I am learning every day that food challenges are around all the corners, and I'm also learning how to consciously choose what I'm going to put in my mouth. It's empowering!
Tonight we had big board meeting. Every year, the FACS class cooks the most amazing brick oven pizza for the meeting. (Side note: We are the only high school in the United States with a real brick oven in their FACS room. We came up with the idea during an all night FCCLA lock in and applied for a grant and got it!) This year, not only did they make some amazing pizza, but they have been trying out recipes to make and sell monster chocolate chip cookies in our concession stand next year. They finally decided on a product and brought all of us monster cookies to try. So, I had a choice to make in what I was going to put into my body. It wasn't a matter of will power. I didn't feel like I couldn't keep from eating the stuff. I just simply chose not to have it all. I ate supper at home for 6 points and had a monster cookie at the meeting. I was satisfied and didn't feel deprived at all. Yay!
FOOD - DAY 8 OF 365:
Breakfast: 1 of the biscuits I made yesterday (it was not good. It needed WAY more salt. It tasted like... nothing. Blech). It was only 3 points, but I do not recommend. I'm going to try another recipe this weekend. In addition, I had an egg (0 points) and 4 pieces of Hormel pre-cooked bacon (3 points) for a total of 6 points.
Lunch: Chicken Fried Rice (1 cup for 6 points), corn (0 points) and green lima beans (0 points) for a total of 6 points. So good!
Dinner: 1 Salmon Patty (3 points), corn (0 points) and WW scalloped potatoes (3 points) for a total of 6 points. It was delicious!!
Snack: 1 Monster Cookie. Now, I had a hard time figuring out points on this, but I found a Toll House Monster Cookie so I went with that at 8 points. Way higher points than any snack I would normally have, but it's okay because I still have points even after eating it. And man, it was totally worth it.
All in all, a successful day. I still have a good attitude and do not fear failure. That is HUGE for me!
24 meals down, 1071 to go. I've got this!
I made it a week! Yahoo! And what a week it was. I had ups and downs, some major food challenges and a serious learning curve going on... but I LOST 10 LBS! TEN! What?
I've said for years, "I can't lose weight". "My metabolism is zero". "I think my thyroid isn't working right". Guess what I discovered this week? Those are excuses, not reasons. Now, I'm positive that those are real reasons for some people, but this week proved that I am not one of those people. It proved that all along, my heart wasn't in it.
I'm not sure how it happened, but one day, it just clicked in my head... and in my heart. Poof! I was going to change my life. Yes, there is a little doubt still that I may not stick it out. That little devil always rears his ugly head. I realize that I'm not going to lose 10 lbs every week, and likely there will be weeks that I don't lose, and even gain. But, seriously y'all. I really think I'm going to do it. OMG. I'M REALLY DOING THIS!
I spent all day today cooking for the week ahead. My new normal is grocery shop on Saturday and cook on Sunday. Since I work two jobs, plus tutor in the evenings, there isn't room for much variation in my week. I get it, but man, that makes my social life sound really lame. Haha! You want to see me? Come over on Sunday and cook with me.
Tomorrow begins week 2... I'm totally up for the challenge!
FOOD - DAY 7 OF 365
Breakfast: 3 waffles made from Kodiak cakes (1/4 cup mix, plus 1 egg, plus a little water to make it the right consistency = 2.5 points). Add 1/4 cup sugar-free syrup for 1 point and it's 3.5 points total. It was... decent. The waffles tasted great. The syrup is not my favorite. I made more of the mix up into pancakes (1 point each) for the coming week. I'm thinking maybe with just peanut butter or something. I want to love them. We'll see.
Lunch: 2 cups of canned Red Beans with some Fat Free cheddar cheese melted on top. Sooo good and was 0 points. How can you knock zero??
Dinner: 1 salmon patty (salmon, egg, crackers = 3 points), scalloped potatoes (a Weight Watchers recipe I found on Pinterest... oh, so delish. They seriously tasted like fried potatoes but 1/2 cup was only 3 points!), cottage cheese cup (3 points), green lima beans (0 points), and corn (0 points). I was starving after cooking all day and smelling all the good things I cooked.
Snack: 1 Blueberry Muffin (a recipe I got off Pinterest and tweaked the ingredients for 2.5 points), 1 tsp butter (1 point). This could be so delicious if you used sugar. Lol. I used Splenda. It's okay. Not the greatest, but the farther into the muffin I got, the better I liked it.
I feel like I'm going to weigh heavy in the morning... for some reason salmon always makes me retain water. Odd since it's a fish. Haha! Oh well. If I do, it's all good and I won't be discouraged!
21 meals down, 1074 to go. #iwilldothis #neverbackdown #getyourheartinthegame
Today was party day! My mom turned 80 yesterday so we had a birthday bash AT A PIZZA PLACE today. Talk about a food challenge.
I prepped all week. This is a fairly small pizza chain so I couldn't find any nutrition info online for them. However, I did find it for several other pizza chains so I compared them all and found a happy medium, hoping that this one fit into that mold. I was ecstatic to discover that a pepperoni calzone was only 8 points... until I found out they don't have calzones. LOL. So, after looking and comparing all week, I decided on soup and salad. Oh well.
Then there was cake. OMG. It looked so good and chocolate cake is my weakness for sure. I wasn't going to have any, but then I got to thinking how this was a lifestyle change, and at some point in my life, I'm going to have cake. So, I cut 1/4 of a piece and enjoyed every single bite. And that was enough to be satisfied. It was delicious too!
I wasn't very hungry for dinner (thank goodness after all those points at lunch), so it was an easy choice tonight.
All in all, I'm feeling quite proud of myself for navigating such tough waters and coming out on the other side a winner! #icandothis
FOOD - DAY 6 OF 365:
Breakfast: 1 Peanut Butter toast (3 points), 4 slices of Hormel ready to eat bacon (3 points) = 6 points and it was delicious. Good combo!
Lunch: The big one. Lol. 1 cup of potato soup (6 points), salad (7 points). Here's what I had in my unconventional "salad": cottage cheese (3 points), boiled eggs (0 points), sunflower seeds (1 point), croutons (1 point), low fat cheese (1 point), 6 black olives (1 point) and broccoli (0 points). No lettuce or tomatoes in my salad! All for 13 points. Not terrible.
Dinner: 1 cup of Great Northern Beans (0 points), 1 cottage cheese snack cup (3 points).
Snack: CAKE! A tiny, 1/4 piece but it was soooo worth it (4 points).
All in all, it was a good day, I still have points left over and I really am feeling "in it to win it"!
18 meals down... 1077 to go. #onmyway
A year in the life... Day 5.
It's been a whirlwind! Yesterday was my mother's 80th birthday. Of course I had to take her out to eat. You're only 80 once! That being said, I told her I was taking her to the local family restaurant and I had done my research. I was all set to spend 15 points for dinner and have catfish, baked potato and green beans. Yum!! Unfortunately... she decided she wanted Mexican food and since it was her birthday, that's where we went. Total game changer. YIKES! But, I did my best, and turns out, I still had rollover points.
I was seriously worried that I'd be up when I weighed this morning due to all the salt in the food (not to mention the FAT), but thankfully, I was down another pound! Yahoo! 8.4 lbs since Monday. It's a miracle y'all! I can't even believe it. I NEVER lose weight. The struggle is so real. But I'm here to attest... this is working for me!
FOOD - DAY 5:
Breakfast: Finally a satisfying breakfast!! Success! Peanut Butter Toast (2 slices of Wonder whole-grain white bread = 3 points... doubled since I had two of them, so 6 points).
Lunch: 2 Soft Tacos (2 Mission Carb Balance tortillas (these are soft, white and delicious!) 2 points each, 99% Fat Free ground turkey (0 points), taco seasoning (0 points), Kraft Fat Free cheddar cheese (0 points) = 4 points total.
Dinner: The Mexican food mentioned above... hold on tight. It's a killer. 7 tortilla chips (3 points), 1/4 cup white queso (3 points), 2 tostadas with beans and cheese (14 points) = 20 points. TWENTY! Ugh!
Snacks: 1 Kiwi (0 points) and Grapes (0 points). Let me just say that this, too, is almost a miracle. I have never been a fruit eater.
All that, and I still had points left at the end of the day. 100% success!
Today was a DAY! Ugh. Day 4 of 365. It's days like today that would normally make me quit. I was starving all day, I felt like my sugar was a little out of whack, and when I stopped to pick up supper from KFC, I discovered that Cushing's KFC doesn't have the grilled chicken because "they don't have a grill." Of course they don't. #storyofmylife
Just my luck! Without having nutrition info at hand, I had to just wing it (ha! wing it... get it? chicken?). I ordered a KFC bowl. When I got home I found out that sucker was 17 points! Holy Moly!
All that being said, I still had a good attitude today and absolutely wanted to make good choices. I had a couple of moments of weakness (that chicken bowl came with a delicious looking cookie that I threw away), but so far, I've survived and have points left over. PTL! I need all the rollover points I can get because my mom's 80th bday is tomorrow and we are going out to eat and then Saturday is her bday party... with PIZZA & CAKE! Oh my...
FOOD - DAY 4 OF 365
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Wonder whole grain white bread, toasted (3 points) and 1 T. of peanut butter (3 points). It was BY FAR the best breakfast I've had so far. SUCCESS!
Lunch: Spaghetti (7 points), green beans (0 points) and butter beans (0 points). SUCCESS!
Dinner: KFC Chicken bowl with most chicken removed for less points (I'm calling it 13 points). SEMI-SUCCESS! Lol
Snack: Kellogg's Rice Krispy Treat bar (4 points - too many points for the small bar!) SEMI-SUCCESS!
To sum it up, I hope tomorrow is a way better food day, I'm tired of all the things I cooked last Sunday, and I'm still hunting for the perfect sweet breakfast. BUT, I'm still in it to win it, I threw away a hot, delicious chocolate chip cookie, and I'm still under my points for the day. Absolute SUCCESS as far as I'm concerned! 12 meals down, 1083 to go. #ivegotthis #neverbackdown #bringingsexyback
Day 3... 9 meals down... 1086 to go. So far, so good. My body feels... skinny. Haha! I'll take it!
I love, love, love to eat out. I love not having to cook or clean up the mess from cooking. I was TOTALLY tempted to grab fast food tonight. I was starving, and I really wanted either Taco Bell or KFC. I mean, I have lots of points left over for the day and I could have had it, but I just felt like it wouldn't be a great choice for me. I'm down 6.2 lbs and I want to stay that way! Fast food has so much sodium in it that I knew it would make me retain water and I'd be sad when I weighed in the morning.
So, I forced myself to drive to the gas station and get a Diet Pepsi instead and then I came straight home. And once here, it was easy to eat right. WIN, WIN, WIN!
FOOD - DAY 3 OF 365:
Breakfast: I've still not hit the breakfast jackpot yet. That's my struggle bus for sure. I ate low-sugar Quaker oatmeal for breakfast for 5 points. It was okay, but didn't quite hit the spot. Still searching for the breakfast solution...
Lunch: I had two soft tacos for a total of 4 points! Y'all, who says you won't get full on Weight Watchers?? I was stuffed. And everything I ate (taco meat, beans, fat free cheese, and Mission Carb Smart tortillas) was 0 points except the tortillas. Although they cost almost $5.00 a package, let me tell you, they are worth EVERY penny. They are "white" (I hate wheat tortillas), soft and delicious. YUMMO!
Dinner: Leftovers: Succotash (6 points for 1 cup), cottage cheese (3 points) and butter beans (0 points). Delicious 9 point dinner and I'm stuffed to the gills.
My attitude is good, and my mindset is even better. I'm in it to win it!
I DID IT! I survived Day 2 of 365.
When I woke up this morning, I got on the scale. I was down FIVE pounds. What?! Talk about empowering. It's amazing how 5 measly pounds will make you feel "in it to win in". I felt like a diet beast all day. Haha!
I will say that I am learning a lot about food. Before yesterday, I absolutely could not have eaten spaghetti without bread and butter. It just goes together. I'm a HUGE bread eater. I literally like bread of some sort with every single meal. That is most definitely going to be a hard part of this journey.
FOOD - DAY 2 OF 365:
Breakfast: 2 chocolate pumpkin muffins. 3 points each - 6 points. Not bad for breakfast. I love, love sweets for breakfast. I used a sugar-free Pillsbury cake mix and combined it with one can of pure pumpkin. You guys... DELISH and only 3 points! WIN!
Lunch: Succotash. 1 cup - 6 points, and green beans - 0 points. Y'all. Succotash is the BOMB and it has so many zero point things in it!
Snack: I discovered that while I'm at work, I HAVE to have a snack. At home? Not so much. But at work, that 3:00 slump hit me hard. I found these great Enlightened Fudge Bars at Sprouts yesterday. Only 2 points and not bad at all.
Dinner: I was STARVING. I had more spaghetti than I'd originally planned to. I used the Kraft green box spaghetti mix and it's only 7 points per serving. The ground turkey in the sauce was 0 points. But alas, I couldn't stop at one serving so I had 1 1/2 servings which brought my total to 10. I also had 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese at 3 points, and corn at 0 points. Dinner was still a complete success at 13 total points.
So, on target for the day with points left over. Day 2... a complete SUCCESS!! 1,089 meals to go...
