It’s Just Amazing…

what you find out when you really start paying attention. I have had a thing for sourdough bread lately and thought it was a terriffic idea as it was low on the glycemic index. I get up really, really early so I was enjoying a couple of pieces with my morning coffee. Determined as I am to get back on track and into journaling, I used my pointsfinder slide to figure the points for my little morning snack. (2 pieces of toast, I can’t really call it breakfast.) Come to find out these 2 pieces of toast were taking up 6 of my points! Now, as I was eating them I gave a haphazard thought to 2, maybe even 3 points, since they are longer than normal bread slices, BUT THINNER, but I am not willing to give up 6 whole points for so little! As of today I am ‘sourdough’ free, which just goes to prove once again why measuring and journaling is so important. My mind has a way of justifying just about anything, which is why I am as heavy as I am. I must keep using what works if I am going to make my goal!

No More Vacations For Awhile!

I haven’t been anywhere in years due to my brick and morter business I use to own. Now this month it seems like I’m gone all of the time!

Let me tell you, certain vacations are just very hard to behave yourself on, especially when you haven’t been anywhere in a very long time!LOL.  Last weekend I went to Palm Springs for my Great Nephew’s 1st birthday Party with my 2 daughters. We got into Indio the nite before very tired from the long drive and quite late. What’s the first thing to do? Call for Pizza delivery of course. I was good about limiting myself to 1 piece, but 1 large piece.  Had cake at the birthday party (small) and luckily my neice had lots of fruits and vegetables, so that part was pretty easy.

After the party, we headed for Disneyland. I have been taking my kids there since they were very little, and there are some things you get to eat in Disneyland you just don’t get anywhere else, such as all their candy made right there on the premises, etc. Let me just say I feel very grateful that 1) since I’ve gotten older, their candy is way to sweet for me 2) I came home only 2lbs. heavier than when I left 3) the trip got me started on my exercise. My girls walk all over Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days. They have no plan, so they walk parts of it many times. When I got home, I figured if I could walk all that with them, there was no excuse for me not to continue walking. So while I am really no closer to my goal than I was a week ago, adding the exercise and being happy to be away from fast food after a week of it, should make it easier from here on out!

Winter Fat and Summer Fat…

It’s starting to get chilly at nite again and it seems the older I get the more clothes I put on to keep warm, which is exactly what I was thinking about when I weighed myself this morning. I watched the scale climb a couple of pounds and started to walk away in disgust. Then being the years aged experienced dieter that I am, I realized that I am wearing more and heavier clothing these days than I was when it was already 70 degrees at 7 am. So, I began to strip. I never weigh with my shoes on so that was not an option. First came off my fleece jacket I was wearing. That was good for 3lbs. Then came off the long sleeve fleece top I was wearing. That was good for another 2. I have on light flannel bottoms, so I figure they’re within a lb. of a pair of shorts. All of a sudden life didn’t look so bad! I know of people when I used to go to Weight Watchers meetings (which I still need to get going again) that always wore the same thing to weigh in. That way they got the real weight gain or loss regardless of the change of seasons and the change of clothes. I personally would freeze to death, so I have not chozen that particular avenue. This time of year also, again, is where a tape measure comes in handy. It’s very easy to get discouraged and grab for comfort foods as the cold weather blows in and we feel the need to snuggle and stay warm.

I’ve Actually Been Doing ok…

Since coming back from my daughter’s I’ve been doing ok (not great, but ok). My words to her haunt me now, and I find myself making better choices. I’m actually looking at the easier way out and telling myself it can be just as easy to eat properly with all the gadgets I have. So I made homemade chili with 96% fat free ground beef when it was raining. Other than that there’s no fat at all.  I made cornbread, but when I bake I melt a little Shedd Spread instead of using oil, and eggbeaters instead of eggs, which cuts out a lot of fat and calories.  These two tips helped a lot when I decided to make brownies this morning instead of going to the donut shop. I told you I was making better choices! LOL.

Back From Paso…

Got back from visiting my daughter in Paso Robles yesterday. She too wants to travel the “Weight Loss Trail”.  My other daughter and I went down to equipt her with some of the tools for the journey. It’s probably a little harder for her to eat properly as she does not cook and did not know how to use any kitchen appliances. The cooking appliances I consider to be the easiest to use for a single and busy lifestyle are: an indoor grill (like a George Foreman, altho I hated the one we got her and I took it back), a small rice cooker, a crockpot, and now that I think about it, probably a chopper. I got her a “magic bullet for XMAS last year. She should be able to chop with that. I taught her how to use it to make great chicken salad and now she’s very anxious to try the Fat Free Hummus recipe, etc. Weight Watchers has a beautiful new cookbook out, binder style, that looks like it’s latest and greatest combination of recipes, which even at Walmart was $25.00. Today is her first day back to work after her little vacation, so I told her what to fill the crockpot with and she should have a very nice dinner waiting for her tonite when she gets home. She works in a restaurant during the day, so her plan is to eat veggies and healthier food items while she’s there.

Helping her helped to re-motivate me. Working with those items reminded me there really are no more excuses. Between being able to buy veggies frozen, already done for me except to decide how I want to use them, and the ease of cooking if you have the right equipment, I really don’t have a good reason for not eating right. It’s amazing what showing someone else how to do this will do for giving you a fresh prospective. Maybe I’ll be around to see my Grandchildren if I just quit thinking I’m immortal! LOL

Falling Down On the Job

I’ve been ‘missing in action’ for a couple of days (4 to be exact, altho it didn’t feel like that long). I’ve been cleaning mountains of paperwork, paying bills, etc., etc. I have been doing pretty good, even tho I’m only 4 pounds down from my highest point. Yesterday the weather was kind of yucky here, and I wanted something good and warm to eat. Of course nothing in my house looked appealing. My first thought ran to this 4lb. combination burrito from this fast food place around the corner from me. I made myself stop, think about the fact that 1 burrito has my whole days points (25) plus some, and went to the chinese restaurant instead.  I ordered prawns and veggies, (4), and hot and sour soup (2) Instead of 25 pts. I only used 6, felt better energy-wise and was quite pleased with myself! I was fully satisfied, plus all the veggies and the soup are healthy enough to help me fight the cold my boyfriend is trying to give me. I know all the salt isn’t good, but if I drink the water I should, it shouldn’t be as bad as it could be.

This weekend I will be going back to basics. My oldest daughter has decided she’s out of control and asked me to come down and help get her on track. (She lives in Central California). I’m taking a crockpot, buying a grill (sort of like George Foreman) and going to help her set her kitchen up. We’ll go shopping for the proper food for her to have on hand and I’ll be teaching her how to use the appliances. If you ever saw my daughter in the kitchen it’s kinda like watching the old Lucy and Ethel on TV. How we got thru her living at home without burning the kitchen down, I’ll never know! LOL.

She’s usually exauhsted when she gets off work, (and of all places, she works in a restaurant) so she has a tendancy to grab fast food on the way home. I’m hoping to teach her in just a couple of days how good good food can be in a crockpot, etc. At the same time it’ll reinforce in me the things I should be paying attention to. You know, originally when I lost weight the first time, I had planned on going to work for WW so that I would watch what I eat forever. Too bad I didn’t do it!LOL.

Yesterday Was An ‘Eat It’ Kind of Day

I really wasn’t doing too bad. 98% Fat Free Clam Chowder for lunch, fruit for snacking, etc. etc., until it was time for dinner. Thus the advantage to menu planning. I had no idea what to do for dinner and really didn’t feel like cooking. Next thing I know I am in the front of the line at Boston Market. (Just like magic. LOL). Even tho I could have easily gone to the store and made meatloaf myself, controling the ingredients, this is what I chose. I really was even making right choices there, until I saw the piece of Pumpkin Pie. I know better. I never like store bought pumpkin as well as my own, and this was no exception. It was so sweet, you couldn’t hardly taste the pumkin. I know they use all the most fattening ingredients, and it was the first thing I went for when I got home. Even tho I didn’t really care for it, I ate it. So now we have another question for the “reasons” for the choices we make. Since I really didn’t care for it, why not throw it out instead of eating the rest of the piece that I cut? As I figure that one out, I’ll learn to only eat the food that actually gives me pleasure and satisfaction, and if the food in my hand doesn’t do that, the world won’t come to an end if I dump it!