If It Ain't Broke...

Yesterday, Weight Watchers unveiled its new program. It is called POINTSPLUS. If you follow the POINTS program, it is now obsolete. So to quick sum this up, they took a system that worked and threw it away.



They say that this new system is based on the newest scientific breakthroughs. And you know what? I'm cool with that. I get that a company would update their product as new information became available. However, my problem with this change is that I (and many others, who share my opinion) are forced into following this new approach. It should be optional. I was at the point (hehe, notice that play on words) in my dieting that I could just look at a food or the nutritional information and comfortably guesstimate how many POINTS could be found in that item.

I spent much of yesterday editing my stored food information and lists to reflect the new POINTSPLUS values. I have not even made a dent in it yet. Ugh. Should I even bother to learn this new system? I am only continuing to pay the monthly fees to use the online resources to maintain my weight. Why learn this new technique when I've hit my goal weight already AND I successfully did so with the old program?

Then there is that part of me that can't help wondering if this is a money making scheme? The POINTS plan is now useless, so anyone who follows the Weight Watchers plan has to invest in new merchandise. I already spent money on the POINTS calculator, scale and books. About $100 sent down the trash chute because now I have to drop even more money to follow the POINTSPLUS program!

Don't get me wrong here. If you are just starting out or thinking about joining Weight Watchers, I'm sure POINTSPLUS will work. Apparently, it has already been implemented over in the UK as PROPOINTS. There are plenty of success stories coming our way from across the pond. I am not discouraging anyone from joining WW, in fact, I would recommend it to anyone contemplating dieting. I simply think that the old POINTS system should continue to be made accessible to those who are already use it, love it and owe successful weight loss to it.

Maybe I don't like change? Maybe I'm a mom who doesn't have time to sit at my computer editing ten months worth of stored information from my own recipes to favorite foods?

Maybe I'm just a grouch?



Oh, well. As they say, "One person's trash is another one's treasure".

A Day in the Life of A Mom

Have any of you seen this article from the Washington Post? My sister brought it to my attention. I've got to admit, it really struck a nerve with me.

I am a Stay-at-Home Mom to a toddler. If you would have told me five years ago, that I'd quit my job to raise a child, I would have laughed in your face. I was raised to be an independent, self-reliant woman. To be a contributing member of society, I believed I had to have a "9 to 5" job. I had to make my own money. I had to pay my own bills. If you hear Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman" in your head as you read this, then you get the idea!

I was wrong. Don't tell my husband that I have admitted it though!

First off, being a mom is the busiest job that I have ever had. It is non-stop. While my hubby puts in an eight hour day of work, my day is all day and occasionally all night too! My hubby gets to come home and relax, I continue doing what I do all day. If I'm sick, I'm still mom, mothers can't call out sick. If I go on vacation, I'm still mom, but at a more "exotic" locale.

Moms are caregivers, teachers, playmates, cooks, maids, nurses and so much more. And this brings me to the next misperception I once had of Stay-at-Home Mommyhood. As a parent, I AM still contributing to society. I am raising a child. Her happiness, early education, health and safety fall on my shoulders all day, every single day of the year.*

Friendships. When I first had my child, like a wave crashing in then pulling back out to sea, I noticed that my friends, even the ones who were at my baby shower and seemed so excited to welcome my little mini-me into the world, began to distance themselves. It is completely understandable though.

I don't have time to be the kind of friend that I used to be. I can't hang out till 2am anymore. I can't be over in 10 minutes. I can't have long phone conversations anymore. If I get together with a friend, my kid will be there AND I can't guarantee my undivided attention. Sorry.

And you know what? I'm ok with that. The friends that don't understand aren't worth the time that could be better spent elsewhere anyway. My bestest friend gets it. She's an extremely busy person so that probably helps too! I love her even more for embracing my role as a mom.

Anyway, for the reasons above, I really enjoyed this newspaper clipping from a 2007 edition of the Washington Post. I hope you do as well.

***
TELL ME ABOUT IT ®
By Carolyn Hax
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Carolyn:

Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .

Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.

Tacoma, Wash.

*

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

Or you're lying about having friends with kids.

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.

Internet searches?

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.

Write to Tell Me About It, Style, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, ortellme@washpost.com.
***

Pretty good, huh?

All this being said, I love being a mom. It has been the most rewarding, fun experience in my 30+ years. Despite the sleep deprivation, the little amount of "me" time, the constant worrying, the hard work, IT IS SO WORTH IT! Every morning (even the ones after a puke filled night), I wake up with a smile.



~~~~~~~~
SIDE DISH:
* I think the working mommas have it twice hard as the moms at home. I did not include them in my blabbering because I cannot speak from experience. My sister has a high-stress job, a toddler and a baby on the way. She works her butt off. I have so much admiration and awe for the strong woman that she continues to be. Rock on, little sis!

Mmm.... Macaroni Salad On A Diet

We went to a party at my husband's cousin's house today. Everyone invited was asked to bring a dish. On these occasions where we go to parties or picnics, I'm usually very limited on what I can eat. I end up by the veggie tray, eating all the celery and carrots up, but leaving Aunt So & So's homemade dip behind.

On the rare occasion that someone actually asks me to make food for a party, I try to make something that I can eat. Sorry, carrots, much love to ya, but you never fill me up!

I found a low-fat Macaroni Salad recipe and have tweaked it to make it my own. I love it so much, I figured I'd share it with you all. It is my go-to recipe when someone asks me to make something picnic-foody.




Yummy Macaroni Salad

8 oz of dry elbow macaroni (aka half a box)
1/2 cup Hellman's Low-fat Mayonnaise*
1 1/2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Nature's Seasons**
1 cup celery (chopped)
1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
1 medium Green Pepper, mild (chopped)
3 Tbsp Green Olives, sliced

Cook macaroni according to instructions on the box.

While waiting for the macaroni to cook, combine mayo, vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic powder and Nature's Seasons in small bowl until well blended. We'll call this the dressing.

Drain macaroni then mix in dressing. After macaroni is well coated with dressing, mix in celery, onion, green pepper and olives.

Cover dish with aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Each serving is roughly 2/3 cup. The Weight Watcher POINTS value for each serving is 3 POINTS.

Enjoy, I know I do!


~~~~~~~~
SIDE DISH
*I recommend using Hellman's Low-fat Mayo, because it is 4.5 POINTS for 1/2 cup of it. If you do not like it or want to use something else, be careful. Some reduced fat mayos can cost you about 11 POINTS for one serving! That's just crazy to me!
** You can substitute salt and pepper for Nature's Seasons. We use Nature's Seasons like we own stock in it! Try it, it's a delicious seasoning.

Cheaters Never Win... OR Lose Weight

I cheated. Yeah, I said it. I am a dirty, rotten cheater. Thankfully, for my husband's sake at least, the only thing I cheated on was my diet.

I cheated before last night too. My family went on vacation last month to my favorite place on Earth: the beach. Ah, it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. Warm sand between my toes, sunshine bright on my shoulders, a summer breeze blowing past my face, the trance inducing sounds of waves crashing, boardwalk fries loaded with vinegar, pizza and of course, the obligatory cone of ice cream.




I look forward to those moments with my family ALL YEAR LONG. I also planned on taking a break from my diet from that trip since starting my dieting journey back in January.

Do you see the most important word in that last sentence? That's right, I PLANNED for it. I was a good cheater. I ate breakfast. I ate dinner. I did not overindulge at either meal. In fact, I shared my breakfast with my daughter each and every morning! I did not snack. I had half of a milkshake only on one night. That was on my birthday in lieu of cake. I only gained a pound for that week. I was OK with that. And I ended up losing it the very next week.

There was no guilt associated with my diet lapse at the beach because it was scheduled ahead of time. Last night, I did not plan on eating what I ate, but I am only human. I was tempted. I needed it. My mouth was actually watering at the thought of it.



The strange things is that I'm not much of a meat eater. If you ever want to see me spit out chewed up food, start talking about the fact that what is in my mouth is actually the remains of a poor, innocent animal. I'll seriously stay away from that food for a month after that.

I hate steak. If you put a big ol' filet mignon in front of me, I will not even graze it with my knife, I'll load up on whatever sides are being served. The texture of meat has also been known to gross me out. Sometimes just thinking about it can make me gag. My hubby and I joke all the time about the fact that I'm perfectly happy eating buttered noddles every night for dinner while he prefers meat and potatoes. It's also part of the reason that I don't do much cooking. Why cook an entire meal that only one person will be eating? I'd be making separate meals for all three of us! Also, I have a hard time cooking meat. It grosses me out.

So back to the cheesesteak craving. Maybe my body wanted it because it needed it. I've got my monthly intruder so maybe I needed iron or something? I don't know.

When we originally headed over to the pizza shop, I said to my hubby (who is a saint for dealing with all my diet stipulations when it comes to choosing a restaurant to eat in) that I would only order a cheesesteak if they were out of tomato pie. I will generally eat a slice or two of their phenomenal tomato pie sans Parmesan cheese topping at least once a week. It is delicious. Yummy. Filling. A dieter's friend.

No surprise. They had sold out of it.

I tried to be good while being bad. When the employee plopped my cheesesteak in front of me, I did not add ketchup to it. I did not eat a lot of the pile of fries sitting in front of the three of us. I had a handful, that's all. Really. Despite the fact that I used to be a french fry fiend, I exhibited some willpower against their delicious pull. Unfortunately, I ate every last bite of my sandwich. Hell, I would have licked the plate if I didn't think anyone would have seen me!

So here it is, my 20 POINT indulgence. Only after hitting my 55 pounds LOST mark did I start using some of my Weekly POINTS allowance. On WW, you get 35 additional POINTS each and every week to use however and on whatever you choose. I try to use no more than five of them each week. Last night, I used almost HALF of those extra POINTS!

I feel like a big fat cow. And I don't mean that in a "you are what you eat" kinda way. I simply mean that I feel like a big fat cow.

I guess the guilt is eating at me. Pun intended.

However, part of me thinks I MIGHT just be being a LITTLE to hard on myself. After all, I remember reading that it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. That cheesesteak probably was only a third of that!

Promises, Promises

The blog looks a little different, doesn't it? I changed the name, the background and hopefully, the feel of this little blog o' mine. Why, you ask?

This blog was started as means to motivate myself. I didn't expect anyone to read it and I was ok with that. I wanted to have a place where I could hold myself accountable for the choices I made on this diet. Since I was doing the Weight Watchers online program, I figured a blog was appropriate.

You know what I learned?

That I didn't need a blog to stick to my diet. My motivation was in the little girl running around my house. She had boundless energy. I could not keep up with her. I was 50 pounds overweight according to my height and age. Was this going to put me in an early grave? Would I miss her prom, graduation, marriage, first child?

50 pounds. That will be easy enough. Two pounds a week. I'd have it off in 25 weeks. About six months. I could diet for that long, right?

Well, it took a little longer than that. It was more like eight months! And it wasn't easy. There were times when I was still hungry (or PMS-ing)and THOSE french fries dipped in THAT milkshake sounded so good! So...

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I LOST THE FIFTY POUNDS!

Actually, I'm down 57 pounds now. I plan to lose about 8 more pounds before going into "maintenance" mode.

This is the first time, as an adult, that I have been a size MEDIUM. Before this year, I had never been in the healthy weight range for my height. There was always a little extra junk in my trunk, some chub to my frame. However, the past seven years or so, I really packed on the pounds. I went for being a little overweight to downright fat.

Now as promised (and dreaded by me), my BEFORE and AFTER pictures. Be gentle.





AT MY AUNT'S WEDDING IN 2007





A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUYING NEW PANTS


So there you go. I plan on continuing to eat like a "dieter" for the rest of my life. I'll give myself cheat days, but they won't be everyday AND they WILL be within reason.

This blog will not be closing. It will be changing. And to celebrate, we will be doing a give-away soon. Details to come.

Cheeburger, Please Burger!

A couple weeks ago, my hubby had gone out to lunch with some co-workers to a restaurant named, "Cheeburger, Cheeburger". From his description of the malt shop feel to the fact that they served real vanilla cola, I knew that I wanted to eat there AND SOON! We decided to head there on a Saturday night for an early dinner.

The restaurant was packed! We were seated in the very back. There wasn't enough room to pull our chairs out. As annoying as the crowded seating situation was, I also figured that there must be something to their food for all these people to be here so early on a Saturday afternoon.

Before even stepping through the front doors, I knew what I would be eating. My thanks to Cheeburger, Cheeburger for having nutritional information available online. They even have a nutritional calculator on their website so you can build your own meal, customize it how ever you may want and then have all the caloric info you need right there in front of you. It made ordering and sticking to my diet easy.

This restaurant is pretty neat. First, you order your drink. They have Cherry, Vanilla and Chocolate Colas. Mmmmm. They also have Flavored Teas and Lemonades, Shake-a-Sodas, Ice cream Sodas, Rootbeer Floats, Egg Creams, the usual suspects (like hot tea, coffee, milk, juice and boring regular ol' sodas) PLUS a massive lists of milk shakes. There are so many flavors. And you can combine as many flavors as you want to make your own creation. In fact, their menu boasts that there are over 350,000 flavor combinations! My hubby and my daughter shared a Strawberry and Cream Milkshake.




I had a Diet Vanilla Cola for 3 POINTS. It was delicious and well worth the point sacrifice!


Next, you order your sandwich. You start with burger size. They range from THE CLASSIC up to OUR FAMOUS POUNDER (which if you complete, earns your picture a spot on their wall of fame). If you'd rather something else, there are plenty of other things to choose from like chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, wraps, platters and salads.

The next step is to order your cheese. Whether you are a traditional cheeser or the more daring cheese enthusiast, they have a cheese for you. After you pick your cheese (or opt to have NO cheese), you then pick your toppings. The list they have for free toppings is outrageous. You can have anything from peanut butter to artichoke hearts added to your burger. If you want bacon though, it'll cost you a little extra. There is almost no limit to the number of toppings you can add to your cheeseburger creation.

You can order fries or onion rings to go with your sandwich. According to their nutritional info, the onion rings were significantly less fattening then the fries. They have four different kinds of dips that you can order with your fries or rings. Since I am dieting, I opted for none. My daughter and hubby stuck to traditional ketchup.



I ordered a Veggie Burger without the bun, which they happily accommodated. On top of my burger, I had American Cheese, Salsa and a side of pickles. It was huge AND DELICIOUS! I savored every last bite of it.

Those onion rings made me feel like I was cheating. I hate biting into an onion ring and having the rubbery onion refuse to snap. You end up with the onion in your mouth and the breading in your hand. Not with these onion rings! They were light and crispy. The breading kind of tasted like funnel cake to me.

The Veggie Burger sans bun with salsa, cheese and pickles clocked in at 7 POINTS.
The Cakey, Crunchy Onion Rings cost me 3 POINTS for a small serving, which was plenty!

I left full. Satisfied. Still on my Diet.

~~~~~
Side Dish:
They cook all the food to order. It takes a little longer to receive your food, but it is worth it to know you are getting fresh food!

You're No Good, Baby, You're No Good

I was flipping through the Woman's Day magazine that is delivered to my house every so often. It comes to me because my mother-in-law subscribes to it each year. She received two free subscriptions for other gals so she signed me up for one of them. I usually just glance at it before throwing it in our pile of recyclables. This most recent edition was full of interesting info for the dieting populace. I had my pen out, I was circling items like crazy! Ooh, and I found a $1.00 off coupon for 0 POINT Jello Snack Packs. Score.

I thought this article was worth sharing:

"JUNK FOOD = DRUGS?
If you've ever thought 'I'm addicted to this stuff' after eating candy, potato chips, doughnut or other junk food, you may be on to something. Researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in Florida fed rats cake, candy bars and other empty-calorie delights, then exposed the rats to light (a sign of danger) to see if they would stop eating the treats. They didn't, possibly because eating the junk food may have activated pleasure centers in the rats' brains much as an addictive drug would. It isn't clear if the study, recently published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, will translate to humans, but the scientist believe that highly processed junk foods may disrupt hunger and satisfaction signals in the brain and cause people to keep seeking them out- even though we know that they have few nutrients and eating too much of them can cause weight gain"
from "Be Well News" by Abigail L. Cuffey for Woman's Day (July 2010)

I knew those yummy potato chips were no good! I sure miss snacking on them though.

~~~~~
Side Dish: Although I posted this article for all of you to read it, it does not mean that I condone testing on animals.

PB + J = A Love Story

Better'n Peanut Butter meets Sugar-free Blackberry Jam through fate and human hunger in the kitchen.





Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins meets up with the new couple.





Better'n Peanut Butter spreads two tablespoons on thick. Arnold's is impressed.





Sugar-free wants to join the fun. She adds a tablespoon of her wisdom into the conversation.





Always late to the party, Organic Carrots Chips and her best bud, Walden Farms Ranch Dressing round out the crowd. Of course, old reliable, Iced Tea is there to chaperone these crazy kids!

Let's rewind back now:

I hadn't craved a PB+J since I was a kid. However, I'm a fool for peanut butter. I hate chocolate, but would find myself eating peanut butter cups (pre-diet, of course) just so I could get to the creamy PB goodness.

A couple weeks ago, my kid hit the pre-determined age where the pediatrician deemed it safe for her to have it. Well, we went PB+J crazy! For at least a week, my poor daughter had one everyday for lunch. Don't get me wrong, she loved it, but I try to give her more variety in her meals. This PB love fest left me hungry.... for the all-american kid's sandwich. I knew I couldn't eat a regular, full-fat one so I started to look around for a way to make a diet-friendly, but full-flavored version.

Ta-Da!

As we speak, I'm blowing off cleaning up the usual havoc my toddler has wreaked in our living room. I normally reorganize the house while she naps. Not today. I'm still sitting at the kitchen table with my empty plate beside me! I just ate this sandwich about an hour ago and had to share this news immediately with my fellow dieters. It was fab-u-lous!

Here's the POINTS breakdown:

Better'n Peanut Butter - 2 Tbsp= 2 POINTS
Sugar-free Smucker's Jelly - 1 Tbsp = 0 POINTS
Arnold's Sandwich Thin = 1 POINTS

There you go, a yummy Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich for 3 POINTS! This peanut butter (Better'n Peanut Butter) has got to be THE best PB that I have ever tasted. No joke. It is a little pricey (at about five bucks per jar), but it is worth it. I'm frugal and even I would have paid that much for a tablespoon or two of it! Ok, well, maybe not five bucks, but still, it is delicious.

I do have to warn you though, this sandwich can get messy. If you want less mess, try it with some Weight Watcher's bread to avoid altering the POINTS value. I haven't tried it with the bread yet so I cannot say much about it.

Add Carrot Chips instead of Potato Chips for a 0 POINT add-on. If you are a dipper like me, try Walden Farms dressing. I'm partial to the Ranch, though they have a variety of flavors. The dressing is 0 POINTS. So there you have a whole meal for 3 POINTS including the beverage, 0 POINT Iced Tea.*

I know what I'll be having again for lunch tomorrow!

~~~~~
Side Dish:
* Iced Tea is only 0 POINTS if it is unsweetened or diet. If you add sugar or flavoring to it, it will have a POINTS value. See my earlier post on Iced Tea to see how I coped with it.

Extra Helpings (aka Editor's Note):
I made another PB+J sandwich this afternoon for lunch. You will have a drastically less messy sammy if you only put the PB on one side of the sandwich thin. Smear the other half with the jam or jelly. I guess having the jelly directly on the bread makes it stick in place instead of sliding onto the plate with each delectable bite!

The Breastfeeding Momma

As of last night, our breastfeeding days are officially over. I'm sad. It means my baby is growing up. It was the last vestige of something I can't quite fully put into words. The tough pregnancy? Her miraculous birth? The awe of my newborn baby? Her complete dependence on me? Maybe it is a little bit of all of these things.

She is two years old. Yes, I was one of THOSE moms. Breastfeeding has tons of benefits for mother and child. I believe that it is an amazing gift that mother can give to child. I lost support from many people when she turned one. I started to hear the questions like "When are you going to quit nursing her?" or "Don't you think she's a little old for that?" or even "She doesn't need that anymore. Give her REGULAR milk". While I usually ignored them, that last comment made me mad. I guess cow's milk is the normal milk and my breastmilk was supposed to be the scary, crazy bad stuff. Whatever.

We weaned for two reasons. Both are personal. One of those reasons involved my health. Unfortunately, it became necessary to finish up nursing. I'm coming to terms with it. I am confident that I have given her the best start possible. I'm glad that I was able to give her two years of it.

Here comes the diet tie-in:

This morning, I weighed myself. The scale and I meet on Thursday morning. We meet in the bathroom. I bring myself in all my naked glory. Scale brings her harsh reality spelled out in little electronic numbers. I'm only down 0.2 pounds this week.

I expected the teeny tiny weight loss this time since we had been weaning this past week. Weight Watchers allotted five extra points to me each and every day while nursing. That was a great buffer. My safety net of POINTS to cushion me from dieting disaster.

Now that it is real, that I adjusted my daily POINTS total to reflect my shiny new non-nursing mother status, I'm nervous. What if I can't make my diet work with less points (even though each time you hit a new weight bracket, you loss another daily POINT)?

We eat out often in my household. I am not much of a cook. I've tried and tried, but it just isn't me. I envy women who can look at the contents of an almost empty fridge and make a delicious feast. Those women who can whip up meals with little effort are seriously amazing gals. I'm just not one of them.

I guess I'm scared that going out to eat might not work with my new, lower daily POINTS amount. I'm fearful the medicine that the doctor prescribed will cause me to gain weight. Unfortunately, that can be a side effect of way too many meds. I don't want all of this work and weight loss to be for naught.

I'm just in that scary readjustment phase. I can do this. Yes, I can. I am woman. Here me...

~~~~~
Side Dish: The beautiful picture is titled "Mother and Child" by Harold Gilman. 1918.

Time Keeps on Spinning, Spinning, Spinning

Sorry about the two month hiatus, folks. You might have thought that I fell off the diet bandwagon. Honestly, I thought I'd written a little bit in my bloggy blog back in April, but I guess the post never got any further than the inner workings of my mind. That's an easy place to get lost.

April and May were busy for me. In some good ways and some horrible ways. None of which were diet related.

HOWEVER, I AM STILL ON MY DIET!

And doing fabulous on it. In April, right around my sister's thirtieth birthday, I hit the THIRTY POUNDS LOST milestone! I was down to the weight I had been when I married my hubby eight years ago.

In May on another special family day, I stood on the scale as I do every week. I had reached the FORTY POUNDS LOST goal. I was shocked.

I stood in front of the mirror (something I've avoided for years) in nothing more than a bra and panties. I took stock of myself. My body looked different than it did six months ago. Other than my 'mom' belly, I have the body that I did back in high school again. Well, except for the fact that I'm in my early thirties and my body has put a few miles on itself since then.

There are some wrinkles peaking out from the corner of my eyes that weren't there fifteen years ago. I definitely have, ahem, a few more tattoos than I did at eighteen. The nose, tongue and bellybutton piercings may now be gone, but little tiny scars are left in their places. The evidence of life lived left on my physical body.

BUT....

I feel good. My self-esteem and confidence are making a comeback which has not only benefited me, but my husband as well. The lucky bastard! I am not embarrassed to show myself in public. I finally feel like a normal person. At least on the outside now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Side Dish: I was going to post a pic of me at the 35 pounds down level, but honestly, it was a cell phone photo that I took by myself. It was NOT a great quality shot. I promise to post before and after pics when I hit my goal weight. I'm down 42 pounds so I'll be posting them in another 8 pounds! Yay! :)

Fishing For My Diet

Last night, my hubby suggested going to Bonefish Grill for dinner. I immediately began to panic. I knew that Weight Watchers did not list the POINTS for their menu items on the WW website. I checked Bonefish Grill's website. No nutritional information was offered though I was able to check out their menu. I googled the items I was interested in eating there, but could not find any nutritional facts for them. I am not much of a seafood lover so my choices were already limited.

I should have just ate a salad, right?

Wrong.

I was able to find nutritional information for their House Salad. It calculated out to 6 POINTS! No, thank you!

I used generic listings on the Weight Watchers website for the food I planned on eating. I'm not usually comfortable using non-specific food listings. I thrive on accuracy. I had to let go off that anal side of myself for an evening out at a 'nicer' restaurant.

Two Jump Lump Crab Cakes=10 POINTS

Steamed Veggies= 2 POINTS (x2 since I doubled up on this side)

Cocktail Sauce= 1 POINT

Unsweetened Ice Tea= o POINTS

I chose the highest POINTS value listed for Crab Cakes on the WW site. The Crab Cakes at Bonefish are broiled not fried. A small amount of breading coats them. There is barely any filler in these crab cakes! It is stuffed with delicious crab meat. Ok, I'm officially drooling now.

The Crab Cakes come with a Remoulade sauce on the side, but I did not want to even venture a guess on the POINTS value for it so I asked for a Cocktail Sauce substitution. I used the Cocktail Sauce sparingly. It was a little too heavy on the Horseradish. My tummy is sensitive to spicy, hot foods so I limited my sauce intake. It is 1 POINT for 1/4 cup of Cocktail Sauce.

The Steamed Vegetables were SO delicious. I could have eaten a big old pot of them! These tasty veggies were not cooked with butter or oil. They had a delicious blend of seasonings on them though! I doubled up on this side and opted out of having the garnish which sounded heavy and fattening. I also could have had a starch side such as Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Herbed Jasmine Rice, but thought it best not to overindulge.

This meal was FABULOUS! I cannot do the taste justice with mere words. Just thinking about it now, I'm mentally resisting blurting out "Mmmmm".

This restaurant excursion was an good lesson for me. I need to step outside of the protective shield of my Weight Watcher's online Plan Manager every so often to test myself. Apparently, I can make smart food decisions.

Who knew?

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

This past weigh day, I stepped on the scale. Still groggy from sleep, I looked at that electric nemesis expecting to have dropped the obligatory single pound. Ah, but it was so much better.

I lost almost three pounds this week. I smiled and did my little "Go, Me!" dance in my head. Then it hit me. I stepped back on the scale and sure enough, I was right.

Drum Roll, please.

I HAVE LOST TWENTY POUNDS TOTAL!!!!!!!!

That deserved an actual happy dance. Well, that and a small cup of chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles from Dairy Queen that I will be happily eating tonight. And best part, it won't even be cheating on my diet. Thank You, Weight Watchers!

Mmmmm..... sprinkles. Can't wait.

Water Fat

I knew it was a matter of time before this happened. Somehow in my day-dreamed fantasies, I pictured hitting my goal weight by the end of summer. I imagined myself losing two pounds each week and watching my hips shrink smaller and smaller.

Ha.

Last week, on my weigh day. I had lost 1.2 pounds. I was a little discouraged, but figured that it was better than no loss or even worse weight gain!

This week's weigh in. Drum roll, please.

Wait for it.

That's right, folks. I lost nothing. Nada. Zero Pounds.

Now I should tell you that I am a stickler when dieting. I don't guesstimate. I don't cheat here and there. When I diet, I'm all in. I have been watching my husband drink milkshakes while I've bit into a carrot. I have watched my daughter eat the homemade chocolate chip cookies that we made during the recent blizzard while I chewed gum. I have gone out to dinner with my hubby and daughter and watched them eat the complimentary tomato garlic crusty bread while I sipped my unsweetened iced tea.

Why the hell didn't I lose anything this week then?

Even though I was a good girl this week like every other week of this diet, my body has been changing. When you begin a diet and reduce your daily caloric intake, your body releases glycogen. This is a stored carbohydrate in the body. Water attaches to the glycogen stored in your body. When your body releases it, the water burns up. Simplified, this is what is usually called 'water weight'. After the body uses up the glycogen supply, it will move to burning stored fat. Fat burns slower. Weight loss will appear to slow down.

So does that mean that I have been burning off my glycogen supply for six weeks? Who knows. I do know that it is not consider 'hitting a plateau' until the weight loss has stopped for several weeks in a row.

Here's to a smaller number on the scale next week. I might just have to get off my fat ass and do some exercise to help restart my weight loss!

An Adventure In Italian... Food

We went to Carrabba's Italian Grill the other night. It took me about an hour of online researching to figure out what I could even order there without throwing my diet out the window. They keep the nutritional value of some of their meal items guarded. In fact, when I asked the waiter if he knew the calories and fat of the bread. He said he could try to kind out, but that even if he could get the numbers, he probably wouldn't be allowed to tell me! What the hell?!

I plan my meal before I get to any restaurant now that I am dieting. It helps me know where I stand POINTS-wise and it also is a great way to avoid the temptation of ordering something more fattening when I get to the restaurant.

My dinner consisted of:

Minestrone (1 cup)= 4 POINTS

Spaghetti Marinara = 5 POINTS

Unsweetened Iced Tea= 0 POINTS

This meal only cost me a total of 9 POINTS and was filling. The minestrone was delicious. It was one of the best soups that I have ever tasted. My main course didn't fair so well. The marinara was mad spicy for me. I must have downed three glasses of iced tea with my meal! I am sensitive to spice so maybe it isn't too spicy to a normal person with normal taste buds.

If that was my only complaint with dinner then I'd recommend the restaurant to other dieters. However, I have nit picking to do. If the following two gripes don't bother you, my fellow dieter, then I would say you might just enjoy a dinner out to this Italian Grill.

Here goes:

This is NOT a restaurant to take a child. My kid is not picky. She'll pretty much eat whatever I give her. We ordered her the the pizza from the children's menu. The waiter said it was made with mild cheeses and a milder sauce (which should have been an indication of what I was in store for with my meal's sauce, but I digress) on a thin crust. She had NO INTEREST in this meal. I apologized to the waiter, who kindly offered to bring her another meal. I opted for the Cheese Ravioli. What kid doesn't love ravioli? Ok, let me rephrase that. How many kids do you know that would eat ravioli that smelled like stinky feet (according to my non-Italian hubby)? My daughter sniffed that dish and then pushed it away from her. I tried to feed it to her several times, but to no avail. She has had ravioli before at other Italian restaurants and loved it! In all fairness, I tasted the ravioli and thought it wasn't bad, but I don't mind most strong cheeses. However, I did think that it was a poor choice for a children's menu though.

Lastly, the bill was a little too high for our tastes (haha, get it!). We were expecting something on the lines of Olive Garden, but got something more fancy schmancy. If we wouldn't have had a gift card, we probably wouldn't have chosen to eat there. I highly doubt you will see us in a Carrabba's again.

Measuring Results

I had to recalculate my weigh-in date. I had originally set my weigh-ins for Sundays. I thought to myself, "Start off the new week by measuring the success or failure of the week before." Good on paper, not in life. Weight Watchers allows you to cheat on their diet. They give you these "freebie points" each week for you to either use on one big splurge (Pizza Hut pizza, anyone?) or to spread out over the week (Starbucks lattes, watch out!).


When would someone be most likely to cheat on their diet?


The weekend! Yeah, Rock on!!!! Okay, not so much rocking going on here with me being a toddler's mom, who would rather spend her free time soaking in a bubble bath with a good book then going out drinking at the bars, but whatever.


I, myself, haven't used the 'extra' points yet. I'm pretending they aren't there so that I don't count on splurging every week. On the website, other dieters will tell you on the message boards that you will not see as drastic results if you use your weekly allowance points each week, so why would you then? Plus, I think of splurging as a 'once in a while' kind of thing. However, if I were to use these 'cheat' points, I would do so on the weekend. By setting my weigh-ins to Thursday, I'm giving my body a chance to rebound from any potential cheat days.

That's enough about the 'weekly allowance' points and my strict avoidance of them. Back to the weigh in. So I weighed myself on Thursday as opposed to Saturday.

I am down a total of 7.4 pounds! Yay!

The First Weigh In

After one week of dieting, I have lost almost five pounds!!!! Well, ok, 4.2 lbs to be exact, but I think it sounds more impressive the first way!

This would not have been possible without the help and support of my scale, who mocked my fat ass every time I stood up on it. I would also like to thank the growls of my belly for trying to tempt me into secretly consuming that 1/4 bag of grandma utz potato chips in our snack drawer. Without those protest growls, I might not have realized the strength of my will to lose. I'd also like to acknowledge the carb industry, they are the true victims here. Without my big mouth chomping down all their tasty goodness, the companies will surely suffer.

In no time, my baggy clothes will be baggy from weight loss and not to hide my muffin top! yay!

~ the dieting momma ~

*Anyone else craving muffins now? no? oh, ok. I'm not neither then.

When Things Can't Be Planned

Last night, we were going to go out to dinner. We do that alot since I'm not exactly Rachael Ray. The past few days of this diet, I have been planning my every food related move online before each meal so I know exactly where I stand in relation to my allotted POINTS.

Then my daughter had to go to the doctor. They could get her in right away. So I quick finished up folding the laundry, changed her diaper, changed out of my pajamas (yes, it was five o'clock, but I wear my jams pretty much all day unless I'm leaving the house). I did not have time to log onto Weight Watchers website to figure out my dinner selection.

Doctor's visit over. She has a mild virus that when mixed with her teething has been making her miserable. He said she'll be fine in a couple days.

Now dinner. We weren't exactly going to take her out to a restaurant now that we knew she was sick and not just pushing out new teeth. I called my hubby, who preceded to suggest a list of yummy, but diet disastrous take out restaurants. I consider just cheating on my diet. It's only one night, right? I can apologize to myself tomorrow and jump back on the faithful dieter's bandwagon. Pizza sounded so good. I could almost taste the french fries drenched in cheese, bacon and ranch dressing. I pictured swallowing a delicious gulp of sweet tea. no, No, NO!

I couldn't do it. If I cheated then these past few days of belly growling, non carb indulging, unsweetened tea drinking, vegetable overloading would have been for nothing. I resigned to eating at Chick-fil-a for the third time in the past four days. Their salads are really good and low in points as well. As a compromise, I ordered myself a small french fry serving for 6 POINTS. They were cold by the time I ate them, but I still enjoyed every last salty, potato bite.

Life can't be planned. I should know that by now, but I still try to have things scheduled out. My life can't always wait while I check the Weight Watchers website for my next meal's options. I'm going to have to trust myself to make the right choices when I can't rely on the safety of the program. I can do this, right? If not, there is always Chick-fil-a.

I told my hubby that maybe I should exclusively eating Chick-fil-a salads throughout this diet. Then when I lose all the weight, they can hire me to do for them what Jared did for Subway!

The Great Thirst

I hate water. Even when I put tons of lemons or oranges in it, I still am not a fan. I end up eating my fruit garnish and leaving the water behind. I do not drink my eight glasses a day, I won't even have one glass of plain old water in a day. The only water I drink is in my iced tea. I am an iced tea fiend! Eight glasses a day of iced tea? No problem.

I had been tested for diabetes a few years ago because my doctor thought the fact that I am always thirsty was a clue that I was diabetic. Tests came back normal. I have my own theory on my constant thirst.

This theory has two parts:
1. I'm always thirsty because tea has caffeine which is known to dehydrate. Though when breastfeeding, I only drank decaffeinated iced tea and was still thirsty all the time.
2. My body craves the taste of tea. The thirst comes from my desire to drink more tea.

When deciding to start this diet, the most troubling part of changing my lifestyle was my iced tea obsession. How was I going to continue to drink iced tea when I couldn't have all that sugar anymore? Was I going to have to learn to like another drink such as those fruit flavored waters or worse yet, plain water?

I bought a gallon of Diet Iced Tea. I used to drink it all the time before I had my daughter, but for the past few years, I have only been drinking sugar added iced teas. I added lemons thinking it would up the flavor factor. In my opinion, it still didn't have much taste. Actually the only taste (other than the lemon) was that weird fake sugar taste. You know that taste, I'm sure. It tastes like you have a mouth full of the paper from drinking straws. Yuck!

The first diet day, I barely drank anything. I woke on day two with a huge headache. I knew I was dehydrated. I tried to drink the Diet Iced Tea again, but couldn't do it. When we had gone out to dinner, I order an iced tea. They only offered unsweetened tea. Usually, I would add sugar to it. Since I'm on the diet, I sipped my tea without any sweetener. I quickly drank the first glass. The poor waitress had to refill my glass THREE TIMES. She even filled a to-go cup for me!

The answer to my drinking dilemma was obvious. Unsweetened Iced Tea, duh! I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it sooner. According to Weight Watcher's website, drinking unsweetened tea was 0 POINTS.

I drove to Chick-fil-a yesterday and bought a gallon of their unsweetened tea. I'm going to work on perfecting my own tea blend at home, but until then it looks like I'll have to buy my gallons there. Unfortunately, my local grocery stores offers only two types of tea, sweetened by sugar or sweetened by chemicals.

I guess the moral of my story is not to let yourself be limited by the ideas that years of dieting have pounded into our heads. If there is something you just plain love and need to have everyday then find a way to make it happen without sacrificing your dieting goals.

Getting Into Diet Mode

I was excited to start my diet. I had signed up for Weight Watchers online program after researching a couple different dieting options. I needed a diet that would still allow me to eat out and would not be tough for a cooking challenged girl like myself when making meals at home. This one seemed the easiest for me to follow. Plus who wouldn't love a diet where you can still eat a slice of pizza or french fries if you wanted?

Day ONE (aka January 2):

I woke up in the morning anxious to munch on some of the healthy groceries I had stocked our kitchen with a couple days ago. I had decided prior to then that I would eat cottage cheese in the morning. I bought some Breakstone Cottage Doubles so that I could have this exact breakfast all week long. According to the website, they were only 3 POINTS so I was psyched. I don't normally eat breakfast, but I know that eating breakfast is key. So this was the perfect, quick and small meal. I usually make sure my daughter has breakfast, but skip the meal myself. It was nice eating together.

When my daughter went down for her nap, I made myself lunch. In the past, if I even ate lunch, I would throw some noodles or rice in a bowl and call it my meal. Not exactly healthy, but filling and tasty! I love carbs, they're my weakness. For my first dieter's lunch, I made myself a tuna sandwich with the following ingredients: tunafish, Kraft Free Miracle Whip, celery mixed together on a Pepperidge Farm Deli Flat (7 Grain). I also had some Herr's Barbecue Baked Potato Chips and a Light String Cheese. All this for 6.5 POINTS.

For Dinner, I had a salad from Chick-fil-a and a cup of fruit. I even had dessert! Hostess makes these 100 calorie cakes that are only 1 POINT per package. Yeah, they taste like diet food, but it kept my craving for ice cream away.

I was on that "first day of the diet" high.

Day TWO (aka January 3):

I woke up hungry. I never wake up hungry. This was the day that I actually realized that I am addicted to carbs. I wasn't feeling "satisfied" without my normal food aka noodles, rice, potato chips, noodles, bread and more noodles.

I had the same thing for breakfast and lunch as day prior. Dinner was a bit different. We had gone to my favorite Mexican restaurant. I packed a baggie full of raw carrot chips (who ever thought to slice carrots into the size and shape of potato chips is a genius!) and some celery sticks. While my husband and daughter dipped yummy chips into the fresh salsa, I dipped my carrots. It was surprising how satisfying this simple switch turned out. I was afraid of the temptation of the chips, but came out victorious in the end. For the actual meal, I had one chicken taco, a side of rice and beans. I also had half of a house salad with fat free mango vinegarette. The meal was delicious! I did not feel like I missed out on any good food despite being on a diet!

I even discovered that I could have candy (in moderation, of course). For dessert at home, I had a cup of hot cocoa minus the whipped cream and five candies (half a serving) for a total of 3.5 POINTS.

Day THREE (aka today):

I woke up hungry again. I was determined to give myself a carb 'treat' sometime today. For breakfast, I opted for a cup of yogurt instead of the cottage cheese for a total of 2 POINTS in preparation for my carb snack later. In between my yogurt and lunch, I had a cup of hot cocoa (made with water, not milk).

At lunch, I had a yummy meal. I made some chicken salad with fully cooked chunk chicken, Kraft Free Miracle Whip, celery, a handful of red, seedless grapes and some Nature's Seasoning. I put the Chicken Salad on a Deli Flat. Alongside my sandwich, I had those wonderful raw carrot chips, some celery sticks and a cut up string cheese stick. I learned that cutting the cheese up into smaller pieces made me feel like I was getting more food. I was amazed at how something that was good for me (and that I had actually made) could be so tasty. Lunch was a total of 6 POINTS.

Still not having the carbs that I so desperately craved, I decided to splurge on a small serving of waffle fries. I needed my salt and potato fix. This decision cost me 6 POINTS and was completely worth it! For dinner, I'm going to have a Grilled Chicken Salad and a glass of unsweetened iced tea with lemon. In fact, I'm getting hungry now!

Meet the Dieter

Hello there.

You may wonder why am I dieting? Why am I choosing to start a blog about it? What makes me and my blog interesting enough for you to take time out of your day to read it? And lastly, why am I so special?

I picked my New Year's Resolution back in September. Though, I have always struggled with my weight, I have never made a new year resolution before now. I have been on many diets in my life. Some have worked while on them, but most have not. I hate exercising. My favorite activities are more sedentary like book reading and puzzles (not the jigsaw kind, but the brain teaser kind). I'd much rather exercise my mind than my body.

I'm a mom. It is the most important and most fulfilling aspect of my life. My daughter is my joy. That being said, I learned I was out of shape pretty quickly. At a year and a half, my daughter is twenty five pounds. Carrying her up and down stairs leaves me winded. Running around after her leaves me tired. I need to lose weight so my activities with my daughter never get limited.

I don't know if this blog will be interesting for everyone. However, I know alot of women are in the same position that I am in. I am not a food guru. I am not a nutrition expert. I'm just a girl who wants to lose enough weight to feel better about my health and appearance in a bathing suit!

And to answer that last question, I'm not special (in the subject of dieting). I am just like you. This is why I have started this blog. If I can encourage one other person to do the same thing for themselves then I'll be one happy carrot eating momma!