Since Joining Weight Watchers I have found some pretty amazing foods that rock my world. Some of them are nothing new, they've been around for quite some time, but they are new to me and I don't think I can ever go back to being oblivious about them. Some of them are quite simple but simple is good:
Broccoli- So simple, so filling. I absolutely adore broccoli. I would eat it everyday if my husband would too! one cup = 0 points. Zero. Zero is good. Actually any green vegetable is good for you to eat and most don't have any point value so stock up and always eat your veggies first-it'll fill you up before the main meal.
Bocca Burger- These make for a filling, quick and easy lunch. Pair with a low fat roll and you've got a meal that will last you all afternoon for very few points. 1 point but adding condiments and roll will add a few more.
Thomas's Healthy Start light multigrain english muffin- 1 point. Good for breakfast. Put a little spray butter or soy butter on and you have a filling low fat breakfast.
Soy butter- For someone with a peanut allergy soy butter is like heaven in a jar. I was using a low fat one witch was 2 TBS for 2 points but be careful, not all soy butter is created equal. I recently bought a different brand and discovered 2 TBS = 4 points! Yikes!
Black beans- I'm not a big bean person but I've recently discovered my love for black beans. They can go in everything and really are quite filling. Try making some black bean brownies for a fiber filled chocolaty treat!
Cabot 75% reduced fat Cheddar- I Looooooove cheese so giving it up is not an option, but this is something I can work with.
Spray butter- butter is great but I have a heavy hand so this little spray kind is easy to control the amount i'm using.
Egg beaters- substitute for eggs but well worth it and with the salmonella break out in eggs right now you may want to consider picking some up instead of your eggs. 1/2 cup = 1 point.
The laughing Cow cheese wedges- didn't I say I loved cheese? yes, here is another great cheese find. 1 wedge= 1 point.
Crystal Light- A zero point drink. Helps me to get all my water in for the day.
Turkey anything: turkey sausage, turkey bacon, ground turkey, turkey peperoni. Turkey is so good.
So there you have it. My list of must have power foods, but I also have some must have snacks that I will fill you in on tomorrow. You didn't think you were getting all my secrets in one post did you?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Motivation
Motivation to eat right and stay on track is different for everyone. My motivation is seeing a loss. The more I lose the more I want to continue doing what I'm doing, because it's working. There are weeks when I stay the same and don't have a loss, but I see how far I've come and I keep myself motivated to stay on track because I know I have a long way to go and eating healthy is the only option.
I have a mini weight goal which I hope to hit before the holiday season and a bigger weight goal which I probably won't hit until next year but my ultimate goal is to live a healthy lifestyle. Weight watchers has opened my eyes to eating foods that are going to keep my mind, body and soul healthy for life.
The thing about weight watchers is is that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. I'm not dieting right now. I'm changing my life and hoping to rub off on my husband. My husband is not heavy at all but the food choices he makes are really unhealthy. He could live off of pepsi, frozen pizza and doritos. My husband loves all junk food and eats plenty of it weekly. He works away from home so he is forced to eat out all week for breakfast-dinner and then when he's here he devours a whole frozen pizza for lunch on the weekends. I worry about his health and how eating out all the time is going to affect him in the long run. I do know that I've rubbed off on him a little bit as he has been ordering vegetables on the side at the restaurants-- something he never would have done before.
Weight watchers has a ton of healthy eating tips and recipes on their site. I'm always finding new things that work for me and my junk food loving husband would never know the difference if I didn't tell him.
Up next: some foods that rock my world
I have a mini weight goal which I hope to hit before the holiday season and a bigger weight goal which I probably won't hit until next year but my ultimate goal is to live a healthy lifestyle. Weight watchers has opened my eyes to eating foods that are going to keep my mind, body and soul healthy for life.
The thing about weight watchers is is that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. I'm not dieting right now. I'm changing my life and hoping to rub off on my husband. My husband is not heavy at all but the food choices he makes are really unhealthy. He could live off of pepsi, frozen pizza and doritos. My husband loves all junk food and eats plenty of it weekly. He works away from home so he is forced to eat out all week for breakfast-dinner and then when he's here he devours a whole frozen pizza for lunch on the weekends. I worry about his health and how eating out all the time is going to affect him in the long run. I do know that I've rubbed off on him a little bit as he has been ordering vegetables on the side at the restaurants-- something he never would have done before.
Weight watchers has a ton of healthy eating tips and recipes on their site. I'm always finding new things that work for me and my junk food loving husband would never know the difference if I didn't tell him.
Up next: some foods that rock my world
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Twenty-Five
I don't know what it feels like to be completely content with the way you look when you look in the mirror and I don't know if I ever will.
I joined weight watchers in April after trying to do it on my own for so long without seeing results.My BFF came over one day and was super excited about her loss and started showing me all about the new weight watchers online. No meetings, no weekly weigh in's in front of people--you do it all yourself online. You track your food points and weight daily and weekly. Couldn't be easier. She logged into her account and showed me exactly what she does and how simple it is.
I joined the next day. The best part was it was during a promotional period and I didn't have to pay the registration fee! Eating the weight watchers way is great because you can eat whatever you want. Seriously, if I want to eat ribs for dinner I can... in moderation. Moderation is the key. Being honest with how much you are eating is also important. Tracking everything you put into your mouth is important in really keeping track of your points.
The first 2 weeks were really hard. I was hungry. I was really hungry. I guess I never realized how much I was eating and weight watchers really helps you to re-see what a serving size really is. And a serving size is a lot smaller than what I imagined and what I was consuming. I started dropping weight immediately.There are days now when I find it hard to eat all of my "points." Your body gets used to eating less.
I was so happy that something was Finally working for me. So I've stuck with it for months. I will continue to stick with it until I reach my goal of a healthy weight. I love weight watchers. It has given me back my power to control what I eat and the knowledge to make the best possible choices.
I eat a lot more vegetables and fruit now than i used to.I still enjoy the benefits of having a low carbohydrate diet so I still keep my carbohydrates to a minimum and it all works for me. I lost ten pounds in the first month and after that the weight loss slowed for me. I'm still losing, just at a slower rate than I'd like to but even so as of yesterday, my official weigh in day, I have lost a total of 25 pounds. I fit back into my favorite jeans and that is a great feeling.
I still have a ways to go to reach the weight I would love to be at. I know I will get there. It takes time, but so does everything worthwhile in life.
I joined weight watchers in April after trying to do it on my own for so long without seeing results.My BFF came over one day and was super excited about her loss and started showing me all about the new weight watchers online. No meetings, no weekly weigh in's in front of people--you do it all yourself online. You track your food points and weight daily and weekly. Couldn't be easier. She logged into her account and showed me exactly what she does and how simple it is.
I joined the next day. The best part was it was during a promotional period and I didn't have to pay the registration fee! Eating the weight watchers way is great because you can eat whatever you want. Seriously, if I want to eat ribs for dinner I can... in moderation. Moderation is the key. Being honest with how much you are eating is also important. Tracking everything you put into your mouth is important in really keeping track of your points.
The first 2 weeks were really hard. I was hungry. I was really hungry. I guess I never realized how much I was eating and weight watchers really helps you to re-see what a serving size really is. And a serving size is a lot smaller than what I imagined and what I was consuming. I started dropping weight immediately.There are days now when I find it hard to eat all of my "points." Your body gets used to eating less.
I was so happy that something was Finally working for me. So I've stuck with it for months. I will continue to stick with it until I reach my goal of a healthy weight. I love weight watchers. It has given me back my power to control what I eat and the knowledge to make the best possible choices.
I eat a lot more vegetables and fruit now than i used to.I still enjoy the benefits of having a low carbohydrate diet so I still keep my carbohydrates to a minimum and it all works for me. I lost ten pounds in the first month and after that the weight loss slowed for me. I'm still losing, just at a slower rate than I'd like to but even so as of yesterday, my official weigh in day, I have lost a total of 25 pounds. I fit back into my favorite jeans and that is a great feeling.
I still have a ways to go to reach the weight I would love to be at. I know I will get there. It takes time, but so does everything worthwhile in life.
Fast Forward
I started gaining weight again when my now husband and I began dating. Part of it was from eating out, part of it was from drinking, part of it was from just being content and not really watching what I was eating. This weight gain was different than weight gains in the past. It wasn't due to eating sweets. I had my own place and didn't allow myself to put sweets in it -but eating out so much and drinking when I hadn't been drinking started to play a huge role in why my pants were no longer fitting me.
I knew I had gained some weight, but I think I was in denial. I didn't realize how much I had gained until much later in the game.
Every time we went to visit my husbands family I came home 5 lbs heavier. Yes, I said it. Five pounds. I'm not kidding you, that is really what the scale and my pants told me. It is so hard to control what you eat when others are preparing it-- but 5 lbs- really? I started to really resent going to visit his family but it wasn't their fault. It was mine. I was eating way to much and not getting any exercise. Did I mention that I love food. And I love cooking food. And I love home cooked food. And my husband's mother has some very yummy food that she cooks. I was quite eager to eat it up.
My waist and pants kept expanding and then the kicker--I quit smoking. I gained ten pounds when I quit. I know part of it was because my metabolism was self regulating but I also was snacking more to keep my mind off of not smoking. It's so easy to blame other things when really it is my fault for letting it get so out of hand, so out of control.
I became obsessed with losing weight. It was all I thought about, all I dreamed about, all I wanted to do and I started working out a lot. Nothing changed really. I lost a few pounds but not much. I tried Atkins. It started to work, but the thing about Atkins is is that it is REALLY restrictive. I was doing really well on it for awhile, but I like to drink wine and I like to have a glass or two on the weekend with my husband and wine has carbohydrates. So having wine would knock me out of ketosis and I would have to start all over again. It began to not work for me. I wasn't eating carbohydrates and I wanted them. I craved them. My body craved them. The scale was stuck on gaining and losing the same 5lbs.
Then I lost my job right before the holidays. I was upset. Depressed. Feeling worthless. And food was there to comfort me through two Thanksgivings and two Christmases(because we had to celebrate with both families).
Then two things happened. I reached a weight which I told myself I would NEVER reach and I saw a picture of myself. I cried. I looked horrible and I was tired of it. I hated my round face and my rounder body. I began working out harder than I had in a year and not eating any sweets. I thought I was eating good and working out enough. No weight was lost. In fact, it moved up which really stressed me out because I was already over the weight in which I never wanted to reach.
I felt like I was doing everything in my power to lose weight and nothing was happening. I was not happy. It made me feel sick to my stomach to look in the mirror. My BFF asked me if I wanted to join weight watchers with her because she was also struggling. I told her no. I would do it on my own. I had a plan. So she joined and I was determined to lose weight on my own. She lost 10 lbs in a month. I lost... 1.
Although I was happy for her and her loss, I'm not going to lie, I was extremely jealous. And after struggling to lose weight for well over a year unsuccessfully, I decided maybe I could use a little help. Maybe saying you need help isn't such a bad thing. So I joined weight watchers too and it's the best decision I've made in a very long time.
I knew I had gained some weight, but I think I was in denial. I didn't realize how much I had gained until much later in the game.
Every time we went to visit my husbands family I came home 5 lbs heavier. Yes, I said it. Five pounds. I'm not kidding you, that is really what the scale and my pants told me. It is so hard to control what you eat when others are preparing it-- but 5 lbs- really? I started to really resent going to visit his family but it wasn't their fault. It was mine. I was eating way to much and not getting any exercise. Did I mention that I love food. And I love cooking food. And I love home cooked food. And my husband's mother has some very yummy food that she cooks. I was quite eager to eat it up.
My waist and pants kept expanding and then the kicker--I quit smoking. I gained ten pounds when I quit. I know part of it was because my metabolism was self regulating but I also was snacking more to keep my mind off of not smoking. It's so easy to blame other things when really it is my fault for letting it get so out of hand, so out of control.
I became obsessed with losing weight. It was all I thought about, all I dreamed about, all I wanted to do and I started working out a lot. Nothing changed really. I lost a few pounds but not much. I tried Atkins. It started to work, but the thing about Atkins is is that it is REALLY restrictive. I was doing really well on it for awhile, but I like to drink wine and I like to have a glass or two on the weekend with my husband and wine has carbohydrates. So having wine would knock me out of ketosis and I would have to start all over again. It began to not work for me. I wasn't eating carbohydrates and I wanted them. I craved them. My body craved them. The scale was stuck on gaining and losing the same 5lbs.
Then I lost my job right before the holidays. I was upset. Depressed. Feeling worthless. And food was there to comfort me through two Thanksgivings and two Christmases(because we had to celebrate with both families).
Then two things happened. I reached a weight which I told myself I would NEVER reach and I saw a picture of myself. I cried. I looked horrible and I was tired of it. I hated my round face and my rounder body. I began working out harder than I had in a year and not eating any sweets. I thought I was eating good and working out enough. No weight was lost. In fact, it moved up which really stressed me out because I was already over the weight in which I never wanted to reach.
I felt like I was doing everything in my power to lose weight and nothing was happening. I was not happy. It made me feel sick to my stomach to look in the mirror. My BFF asked me if I wanted to join weight watchers with her because she was also struggling. I told her no. I would do it on my own. I had a plan. So she joined and I was determined to lose weight on my own. She lost 10 lbs in a month. I lost... 1.
Although I was happy for her and her loss, I'm not going to lie, I was extremely jealous. And after struggling to lose weight for well over a year unsuccessfully, I decided maybe I could use a little help. Maybe saying you need help isn't such a bad thing. So I joined weight watchers too and it's the best decision I've made in a very long time.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Flashback
I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. This is a brief synopsis of my struggle with weight.
I was always the fat kid in elementary school. Yes, I was chubbier than my skinny friends, but just because I had a little extra padding didn't mean I deserved the treatment that I got. I was teased and taunted beyond belief in elementary school and middle school. In high school people stopped the teasing but I still had the scars from the past burned into my psyche. I tried to lose weight. I failed. I tried again. I failed again.
A large part of the failure was due to my own lack of self control but I also blame my mother for part of it. I grew up eating cookies, little debbies, chocolate and ice cream. Instead of having fruit in the fridge my mother had a cabinet full of disgustingly good snacks. And I ate them when I was alone. After school everyday I hit up the cabinet like it was my job. I acquired some serious bad habits that I'm not proud of.
I asked my mom to stop buying the junk because I realized if it was there I would eat it and I really didn't want to. But she wouldn't stop buying it. She has always been obsessed with her own body image and it gave her pleasure to watch others eat the foods she wouldn't allow to enter her lips. Along with her buying food for me to gorge on I had to listen to how "fat" she was at 105 lbs. Yeah, what a heifer. It made me feel worse about myself knowing she thought she was fat. I ate chocolate when I felt like that. Chocolate made everything better for the moment, but then I'd need more and it was a bad cycle that kept replaying.
Through my own discipline and desire (and joining a gym) I lost a lot of weight my senior year of high school.
I gained some of it back my freshman year of college. Then I lost some of it over the summer. Then I gained some of that back the following year. And, you guessed it, I lost some of it over the summer. Do you see the pattern here? Gain some, lose some... never quite losing it all. By my junior year of college I was pretty disappointed with myself again and BFF and I joined a gym.
BFF and I pushed each other to reach our goals and to work out. We both ate healthy and eventually started seeing some great results.I learned that Eating healthy + working out = weight loss.
After college I was at my thinnest, well the thinnest I had ever been in my adult life. Then I started dating my now husband. Eating out, drinking beers and having a new relationship definitely started to creep up on me. It was pretty sneaky and I didn't quite realize how bad it had gotten. I was happy, I was in love and I was enjoying life.
Fast forward a few years and I have a problem. A big one.
anyone else out there struggle with a weight problem since they were a child?
I was always the fat kid in elementary school. Yes, I was chubbier than my skinny friends, but just because I had a little extra padding didn't mean I deserved the treatment that I got. I was teased and taunted beyond belief in elementary school and middle school. In high school people stopped the teasing but I still had the scars from the past burned into my psyche. I tried to lose weight. I failed. I tried again. I failed again.
A large part of the failure was due to my own lack of self control but I also blame my mother for part of it. I grew up eating cookies, little debbies, chocolate and ice cream. Instead of having fruit in the fridge my mother had a cabinet full of disgustingly good snacks. And I ate them when I was alone. After school everyday I hit up the cabinet like it was my job. I acquired some serious bad habits that I'm not proud of.
I asked my mom to stop buying the junk because I realized if it was there I would eat it and I really didn't want to. But she wouldn't stop buying it. She has always been obsessed with her own body image and it gave her pleasure to watch others eat the foods she wouldn't allow to enter her lips. Along with her buying food for me to gorge on I had to listen to how "fat" she was at 105 lbs. Yeah, what a heifer. It made me feel worse about myself knowing she thought she was fat. I ate chocolate when I felt like that. Chocolate made everything better for the moment, but then I'd need more and it was a bad cycle that kept replaying.
Through my own discipline and desire (and joining a gym) I lost a lot of weight my senior year of high school.
I gained some of it back my freshman year of college. Then I lost some of it over the summer. Then I gained some of that back the following year. And, you guessed it, I lost some of it over the summer. Do you see the pattern here? Gain some, lose some... never quite losing it all. By my junior year of college I was pretty disappointed with myself again and BFF and I joined a gym.
BFF and I pushed each other to reach our goals and to work out. We both ate healthy and eventually started seeing some great results.I learned that Eating healthy + working out = weight loss.
After college I was at my thinnest, well the thinnest I had ever been in my adult life. Then I started dating my now husband. Eating out, drinking beers and having a new relationship definitely started to creep up on me. It was pretty sneaky and I didn't quite realize how bad it had gotten. I was happy, I was in love and I was enjoying life.
Fast forward a few years and I have a problem. A big one.
anyone else out there struggle with a weight problem since they were a child?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Kenneth Cole Contest
I'm pretty sure no one reads this blog, but if you happen to be reading be a pal and click on the link below and vote for me in the Kenneth Cole contest on brickfish. It sure would be great to win a shopping spree of Kenneth! Thanks in advance!
Love
Love
Monday, August 16, 2010
Did You Really Just Say That?
Sometimes even the smartest of people say something and it makes you wonder "did that really just come out of their mouth?"
I lost my job last November. It was a huge shock and quite annoying as it was right after my wedding and right before the holidays. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't heartbroken. I wasn't feeling like I was living up to my potential and I was quite bored working where I was so I tried to look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to finally get the career of my dreams.
Since then I've been actively searching for new employment. Every week I apply for jobs that I could see myself doing and enjoying. I have gotten a few interviews but not nearly as many as I would have gotten if the market was in better shape.None of the interviews have panned out.
I was under the impression that someone with a Master's degree and a skill set like mine would have an easy time finding a job. This has not been the case for me. I've gone to the employment office where I live and taken free courses they offer and I even signed up to take online training courses for the field of work I hope the be employed in. I've applied for countless numbers of jobs, only to get rejection letter after rejection letter in the mail without even getting the option to interview.
It is frustrating and has taken a toll on my self esteem. Every week that more and more people lose their jobs a little glimmer of hope of finding a job fades slightly for me. Still I push forward and try to have faith that there is something better out there for me.
The hardest part of not having a job is meeting new people or seeing people you haven't seen in a long time. My husband has a large part of his extended family that I have only met once, at the wedding. They live down in the south and we never see them. Recently they came to NY and we made the effort to visit them and hang out. I knew the question was coming, the one I always dread because it makes me feel like a loser especially after all this time.... "what do you do?" and then it came, and I had to answer that I was unemployed.
There really isn't a reason to feel the way I do about it. I shouldn't be ashamed the way I am because I didn't get laid off for being a poor worker. I have always surpassed the greatest of expectations that my bosses had for me. I got laid of because the economy took a dump and that dump affected the small business I worked for. These are facts I know and yet I still cringe a little inside when people ask me what I do and I have to tell them I'm unemployed.
I totally understand people wanting to know what you do for a living. But what I don't get is when you tell people that you got laid off and are currently unemployed and they sit there and look at you and then open their mouths and this comes out, "well, are you looking for a job?" I seriously can't believe that people ask me this time and time again. I'm not going to lie, I get pretty angry when people ask me this.
Here I am- someone that got laid off due to the economic bad times and they are sitting there thinking I'm just hanging out with my free time not doing anything. I wanted to work. I didn't choose to quit working. And yes, I am looking for a job -thanks for asking.
If anyone is out there reading my blog and you meet someone who is currently unemployed, I beg of you, don't ask them if they are looking for a job. Most likely they are, unsuccessfully, and you will just remind them of this fact.
What are you least favorite questions to be asked while unemployed?
I lost my job last November. It was a huge shock and quite annoying as it was right after my wedding and right before the holidays. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't heartbroken. I wasn't feeling like I was living up to my potential and I was quite bored working where I was so I tried to look at it as an opportunity. An opportunity to finally get the career of my dreams.
Since then I've been actively searching for new employment. Every week I apply for jobs that I could see myself doing and enjoying. I have gotten a few interviews but not nearly as many as I would have gotten if the market was in better shape.None of the interviews have panned out.
I was under the impression that someone with a Master's degree and a skill set like mine would have an easy time finding a job. This has not been the case for me. I've gone to the employment office where I live and taken free courses they offer and I even signed up to take online training courses for the field of work I hope the be employed in. I've applied for countless numbers of jobs, only to get rejection letter after rejection letter in the mail without even getting the option to interview.
It is frustrating and has taken a toll on my self esteem. Every week that more and more people lose their jobs a little glimmer of hope of finding a job fades slightly for me. Still I push forward and try to have faith that there is something better out there for me.
The hardest part of not having a job is meeting new people or seeing people you haven't seen in a long time. My husband has a large part of his extended family that I have only met once, at the wedding. They live down in the south and we never see them. Recently they came to NY and we made the effort to visit them and hang out. I knew the question was coming, the one I always dread because it makes me feel like a loser especially after all this time.... "what do you do?" and then it came, and I had to answer that I was unemployed.
There really isn't a reason to feel the way I do about it. I shouldn't be ashamed the way I am because I didn't get laid off for being a poor worker. I have always surpassed the greatest of expectations that my bosses had for me. I got laid of because the economy took a dump and that dump affected the small business I worked for. These are facts I know and yet I still cringe a little inside when people ask me what I do and I have to tell them I'm unemployed.
I totally understand people wanting to know what you do for a living. But what I don't get is when you tell people that you got laid off and are currently unemployed and they sit there and look at you and then open their mouths and this comes out, "well, are you looking for a job?" I seriously can't believe that people ask me this time and time again. I'm not going to lie, I get pretty angry when people ask me this.
Here I am- someone that got laid off due to the economic bad times and they are sitting there thinking I'm just hanging out with my free time not doing anything. I wanted to work. I didn't choose to quit working. And yes, I am looking for a job -thanks for asking.
If anyone is out there reading my blog and you meet someone who is currently unemployed, I beg of you, don't ask them if they are looking for a job. Most likely they are, unsuccessfully, and you will just remind them of this fact.
What are you least favorite questions to be asked while unemployed?
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