So far so good

So, it's been a bit since I posted on my blog. Sorry for that.

Good news! I've lost 14 pounds in 8 weeks :-) I am so very excited. I enjoy doing weight watchers for the sheer fact that I eat ice cream all the time, I can go to a restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal without the guilt of "I can't believe I ate that!" In fact, this weekend I went out with some ladies from work and had a delicious meal that included dessert. Weight Watchers is all about portion, though they do encourage their members to eat the "filling foods" such as veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, etc.

Our society is so focused on what is good to eat and what is bad to eat and yet, do you notice that a lot of people who are thinner don't always eat as healthfully? And you see a lot of heavier people who are VERY concerned with what they eat. I eat healthy food, make healthy choices, limit the processed or highly salted foods but I also believe that I need to be able to enjoy myself or I won't stick to a program. When I was in counseling for my bulimia that is one of the main things that my counselor told me, "Summer, yes you want to watch what you eat but there is a need to have quality of life". I think we forget that ... don't you?

Now, for those of you doing Weight Watchers, here's a tip. If you go out to dinner and order something that isn't in the Dining Out guide or found online, look up the recipe (or a similar one) and enter it into the recipe builder on Etools. Because I had Red Velvet Cheesecake (whatever genius created that should be made king) but this could not be found in any points guide, I looked up a recipe for this and entered it into recipe builder. I was then able to get the points from that and figure out how many points to count.

Another tip ... SHARE! I split that 18 point cheesecake with my friend and because of that, only had 9 points :-)

Go to sleep and dream of snow, snow, snow, snow ...

Okay, I don't actually love snow as much as the title of this posting implies. In fact, if I could I would be living on some warm tropical island right now, enjoying the warmth and the sunshine. I'd be going outside and walking on the beach in shorts and a tank top. I'd wear flip flops every single day and enjoy the cool breeze coming off the water.

I crave a warm place to live where I can go outside and not have to worry about anything except rain keeping me from taking a walk or run (if I ever get to start running again). I crave the ability to take a hike whenever I want and go swimming year round.

But, I won't let the snow and the cold get me down or keep me from being active. I've already shoveled a little today (so my diva dog would actually go out and use the bathroom) and I intend to do some weights today. Not feeling completely up to doing any cardio but I try to lift weights on a different day than cardio anyways just to keep it from getting old and so that I can move a little every day.

I'm watching my points today, so far I've only had 7 but I also slept in so I've not eaten a ton of food today. I will meet my 27 by the end of the day since I HAVE to eat that amount every day. My goal on days like this is to not eat out of boredom. Instead, I'll find other things to do like clean, exercise or whatever else that will keep me from eating. And just in case I want a snack, I went to the store and bought a ton of fruits and veggies so that I can have something healthy to snack on while I'm snowed in.

Well, that's it for now. Not much to say ... maybe I'll go rearrange my living room now :-)

Shock and ... THAT HAS HOW MANY POINTS?!?!?!?!?!

So today I made a discovery, Applebee's Mexi-ranch dressing has a whopping 8 pts in 2 oz. People, do you realize what that means? They give you WAY more than 2 oz when you order a salad and the salad I order doesn't even need salad dressing. But, with this salad, if you order it and do not say "NO DRESSING" you end up eating 17 of your Weight Watchers points allowance for the day. I get 27 points, that means I would have 10 points left for the day ... had I not already eaten breakfast and lunch. So, how do I eat this salad without dressing? In addition to the dressing the salad comes with Salsa, Sour Cream and Guacomole. Salsa is 0 pts, Sour Cream is 2 pts per serving (typically 2 TB) and Guacomole is about 2 pts for 2 oz. This means that you can replace an 8 pt salad dressing with a tasty alternative for a measly 4 pts.

Knocking 8 pts off of my dinner took my absolute favorite Applebee's salad, the Sante Fe, from 17 pts to 9! What an improvement :-)

For any friends who are trying to watch Weight Watchers points I'm going to include a GREAT website. This site takes restaurants that we eat at everyday (and even some we don't) and provides the points value for some of the more popular options plus, they have some really good recipes on this site as well.

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/

So what is the lesson for today ... be aware of what you are eating on that "healthy salad". Sometimes we focus on the fact that a salad is "good for us" because it is green and we miss the fact that when we order the salad with all the fixings we are ordering a lot more calories, fat and points than if we try to keep it simple.

Inclement Weather ... or, Inconvenient Weather?

So, I was supposed to weigh in last night. I was supposed to find out if I'd hit and maybe even surpassed the 10 lb mark. So, did I get to weigh in? No, no I did not! Instead, I got to drive home in sleet, snow and freezing rain. Lynchburg, the town that never gets snow, has gotten a crazy amount of snow in the last 2 months and we got hit again last night. Not only that but we are expecting even more snow this weekend. So, I did not and will not get to find out if I hit my 10 lb mark until next week because this week between everything else I have going on and the crazy weather I won't be able to make it.

But the good news is that I didn't let it get me down and I won't. Last snow that had me stuck in my house didn't keep me from working out, it didn't make me eat everything in sight, it didn't make me do anything. Instead, I CHOSE to count my points, eat only when I was hungry and work out. In fact, I worked out for an hour on Saturday. I'm working to get better at this though I still don't work out as much as I'd like. I've been making it a point to try to walk at work on the indoor track, or do one of my MANY work out videos. My favorite videos are ones that have me dancing and having fun so that I don't feel like I'm working out. The ones that make you feel graceful, sexy and beautiful are the best.

Also, I bought a weight set since you hear all the time about the fact that you MUST lift weights so that you continue to burn calories even when you aren't working out. Well, sort of. I was in Target the other day and they had those little miniature medicine balls that have a strap on them for weight lifting, they were on clearance. I bought two of these, one 4 lb ball and one 6 lb ball. That doesn't sound like much but I will tell you that those two weights were the best $10 I have ever spent. They come with a chart so that you can do different work outs for your arms, legs and abs. By the time that you are done, your arms are a little sore.

So, while the weather is inconvenient because I can't go work out in it, or it keeps me from work and the track, I am commited to trying to find a way to keep moving. Shoveling snow counts, cleaning, or anything else that I can find. People, I have literally run in place in my apartment for 30 minutes. I also bought a mini stair stepper so that I can do that while I'm watching TV.

So, just because it's winter and just because you (or I) might be snowed into our houses ... that is no excuse not to try to keep moving, not when there are so many options out there. For goodness sake, if nothing else I can turn on fit TV and do some cardio :-)

So, have some great snow days but remember to keep moving so that in the summer, you are ready for your SHOW days ... that's right ladies, it's never too early to start thinking about bathing suit season.

Let me start with this ...

Do not gasp in concern when you see the title and think that I am someone living in a world of depression and sadness. I am not.

I am a person who has struggled with her weight, had an eating disorder, felt thin on the inside when I was not on the outside. But, thank the Lord for people who love me and see, not what is external but what is internal.

Yet, I want to feel good about how I feel on the outside. No, I don't want to look like this;



Rather, I want to feel and look healthy, fit and strong. Like this woman;

.

I don't want 0% body fat, I don't want washboard abs and the perfect size nothing figure. If I was meant to have a perfect body, I'd have one. I spent years of my life trying to meet an expectation to be thin and I never met that expecatation but I damaged my body in the process. I won't ever do that again.

And so, I write this blog because I view it as a form of accountability for myself. I joined weight watchers looking like this;



My hope is to get back to this or a little smaller;



I am down 9 lbs ... and still going. I have hard days where I want nothing but to eat whatever I want. I want to stop counting my points and go crazy but then I remember how good I feel having lost this weight and I know that I would hate myself once I'm done and wouldn't be any closer to my goal.

So folks, I joined Weight Watchers wanting to lose almost 60 lbs and I'm down about So 9 lbs and only 51 more to go. In my blog, I'm going to include occasional recipes that are Weight Watchers friendly but feel like a major cheat. I love to cook and know that the best way to stay on track is to keep my food interesting. See the recipe below for some tasty nachos.


Weight Watcher Friendly Nachos

12 (real Mexican restaurant tortilla chips for (3 pts) or store bought baked tortilla chips
1/2 Cup Black Beans (1 pt)
1/3 Cup frozen Corn (1 pt)
Yellow, Red, Green Bell Peppers (0 pt)
2 to 3 oz Grilled Chicken Breast (2 to 3 pts)
1/3 Cup WW Mexican Cheese (2 pts) or 1/4 Cup Kraft Shredded Mexican Cheese (3 pts)
As much salsa as you want (0 pts)
2 Tablespoons Reduced Fat Sour Cream (1 pt)

Saute peppers until softened then add frozen corn. Saute with Peppers then add Black Beans. Saute until warm, then add salsa. Saute until the liquid has cooked down slightly and pour over the top of the tortilla chips. Top with cheese and heat in microwave for 1 minute to melt cheese or place in pan in oven until cheese is melted. After removing from Microwave or Oven top with Sour Cream and Salsa and enjoy! Guacomole, olives, jalepenos are all optional however, please account for the additional points.

Total Points vary - 10 to 13 points per meal