End of an Era (Yogurt)

I believe I stated once before that I'm like a binge-drinker with yogurt.

I either:
A) Eat it every day for a while
or
B) Am so sick of it I don't eat it for about a year

Well, I've been eating yogurt (all KINDS of varities) for about 6 weeks now, and I have HAD it.

In my refrigerator, I have 1 LARGE container of LF Vanilla yogurt. There are probably about 6 servings left in there. I can't wait to be done with it.

Although, I have been able to experiment with it in different ways, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE overnight oats. Very filling, I've been making very simple version of it:

1/3 c Old Fashioned Oats
2 pts worth of Yogurt (either individually packaged or from a container)
freshen with splash of skim in the AM
top with cinnamon

Mmmm. The texture reminds me a LOT of rice pudding, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Not quite sure what will be next in the world of breakfast, but it's coming soon.

THANK GOODNESS.

Yogurt, out.

New Thing of the Week: Poppin' Fresh

This week, on a whim, I tried some Popchips! I hadn't intended to buy them, but saw them while in Target and they sounded familiar, so I figured I would give it a go.



I tried the Whole Grain, as well as the BBQ Potato.

Whole Grain was eh. Alone, I didn't really enjoy them, but with copious amounts of Whole Foods' Hummus, I adored them - which really means, I adored the hummus. The flavor of the WG Popchips just fell flat for me - though they were low in points for a serving (2), satisfied the need for a crunch, and allowed me to check off WG on my GHG list.

BBQ was trouble. SO delicious. I could eat the whole bag (which is 3 servings) in ONE sitting. The BBQ flavor was great, the crunch was satisfying, and they reminded me of Glenny's BBQ Soy Crisps. I'm debating whether I will be buying these again - it could EASILY be a trigger food for me, they are so good.

HOWEVER, I would seriously consider buying them again to pack in a lunch - aka eating them somewhere that I will NOT have to worry about swallowing the whole bag while I sit on the couch.

The thing that DOES really excite me about these is that when I move back into my dad's house, I think these WILL go over well with my dad and brother, and I can sub them in for regular potato chips while grocery shopping.

Score!

Weekly Goals

Each week, when I weigh in, I set some weekly goals for myself. Though I will not be weighing in until tomorrow night (my normal day is Saturday), I have set my goals for Su-Friday. I decided I would start sharing these and report on them after my WI.

1. GHGs: 16-19 DAILY. (There can be up to 20 with the optional milk serving)
2. Earn 20 APs
3. Do 4 training runs for my upcoming 5K.
4. EAT CLEAN! (minimum amount of processed foods & refined sugars)
5. DO NOT go over WPA + AP earned (I've been WAY in the red the past two weeks)

All easily attainable goals - part of a LIFESTYLE change.

Another lifestyle change: now that my dance year is over and I have cut down hours at one of my two remaining jobs, I lose TWO WHOLE POINTS in my day-to-day - and that's without losing weight! I'm going from being on my feet about 40 hours a week, to being on my feet about 10-15 hours a week. This means I now have 25 points to work with. Hoping to maintain/small loss tomorrow @ WI so I don't go down to 24 points - yet. I need to adjust to 25!

Scheduled for some REALLY CLEAN eating today - plan to do the same tomorrow/for the rest of the week.

Yesterday was a DISASTER, food-wise, despite my planning. But I enjoyed it, thoroughly....At least it was an active day...I move on.

Time to create my lunch and get ready for work today - I really wish I'd had the foresight to take today off - bc I didn't, I am working 11 days in a row over 3 jobs! This makes it HARD to not eat processed - processed is MUCH easier to pack!

Confession Connection

It's been a bingey week for me. I have started off OK almost every day, and it takes a turn @ about 10 PM, when I'm feeling exhausted and stressed about the next day. I'm in a hugely transitional emotional state while I prepare to move back to NY. I purchased (and ate) Reduced Fat Birthday Cake Ice Cream and Rainbow Chip icing. I did NOT accurately count points on these and am in the red. I also ate a Kashi cookie, BBQ popchips, and a mini pizza with a TON of cheese that I made tonight. I feel disgustingly fully.

Damn you, emotional eating.

At least I've still been active this week! 3/4 runs in, daily crunches, lots of water, lots of time on my feet & lean protein. Hoping to maintain @ my WI on Sunday. A loss would be lovely, but is probably unlikely.
Dinner tonight (Something Morgan Spurlock's book has NOT ruined)That would be a grilled chicken sandwich, Diet Dr. Pepper, and a fruit cup. A low-points, filling meal. I <3>

Plan for tomorrow during recital? Drink lots of water, eat SUPER clean, and get my run in when I get home. I will be spending 12 hours out of the house tomorrow, so I will have to pack it all. I want to be squeaky clean, get in GHGs, and keep moving around allll day (this will be easy, I'll be dancing in the wings while my kiddos are on stage).

Next week, I SERIOUSLY need to stay away from refined sugars.....they trigger SO much!

Don't Eat this Cat (or Dog)

So, Mr. Spurlock's book seems to be turning me off more and more from fast food. I didn't eat a lot of it to begin with, but MAN....Here is the excerpt that immediately made me call my mother, father, and brother to share the horrifying details (not for the weak-stomached). I am sharing this so that perhaps if you fight with fast food temptations, this will help to deter it.

"In an amazing display of collective insanity, the meat producers of this country are feeding all sorts of animals to the animals they feed to us. Dead pigs and dead horses are ground up for cattle feed, and so are dead chickens. A lot of chicken manure gets mixed up into the feed in the process, so the cows are not only eating chicken, but chicken shit, which can spread salmonella, tapeworms, and chemicals like arsenic. Not only are cows fed dead chickens, but chickens are fed dead cows. (Cue "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King.)

You want to hear something really disgusting? The cattle industry buys millions of dead cats and dogs from animal shelters every year, then feeds them to the cattle who end up in your burger." -Morgan Spurlock, Don't Eat This Book

I was never a huge beef eater, but I am pretty sure that I'll never eat anything beef based again...especially from a fast food chain. My precious Chick-Fil-A and its cows, that encourage me to "Eet mor Chikn" seem REALLY brilliant right now.

I can't wait till I have gainful employment. I am SO going organic.

Sometimes, I feel like this is my life.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Turkey Sausage Cheddar Frittata

Mom's in town and I wanted to try a Diabetic-Friendly recipe for her. I put it in my recipe builder, and away I went:

Health.com's Veggie Sausage-Cheddar Frittata: http://recipes.health.com/recipes/1733679-veggie-sausage-cheddar-frittata

My modifications were as follows:
1. Cut recipe in half (to yield only 4 servings)
2. Omit veggie sausage
3. Use 3 oz of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed, crumbled, browned with veggies
4. Omit salt/pepper
5. Use 1 "twist" Sea Salt upon serving

It was DELICIOUS. I'm satisfied after having this and 1/2 of a LARGE sweet potato, sliced like fries and cooked in 1 tsp evoo.

I think if you wanted to try it, you could easily add 1 or 2 more veggies to satisfy your taste/palette. You can also opt to cook the mushrooms/peppers in EVOO or Canola instead of cooking spray to get in some healthy oil.

This one is getting committed to the recipe box. So quick and easy! :-D

An Old Favorite, by Request...

This recipe comes from a WW cook book I purchased in 2006, and made frequently at my low-weight. It gives you the taste of nachos at a lower points-cost.


Microwave Potato Nachos
You need:
1 large baking potato, scrubbed
1/4 tsp ground cumin (I have be known to make this recipe without this, so if you don't have it, feel free to omit)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 c bottled chunky salsa
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 scallion, sliced

1. Cut the potato into approx 3/8" thick slices; arrange in a single layer in a microwavable fish. Sprinkle the potatoes with the cumin, salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap, then prick a few holes in the plastic to vent. Microwave on High until tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Spoon the salsa over the potatoes; sprinkle with the beans and cheese. Microwave, uncovered, on Medium until the cheese is mentled, 1:30 - 2 min. Sprinkle the scallion and serve at once.

3 nachos per serving, 2 pt per serving, 4 servings. Tonight I chose to split it into two servings (one for me and one for Mom @ 5 points each. I added 2 oz of finely chopped roasted chicken breast, and on my plate, I added 2 tbs of lite sour cream, for a total of a 6 pt meal that hits a LOT of GHGs. I also add Cayenne and Garlic powders to taste).

What a great, filling, Mexican-y dinner! Noms!

I fought TOM, and TOM won!

Weighed in today and was up .4, but after a LOUSY week - I'll take it! I'm leaving this one to TOM, dumb luck, and eating LOTS of GHGs. I had fun a lot of this week, anyway. Cookie dough, brownies, chips, all kiiinds of refined sugars. But, it is over and done.

I'm considering this a bigger victory than I should be. I bought myself a pair of Skull Candy ear buds to motivate myself to improve, work harder, and track, track, track this week.

My mom is visiting, so we will eat out a bit - but she is diabetic, so it will feel great to be able to make smart choices with her!

I have TWO new things to try this week: a new recipe for a Turkey Sausage Frittata (will share with pictures after eating/cooking) and a Breakfast Cookie.

I look forward to both. Will post my reviews at a later date!
-KJ

Don't Eat this Book

At one of my WW meetings, a member said she was (RE)reading a book by Morgan Spurlock, the man who made Supersize Me. Another (lifetime) member said he owns the book and rereads it frequently - he hit goal 20 years ago and looks fantastic!

So, I signed my (shrinking) butt on to Amazon and found a copy for 25 cents. It's been enlightening, despite the fact that it was published 5 years ago.

I'm reading this book for a number of reasons, but the primary reason is that I'm trying more and more to move away from processed foods in my diet, (not "DIET," just meaning my daily intake) and something tells me Mr. Spurlock has a lot to share about what goes IN to all of these Fast Foods. I only eat fast food about once a week, it's usually Chick-Fil-A or Wendy's, but if I could get it down to once a month or once every other month that would be fab.

I'm posting to share the following excerpt from The Washington Monthly via Spurlock's Don't Eat this Book.
" If a person drives instead of walks for only 20 minutes each day for a year, he will store about 26,000 calories, thus gaining about 5 pounds. Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimated that over a year, those who spend only five minutes each workday sending emails to coworkers instead of visiting their offices will gain an extra pound. Most of us gain weight this way, a few grams a day, a few pounds a year - but enough to shorten our lives."


Pretty scary, no?

New Thing of the Week: It's Greek to Me

As part of my Weight Loss Journey, I've committed myself to try something new every week. Previously, when I was on Weight Watchers, I didn't QUITE commit to this the last time I did WW, and was easily bored. I am being proactive about this now! I will post each time I try my new thing.

This week:
Chobani Greek Yogurt - Strawberry


I've heard such great things about Greek Yogurt and Overnight Oats on the WW Boards (WWB from here on) that I decided I would make my own concoction.

I used:
1 6oz container of Chobani Strawberry Yogurt +
1/2 cup oats
Placed in the fridge overnight.

In the morning at work, I freshened it up with a splash of NF milk.

Verdict:

UGH. I just finished eating it and feel ill. I ate it over the course of about 1.5 hours, because I just didn't like it. BUT, being at work and having budgeted POINTS for it, I had to eat it. It was just TOO thick for me, and extremely heavy.

I really wanted to like it due to the nutritional values, but this is a FAIL for me. 2nd time tried, 2nd time I didn't like.

Oh well. On to scoping out next week's "New" thing, I suppose.

A Binge to the tune of 41.5 Points

Yesterday was horrendous. I couldn't run due to tremendous back pain = no APs. I couldn't do crunches for the same reason.

I also decided (well, PMS helped me decide) to not ONLY overeat by 41.5 POINTS but to make the following LOUSY decisions:

• 16 points were Brownies
• 12.5 points were a Happy Meal - and I NEVER eat McDonalds
• 3 points were Sun Chips
• 10 points were two EXTRA, unplanned pieces of Papa John's Pizza @ Lunch

All super-processed, horrible for me, and containing NO nutritional value.

Not quite sure how I am going to recover, other than to eat REALLY clean for the next few days, and hopefully earn about 20 Activity Points...then I'll be about 21.5 points in the hole.

I guess the upside is that I feel like CRAP today: I have horrible indigestion, a bit of bloating, and a general "acidy" feeling in my throat. Not in the LEAST bit fun.

Back is feeling a bit better, hoping for a run today.

Need to move along.....

The Inaugural Post

Who am I?

I'm 27, a New Yorker born & raised, living in North Carolina, but returning to New York in June.

In 2007, I was a mere 7 pounds away from my GOAL WEIGHT. I started Weight Watchers at a whopping 230 pounds on my 5' 6.5" frame in 2005. I was training for a marathon. I felt good. I ate a lot. I weighed 162 pounds.

After the marathon in January 2008, running got pushed to the side. There were a LOT of emotional events leading up to the marathon that I didn't deal with. I kept eating like I was running. 170 pounds.

I was teaching (finally) in a leave replacement position, attending grad school FT, and working two part-time jobs. I worked for 6 months in the schools, and decided I was going to move to North Carolina, where there were more opportunities for teachers.

August 2008, I moved to North Carolina. 180 pounds. Found a job teaching Kindergarten, teaching dance at 2 different dance studios. Incredibly lonely on the weekends.

Lost my teaching job in June 2009, due to budget cuts. Apply for over 175 teaching jobs, do not get a single interview. I run out of money by January 2010. I begin working 3 jobs, approximately 60 hours a week, to pay the bills.

Between August 2008 and November 2009, I gain 22 more pounds. I walked back into Weight Watchers November 2009, at 202 pounds. Miserable.

I recommit to Weight Watchers in April of 2010, as I prepare to head back home to NY.

Inspired by the boards and blogs of other Weight Watchers, I decided to make a WLJ blog.

So here I am.

This time, I'm not stopping till I hit my GOAL....