IT'S ABOUT MAKING BETTER CHOICES

Well, I am just trying to keep my head above water at this point. For some reason I have been excessively hungry (perhaps it has to do with my 2 month old daughter who has been nursing a lot the last few days) and thus eating much more than usual. I still overall have been eating mostly healthy stuff, but too much of it. And last night after dinner I definitely ate far more than I needed.

I also still haven't been feeling 100%, like I am fighting a cold. But hopefully I will feel well enough to run the 5k tomorrow that I had intended to run.

Although I will continue trying to make better choices, I feel at this point that I will just try to regroup on Monday after we get back home and I back in my element. That's what it's all about, right? Making better choices. So even if I eat too much, if I choose to eat yogurt instead of ice cream, that's a better choice. And that's still a step in the right direction.

DAY TWO ... NOT GOING WELL

Ok, so I still wasn't able to get back on track today. Breakfast didn't really stick with me, and by the time I got to lunch, I was so starved that I ate too much. I had chicken salad with some light bread, and then some more chicken salad. And a serving of the soy crisps. I am sure I had a handful of goldfish too, and I have eaten WAY too many of the french twists. Later on I had a bunch of fruit and some banana bread. For dinner we had spaghetti with eggplant which had been cooked lightly in some canola oil. I had two helpings of that! (Though each helping wasn't particularly large.)

I am still not feeling well, and so justified having a push pop after dinner. As if that wasn't enough, I just had some yogurt and a couple more french twists.

All in all, each thing that I am eating isn't too bad, but I am just eating too much of it.

I went to the store and bought some of my own foods, so that hopefully I can get back on track tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

DAY ONE AWAY FROM HOME

Yesterday started out well. I wasn't really hungry before leaving on my trip to Virginia Beach, so after hitting the road,I grabbed a Weight Watchers Just2Points snack bar.

We stopped for lunch around 12:30, and I got a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's (with sauce), and managed only to eat a few of my daughter's french fries. (She helped me by sneezing all over them, thus deterring me from eating anymore.)

Then I arrived at my in-laws. I don't know what happened, maybe it's because I wasn't writing things down, maybe it was just being somewhere different, but I couldn't stop snacking. My father-in-law brought out some goldfish, which I kept munching on. Then, in an effort to munch on something a little healthier, I opened up a bag of Genisoy Soy Crisps that I brought with me. But then I ate too much of those too. And I had an apple. Ok, I know in and of themselves, each thing wasn't too bad, but the point is I was eating too much.

My mother-in-law cooked breaded chicken, sauteed in oil. It was delicious, but probably pretty high in points. We also had steamed veggies, cucumber salad and pasta salad. After dinner I had a piece of banana bread (not Weight Watchers recipe), several french bakery twists (one point each) and a sugar free popsicle. I think the other part of my problem here is that I am coming down with a cold (thanks to my daughter) and I was seeking comfort food.

Anyway, so far today I have had a half glass of oj, 1/2 container sugar free yogurt, 1/2 c. fiber one cereal, and a small banana. And of course a couple bites of my daughter's cereal that she didn't eat. (The downfall of every mother's weight loss efforts .. finishing off their kids' meals!)

Anyway, hopefully the rest of the day I will be able to stay on track.

I'll try to post again soon.

VACATION (SORT OF)

Tomorrow I am leaving for Virginia Beach and won't be back until Monday. I won't have regular access to a computer, so I probably won't be making any posts.

I'll be staying with family, who thankfully are pretty health conscious. Still, being out of my element will make things a little challenging. I plan on bringing some healthy snacks, but I have to remember that just because I am away from home, I don't need to start indulging all the time. I am trying to learn how to make better choices, and that should include times when I am away from home.

I do plan on running a 5k down there. I am definitely looking forward to that, and hopefully that will help keep me focused on my goals. Anyway, wish me luck!

IF YOU BITE IT, WRITE IT!

I fully intended to post yesterday, but my network connection on my computer was down.

I am happy to say that yesterday I ran a 5k on my treadmill (level 1 incline) in 27 and a half minutes. I think that might be my best time yet. Of course, it would be different on a real course, but I may be running one on Sunday, so we'll see how I do.

I'll tell you, at least for me, writing everything that I eat down is key to control, at least while I regain better eating habits and get better at making choices. I normally use Weight Watchers eTools online to record everything I eat (since it calculates the points for you), but since I couldn't get online yesterday, I didn't record what I ate. (I know, I could have just written it down.) Well, we had company over for dinner, and I know I was eating more than if I had been recording what I was eating. I finally did get back online last night and when I entered everything in (I think I remembered everything!) I found that I hadn't done as badly as I thought. But I still think I would have eaten less if I had been writing it down all along.

ONE POINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

My friend Samantha got me hooked on these. The key here is to follow the serving size. These are bite-sized cookies, but two of them are only one point and they are pretty good, and definitely make a good chocolate fix. You can make them even healthier by substituting the white flour with whole wheat flour. It doesn't really effect the taste, and it makes them a little more guiltless.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp table salt
1 large egg white(s)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 oz chocolate chips, semi-sweet (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.


In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil and brown sugar together. Add vanilla, salt and egg white, and mix together thoroughly.


Mix together flour and baking soda. Add chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly.


Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake cookies for 4 to 6 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

YUMMY DISCOVERY

Vitamuffins .... they make several different types of muffins, and the small ones, which are still decent sized are only one point. No, it's not a Starbucks blueberry muffin coated with sugar (and loaded with calories), but they are still pretty good, and since they are so high in fiber, they are pretty filling, and go well with a nice hot cup of joe. The only downside is that they are a bit on the pricey side. At my local Giant grocery store, they are $4.50 for a box of four. But it's nice to have something a little different, and even if you have a glass of milk or some artificially sweetened yogurt, you are still only looking at 3 points for a whole breakfast which is healthy and filling. I had a muffin this morning before going for a run, and was so satisfied afterwards that I didn't need to eat anything else. Anyway, if you are interested in trying them, you will find them in the freezer section of your grocery store, probably near the Boca Burgers.