That recipe on AlliezAlley for Frittada looked so good and I had left over Fettuccini from last nite, so tonite I’m doin’ it! I used Naturally Yours fat free sour cream, eggbeaters for the egg, and then had the Feta Cheese on hand, so I used that. Now that it’s in the oven, I’m all excited to see how it comes out! Thank you Allie for the 2 recipes. In the middle of this I had to go to the store for more sour cream so I picked up some goat cheese while I was there. I’m not very familiar with either of these cheeses, so I decided to give it a try. (My middle daughter is the experimental eater in this house. She likes  some stuff I am just hearing about). I’ll let everyone know later how my slimmed down version was. I make quiche with fat free Land o’ Lakes half and half and egg beaters and it always comes out real well, so I have high hopes for this. Could not quite get over the fact that there’s no meat, so I got a rotisserie chicken just in case.  The men in here are the typical ‘meat and potatoes’ kinda guys. LOL

It is absolutely amazing to me how fast 2pts. here, 3pts. there, add up when you’re writing them down! (or 100 calorie packs, or carbs, whatever you’re counting). It sure is a lot faster than when I am keeping count in my head. LOL. That’s probably why I quit for awhile, then quit losing or possibly gain, and why I always go back. The other day I started journaling again, everything that goes into my mouth. All of a sudden I had drawn on 12 extra points! Yesterday I did the same, but actually thought about what I was doing, do I really want that? Am I really hungry? Points-wise I did much better and got better results on the scale. So now I must ponder, ‘if I know something works, why don’t I stick with it?’ ‘Why, to a certain extent, am I self-destructive?’ Which I guess if I find the answers to those questions, I could probably figure out the underlying reason as to why I put all the weight I had lost, back on so quick. Isn’t overeating just a symptom of something else? Whether it be a control issue, frustration, stress, or something else (if not a legitamate physical issue, e.g. having a baby, etc.) instead of just dealing with the symptom, wouldn’t it be great to irradicate the disease? We’d all be skinny for life! LOL. Of course, I guess that’s probably why they call it a lifestyle change vs. a diet. Even then, does it really deal with the true issues and underlying causes? I think I’ll work on that a little today.

I am a freak for KFC, especially when I have been busy all day and don’t want to stop to cook because I want to keep working. That’s how yesterday was. While I was waiting for them to process my order, I found myself in front of the nutritional board hanging on the wall. It’s sure a lot easier to ignore the fat, er I mean facts, when you don’t have them staring you right in the face! All of a sudden a healthy chicken breast, that is a healthy person’s staple, took on a life of it’s own and grew to 450 calories! I never knew what really good tasting skin could do! I also couldn’t imagine that eating coleslaw was worse than eating mac and cheese. So I left there with my bags in hand, came home and had a salad and a piece of chicken with all skin removed.  I now am thinking about going to each website and downloading the nutritional info for each fast food place I like and carrying the info with me. I know WW has the dining out companion where they tell you how many points, but something about reading Red’s blog telling me all about the Big Mac and seeing that 450 calories for a piece of chicken makes it all hit home a little harder!

One of my biggest downfalls is that I will be busy, all of a sudden realize I am starving, and grab the easiest thing I can to put in my mouth. I think I’ve discovered a fix. There have been a lot of sales around me on Weight Watchers meals and desserts. (The Railey’s-Nob Hill close by really caters to WW. I think that’s because there’s such a large meeting place in the neighborhood). So the other day I went and stocked up on both. Now, when grocery stores make me walk thru the bakery when I come in the door, I know I have yummy stuff at home that I have some control over. Stocking up on the meals hopefully will put something healthy in my mouth when I’m starving (for lunch, etc). I also stocked up on more fruit, so hopefully I grab an apple or a piece of cantaloupe to tide me over while the micro does its magic. LOL.

The “bad” habit I need to take care of is adding my evening wine into the point count. It’s only 2pts. a glass and I don’t really drink that many (unless my daughter and I end up talking in the kitchen for hours as we sometimes do), but I have a tendancy to ignore those points as if they don’t exist. Obviously they do, just as if I was counting calories or anything else (no carbs), which accounts for the weight coming off rather slower than normal. Sooo, I will from this day forward, be stricter on my journaling and start counting those points also. (God forbid I quit drinking! LOL).

I’m up bright and early today and full of energy to get going, so I think the first thing I’m going to do now that I am already showered and dressed, is pull out the food ads. It’s time to do some shopping, so as long as I have to go, I might as well make it worthwhile. I’ll take a page from Allie’z book and do a little menu planning. I do know if you already have figured out what to eat, your odds of not straying with things you shouldn’t be eating are a lot better! It also means if I plan well enough, next week when it’s going to be a bit hot, I won’t have to leave the house! I am a bit of a workaholic with always too much to do and could easily become a hermit. So, for exercise next week I will be cleaning out my cupboards which, when you start at the very top, really moves a lot of parts, plus I’ll be doing some weight lifting (canned goods, etc). LOL

I read this this morning and decided to post it here. I have dieted most of my life and figure I know just about every dieting trick in the book. I may not practice them, but I know them. This actually had a couple of new ‘tips’ that I didn’t know, so I thought I would share. 

 YOU: On a Diet The 99-Second Edition
From YOU: The Owner’s Manual, by RealAge experts Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD

In the weight-loss gates and can’t wait to start the race? Then skim through this cheat sheet of the YOU strategies — big and small — that form the path to your new life and your new body.

– Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz

Make Your Eating Plan Automatic
Over a 14-day period, train yourself to make good-for-YOU menu choices. You’ll reprogram your body so YOU will be in charge of what you’re eating.

		Eat three main meals, plus snacks, so you’re never hungry.
		Eat the same things for breakfast and lunch almost every day. Yes, every day. People who minimize food choices lose more weight.

Remember That Waist Is More Important Than Weight
Because of its proximity to vital organs, belly fat is the most dangerous fat you can carry, and it is one of the strongest predictors of health risks (heart disease, diabetes, and more bad stuff) associated with obesity.

		Ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure.
		Measure your waist and aim small: Ideal is 32½ inches or less for women and 35 inches or less for men.

Stay Satisfied
To lose weight, you need to eat.

		Eat often — five or six times throughout the day — so you’re constantly satisfied. Slipping into starvation mode makes your body want to store fat.
		Eat plenty of fiber in the morning; it helps control afternoon cravings.

Add Support
Enlist a friend, family member, or new online buddy as your partner. Everyone needs encouragement — or an occasional prod.

		After finishing your 30-minute walk every day, call a buddy, post on one of your favorite message boards, or blog it for a pat on the back.
		When you start doing a regular workout, do the same thing.

Know That It’s OK to Make Mistakes
As long as you quickly get back on the right road, you won’t travel too far down the wrong one. Just make a YOU-turn to change course.

A Few Final Tips . . .

		Check food labels: Don’t buy anything with more than 4 grams of saturated fat or 4 grams of any sugar (especially high-fructose corn syrup) per serving. Sat fat is an aging fat that’s bad for your whole body, and simple sugars make you crave high-calorie foods.
		Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Fatigue also makes you crave sugary foods. Why? They release the brain chemicals that a lack of sleep leaves you short on.
		Eat a little healthy fat — like a handful of walnuts – about 20 minutes before a meal. It will take the edge off, so you won’t be tempted to overeat.
		Choose elegance over force: Weight-loss battles are won when you diet smart, not hard.

It still never ceases to amaze me at how much of my eating is from sheer boredom! Yesterday and the day before I have been way to busy to be ‘grazing’, which is what I call just kind of nibbling all day long. It definately helped being out of the house also. I had much more control over what I ate and how much. We’re also in the process of moving cars around, (my youngest (19) just got his license yesterday) so I spent my exercise time cleaning out my car. Now that may not sound like much, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the floor and the back seat in this car in years! Definately more exercise than I’m used to lately and I accomplished something. Yeah!

I don’t care what you eat, if you’re not eating until 10 or 11 o’clock at nite, the weight is  going to be slow coming off. I cook dinner before then, but everyone in this house eats at different times due to different schedules. We don’t actually sit around the kitchen table and have a family dinner. I find for myself, I am either easily sidetracked, or I don’t want to eat because I have things to do and won’t do them if I eat first. (I’m lazy already. Fill me with food, and I’m done!) LOL. Also, if I eat early, I fall asleep early, (TV or reading) puts me out quick. I only sleep for a max of 6 hrs. a nite, so then I’m up way to early. (Not enough sleep= more weight, also). So, my current project is figuring out how to break the cycle so I eat at a decent time (I really believe in not eating after 7 or so at nite, I just don’t practice it) and still have a life afterward. I don’t eat that heavy, maybe a walk at nite? As the weather starts to cool, it would probably wake me up for sure.

I changed the battery in my scale yesterday, and it seems to be working. Glad I thought of that before I went and bought a new one!

I visited alliezalley yesterday, and she is dealing with health issues other than just weight. One of the things she suffers from is celiac disease, which is an allergy to gluten. For anyone who doesn’t know, that is essentially an allergy to wheat, etc.  This morning in my inbox is an email from Dr. Susan Lark all about the reasons it’s so hard to lose weight after 40. The first thing she advocates is leading a gluten free lifestyle. According to her, a lot of us develop an alergy to gluten and never even realize it. She is not the first doctor I have seen advocate this. I don’t know if there is a test that you can get over the counter or not, but I thought the idea was interesting. Dr. Lark states that the gluten actually induces inflammation and this change alone would make us feel less bloated, etc. I haven’t quite decided if I am into giving this a try or not, but I find the idea interesting.

when it comes to food! I have been eating fresh blueberries, blackberries, rasberries and yesterday I cleaned a big clamshell of fresh strawberries. Besides being great additives for my yogurt, they make great finger snacks (which sometimes you just need to be able to ‘munch’), and you get all the great health benefits of getting your antioxidants from fresh fruit.  I also have fresh watermelon and cantelope, all the fixins for a great fruit salad! Slap a little fat free coolwhip on there and I am in hog heaven. I love to eat this stuff, so why is it that unless I am concentrating on watching my weight or my health, do I not choose this stuff as a natural choice? Same way with raw veggies. I just love them, things you wouldn’t even normally think of eating raw (or at least I never did, e.g. zuchini, bell pepper) until I truly ‘have’ to make it a choice. I wonder to myself sometimes why it doesn’t come as a natural choice, even if I was skinny? If things like fruit and veggies are ready to snack at any time, why would I go for the chips? That’s one part of changing my lifestyle I don’t understand. It would be different if I disliked all that stuff, but I don’t. So I have the symptom, now I’m looking for the underlying reason. Am I just self destructive? Could be.

Now chocolate is a whole animal by itself. There really is no substitute for chocolate when I get a craving. I am lucky that it only takes a small amount to satisfy the craving and there are several choices I can make that are not quite so harmful. Push came to shove, I could drink 2TBS. of Hershey’s Lite Syrup right out of the bottle for 1pt. That would probably be enough. LOL. (Although it is more gratifying when you’re chewing something!)