message if you are passing through.

Happy Saturday Everyone!!

Fridays and Saturdays are always pretty difficult for me. After a long week at work and eating so great all week, I always feel like a splurge. I guess it has become a habit since my hubby and I usually save all our flex points for the weekend so we can indulge. Last weekend we decided to do a little experiment and skip on using flex points and see if it made a big difference on the scale.....well it didn't.
So this morning I was actually pretty psyched to get on the scale (a rarity). I felt like this week my clothes have been fitting a little looser and all the exercise was paying off; also we didn’t use the flex points last weekend so I was pretty confident that I had a good number heading my way. So I jumped on the scale, all excited to see a new low number, I closed me eyes, waited for the scale to get a read, then looked down and saw the SAME EXACT number as last week. Not even a 0.1 lbs loss!! Nothing, Nada, Zip! Frustrated was not even the word.
Basically I deprived myself of all those wonderful, yummy flex points for no reason! It's weird but sometimes I think that the more points I use, the more weight I lose. Does anyone else on WW have this problem? I fumed over it for about 10 mins, then decided to be positive. there's always next week and really I am no big rush. I know that I am eating healthy and exercising and I know that I FEEL great so I am going to focus on that for now.
Last night we found Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 100 Calorie Snack Packs (You'd burn off 100 calories just saying the name!) They are only 1 point and make about 6-6.5 cups of popcorn. They are a fantastic snack for the office during that long haul between lunch and the end of the day. You get SO MUCH popcorn for only 1 point!!! (Due to the high fibre)
Tomorrow we are heading up to Fredericton to visit my brother and sister in-law (and their little 13 month old munchkin, Gracie) My sister is making her world famous lasagna so I am definitely saving flex points for that. Hopefully I will be able to restrain myself (I could honestly eat the whole pan without hesitation).

I will keep you updated!
Here is my daily journal and meal plan for the day...


Friday, March 2, 2007
Breakfast:
2 c. All Bran Flakes 3
1/4 skim milk 0.5
1 apple 1
Total: 4.5

Lunch:
Rigatoni Pomodoro 4
(Pasta frozen dinner)
1 fat free yogurt 1
100 cal Smart Pop Popcorn Snack 1
Total: 10.5

This is my plan for dinner tonight...

Dinner:
My hubby is craving our homemade pizza so we are going to make it tonight.It is usually about 18 points (for a very large serving) and completely worth every single point. It's Friday night...time to splurge a little!

Movie snack:
Pretzels 4
100 Cal Cadbury Thin (Toffee) 2
Crispy Mini 1.5

Daily Points Target: 22

Daily Points Used: 36

Flex Points Left: 21

We are supposed to get 20-25 cm of snow tonight and it has already started to get pretty bad out. On the way home we picked up 2 movies so we are locking ourselves up for the night.

Take Care,

Carolyn

Thursday's Menu...

Today I am starting to journal my daily point journal, however we are currently experiencing some technical difficulties (aka crappy computer syndrome). I'll just have to deal with typing it in for the meantime, no big deal. Today's meal plan was pretty random because I was running around for most of the day and didn't really have time to sit down and plan it out but overall, it worked out good. I also got a weight training session in right after work and focused on lower body only. Since it is only my second lower body focused weight training session, I should be hobbling around for the next few days, wincing everytime I bend down and desperately praying for relief; I'm really looking forward to it. I have never really counted activity points in my daily point target. I figure if I am going to go to the gym and bust my butt for 45-50 mins, I want it to count. To me, 2 points worth of crackers or an apple or anything else is not worth cancelling out the 45 mins I just spent busting my butt to get in shape.

Tomorrow morning is the big weigh in! Everyone wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes. My hubby and I usually save all of our flex points for the weekend so I still have all 35 left, and I am REALLY looking forward to splurging this weekend! Haven't decided on what to use them for though (although chocolate is almost ALWAYS involved!)

That's it for me tonight! hope everyone is well and I look forward to hearing from y'all!

Thurs, March 1st/07
Breakfast:
2 c. All Bran Flakes 3
1/4 c. skim milk 0.5
1 apple 1

Lunch:
1 Large Wendy's Chili 6
2 salted crackers 1
1 fat free vanilla yogurt 1

Supper:
Chicken Caesar Pita 8.5
(Mother Nature's Whole wheat pita filled with
lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken & 1 tbsp Caesar
dressing).

Snack:
1 Wasa cracker 1
1/2 Tbsp light peanut butter

Daily Points Target 22
Daily Points Used 22

Flex Points remaining 35

Food Find of the Day...

Wasa Crispbread

Many of you probably saw this on Oprah when she had Bob Greene on the show. I was pretty pessimistic about finding this product in Canada as I had already scoured the local grocery stores in search of it. Then low and behold, on a random lunch hour trip to the Bulk Barn with a fellow food fanatic co-worker, we spotted it!! I am still trying out new combos with this product as we just found it last week. I have only tried the Light Rye so far but it is FANTASTIC topped with Low Fat Peanut butter or french vanilla yogurt and sliced bananas. 3 Large crackers are only 1 point! The 7 Grain Light (if you can find them) are 4 crackers for 1 point. Basically, the possibilities are endless! Let me know if you have your own Wasa creations!!