February 28, 2010 - Day 56

I think my problem with snacking lately is that I stay up too late. Take yesterday fore example. I just looked at the amount of snacks I had, and I was like O_o! But then if I factor in that I was up until 1am, it doesn't seem as bad. Granted they weren't the healthiest of snacks yesterday (that's a different issue), but that aside, it kind of makes sense that I would eat more if I stay up later. Experts say to eat ever 3-4 hours If I'm extending my day by that amount of time (assuming a lot of people got to bed around 10), then I should get to eat more. Right? Well, that's what I'm going with anyway. :)


For breakfast

1 banana (105 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

Ham and cheddar cheese on multi-grain bread (w/dijon mustard) (220 calories; 4 points)

Water

For dinner - It's leftover night again!

1.5 spinach lasagna rolls (300 calories; 6 points)

Water

Snacks

A handful of mixed nuts (140 calories; 3 points)

1 cafe mocha w/skim milk (175 calories; 3 points)

1 oatmeal/dark chocolate cookie (100 calories; 2 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1085

Total WW Points: 21

Total flex points left for week: 22.5 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 1

Exercise

45 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

Just general housework and yardwork - Cam kept telling me to stop to sit down and rest. I was like the little energizer bunny today. :)

February 27, 2010 - Day 55

It's interesting how different instructors approach the same class. I took a pilates class at the YMCA earlier this week, which was definitely more like a yoga class. Today at the university I took a pilates/yoga fusion class and it was way more pilates than yoga. Man, those pilates push-ups are killer!

Also, since I am starting to exercise more and have lost some weight, I went and recalculated the target number of WW points that I get each day. Good thing I did, since as it seems, I am now allowed 21 points per day before going into my flex points. This is important for me to keep on checking, since as I've read, if you start exercising more and more but don't adjust points (i.e. you don't eat enough to replenish yourself) you'll actually be doing more harm than good. Not only will you not lose weight, more importantly you'll be depriving your body of the nutrition it needs to stay healthy.

For breakfast

High fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 spinach lasagna roll (200 calories; 4 points)

Water

For dinner

Santa Fe chicken (300 calories; 5 points)
* I hate it when I only have the # of WW points per serving and not the # of calories as well as I did for this recipe. Then I just have to totally guess. Well, I guess I could've figured it out if I was careful, but seriously. That's too much work.

Brown rice (85 calories; 2 points)

Water

Snacks

1/2 an oatmeal/dark chocolate cookie (50 calories; 1 point)

Soy chocolate milk (150 calories; 3 points)
* I gotta say, this was really tasty! I bought a little 8 1/4 oz serving of it while shopping the other day on a whim. (I'm feeling like I'm not getting enough calcium each day. Anyway...) Wow! I was pleasantly surprised! Cam drinks the vanilla soy milk since he is lactose intolerant. I just may have to give that a try. Who knows? Maybe we'll all switch over? (That's funny for me to think about, since I have FINALLY made the switch over to fat-free milk.)

1 Skinny Cow low-fat fudge bar (100 calories; 1 point)

At Riley's day care open house tonight:

Bites of apple pie and vanilla ice cream (175 calories; 4 points)
* Another guess

1 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1290 - I did a lot of reading yesterday that said everyone needs to get a minimum of 1200 calories. It's interesting that on some days I find that extremely difficult to accomplish and on others it's no problem.

Total WW Points: 25

Total flex points left for week: 22.5 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 2

Exercise

Pilates/Yoga class

100 ab crunches

February 26, 2010 - Day 54

So, I was originally going to share with you the news that I ate egg yolks today for the first time in forever. Which is really exciting, because I've missed eggs! Stupid egg intolerance due to my over-indulgence while pregnant and nursing Riley. Seriously, I ate eggs every day for abut 5 months. Now while I didn't eat the egg whites (which is where I suspect I have most of my stomach problems), I was super excited that the egg yolks seemed to agree with me.

But, the bigger news is that today I went shopping and, get this, bought a pair of 6 jeans! Yep, you read it correctly! Size 6 jeans!!!!! Granted, I'm sporting a little bit of a muffin top, but they look awesome on me. I also bought a pair of size 8 jeans that went on super comfortably and also look fabulous. Rounding out the purchase with 2 new tops, and I feel awesome! What a way to keep me motivated to do more!

For breakfast

3/4 of a multi-grain english muffin w/margarine (120 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 peanut butter and jelly on multi-grain bread (215 calories; 4 points)

Water

For dinner

1 ground turkey enchilada (345 calories; 7 points)

Water

Snacks

2 scrambled egg yolks (108 calories; 3 points)

1 piece of dark chocolate (50 calories; 1 point)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

1 oatmeal/dark chocolate cookie (100 calories; 2 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 908

Total WW Points: 21

Total flex points left for week: 26.5 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 3

Exercise

Zumba!

100 ab crunches

February 25, 2010 - Day 53

So, the theme of the last few days has been spinach, in case you haven't noticed, heh. I bought a big bag of spinach, and when I do that, I usually end up letting it sit there until it goes bad. And I didn't want to do that! So, each night for the past few (well, not yesterday of course) I've tried to figure out how to incorporate spinach into the dinner. The perfect opportunity came yesterday when I saw that Gina's WW Recipes had a great new recipe for lasagna spinach rolls. I just knew that I had to make it!

For breakfast

High fiber blueberry muffin (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 ham and cheese sandwich on multi-grain bread (160 calories; 2 points)

Water

For dinner

1 spinach lasagna roll (200 calories; 4 points)
* Quite tasty, and quite filling!

Water

Snacks

1 cafe mocha w/skim milk (175 calories; 3 points)

1 Kashi trail mix bar (140 calories; 2 points)

1/2 of an oatmeal/chocolate cookie (50 calories; 1 point)
* Riley and I made these together! :D

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 920

Total WW Points: 16

Total flex points left for week: 28.5 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 4

Exercise

Pilates/Yoga class

50 ab crunches

About 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

February 24, 2010 - Day 52

So I had every intention of making spinach lasagna today but got side-tracked by going to a movie with Cam in the middle of the day. And depending on how you look at it, this was either a good or a bad thing. Diet-wise: bad; Everything-else-wise: good! The movie theater we went to serves food (pizzas/salads/burgers/etc) directly to you at your seat. Totally amazing. We've done this before at a different theater in town, but this place just opened last fall and is mere minutes away from the university. So, we had to go. Plus it was our Valentine's day gift to each other, since we didn't do anything on the actual day.

So, I ate some food at the movie theater and enjoyed myself immensely! Then I went to the gym and did about 30 minutes on an elliptical machine and some crunches. This wouldn't have been so tiring if I hadn't already done an hour Zumba class before going to the movies. :)

Oh, on a positive note, I weighed myself at the gym. I'm now at 134.7 lbs. Do you know what that means? Less than 10 pounds to go!! Woot!

For breakfast

1 multi-grain english muffin w/peanut butter (200 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1/4 of chicken ceasar salad (265 calories; 7 points)

1 slice of "Cleopatra" pizza (300 calories; 7 points)
* It was a thin-crust pizza with ceasar salad dressing, red onions, and chicken on it. I actually have no idea how many calories this slice is, so I looked around at other thin crusts pizzas and tried to make a best guess. Who knows how off I am.

Water

For dinner

1 bowl of cheerios in skim milk (140 calories; 3 points)
* My "lunch" (which really was around 2:30pm) was so filling that I couldn't have eaten a big meal if I tried.

Snacks

1 Kashi trail mix bar (140 calories; 2 points)

French Vanilla hot chocolate (80 calories; 1.5 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1160

Total WW Points: 24.5

Total flex points left for week: 28.5 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 5

Exercise

Zumba!

100 ab crunches

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

February 23, 2010 - Day 51

Happy 23 months Riley! In honor of your arrival 23 months ago, I thought I would try a new breakfast. Not really, but I did try it. I didn't like it.

For breakfast

1 tablespoon of cooked quinoa w/vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon (50 calories; 1 point)
* I can see this being good when it is incorporated with other things, like in lieu of rice when making stuffed peppers. It just wasn't good at all by itself. Maybe I need to find a better recipe.

1 banana (90 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 peanut butter and jelly on multi-grain bread (215 calories; 4 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

Pork loin with dijon herb sauce (250 calories; 5 points)

Brown rice with broccoli, spinach, and peppers (100 calories; 1 point)

Water

Snacks

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

1 high fiber blueberry muffin (160 calories; 3 points)

Chamomile tea (0 calories; 0 points)

Little Debbie chocolate cake (100 calories; 2 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1075

Total WW Points: 20

Total flex points left for week: 34 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 6

Exercise

100 ab crunches

February 22, 2010 - Day 50

So, I did it! I signed up for a month by month membership at YMCA. Now I can take all the Zumba/fitness courses I like. This is in addition to to the once per week yoga/pilates class I'm going to start taking at the University starting this Saturday. Phew! I better be in shape come the summer, that's all I gotta say.

For breakfast

High fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

Ham and cheddar cheese on multi-grain bread (w/dijon mustard) (220 calories; 4 points)

A little more than half of WW Strawberry yogurt (60 calories; 1 point)
* This was much better than the other WW yogurt I had.

Water

For dinner

4 bean chili with low-carb pasta and spinach (350 calories; 6 points)
* My first chili. Wow, with this diet I sure am making a lot of firsts! I made this in the crockpot, and man, did my kitchen smell great all day. To make the chili a little heartier and healthier, I decided at the last minute to add in some pasta and spinach. A really, really nice addition. All 3 of us really liked this a lot!

Water

Snacks

A piece of dark chocolate (57 calories; 1 point)

Chamomile tea (0 calories; 0 points)

Skinny cow low-fat fudge bar (100 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 952

Total WW Points: 17

Total flex points left at the end of the week: 30 of 35

Exercise

Zumba class!

100 ab crunches

February 21, 2010 - Day 49

Flex points were created for days like today. Yum, yum, yum, it was pasty day! I love those days!

For breakfast

1 whole wheat english muffin w/margarine (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 meat and potato pasty (500 calories; 12 points)
* The inside of a pasty (turnip, onion, lean ground beef, potato, parsnip, carrot) is actually really healthy. It was the puff pastry the inside was cooked in where the majority of calories and points came from. :)

Water

For dinner

Stir fry w/carne asada (250 calories; 5 points)

Water

Snacks

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

1 high fiber blueberry muffin (160 calories; 3 points)

1 cup of tea (0 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1145

Total WW Points: 24 - Remarkably I'm only over my daily target by 5 points!

Total flex points left for week: 30 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 1

Exercise
Nothing. On pasty day, can you really expect anything more?

February 20, 2010 - Day 48

For breakfast

High fiber blueberry muffin (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1/2 of a low-carb chicken ceasar wrap (250 calories; 5 points)

1 apple (80 calories; 1 point)

Water

For dinner

1 roasted chicken garlic sausage (140 calories; 3 points)

1/2 ear of corn (no butter!) (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

Snacks

Strawberry fruit and grain bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1 cafe mocha w/skim milk (175 calories; 3 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1010

Total WW Points: 18

Total flex points left for week: 35 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 2

Exercise

About 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

Weeding in the back lot

February 19, 2010 - Day 47

I couldn't resist - I was intrigued to know, even though I usually go a whole week without checking. So, my weight update is 136.2 lbs.

So, now officially my weight loss exceeds the amount of weight I still want to lose. Woo-hoo! On to the size 8 jeans now!

For breakfast

Strawberry fruit and grain bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

Grilled cheese on multi-grain bread w/fat-free cheese (200 calories; 3 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

Shrimp and Zucchini with Ziti in Light Tomato Sauce (450 calories; 8 points)
* I'm a little unsure of the points/calories here. Listed on the recipe I used, it said 440 calories (I upped a bit since I put a little cheese on) but 5.5 WW points. I have no idea how she got that. Granted I don't know the new formula for WW, but still. So, I just put it up to 8. Better to be safe then sorry.

Water

Snacks

High fiber blueberry muffin (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

A small handful of animal crackers (50 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1100

Total WW Points: 19

Total flex points left for week: 35 of 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 3

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

200 ab crunches

February 18, 2010 - Day 46

For breakfast

High fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

2 rice cakes w/peanut butter (260 calories; 5 points)

Water

For dinner

1 salmon burger (on a roll!) w/cajun remoulade sauce (300 calories; 6 points)

Water

Snacks

A handful of mixed nuts (140 calories; 3 points)

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

1 hershey kiss, dark chocolate (25 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 920

Total WW Points: 19

Total flex points left for week: 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 4

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

February 17, 2010 - Day 45

Zumba again today! My friend and I are going to sign up for the Y - there is a great special just for this month in which the sign up fee is next to nothing (it's usually $100; it'll be just $14). Then, I just pay on a monthly basis.

The class was fun today. The lady who usually teaches the lunch time class had a baby, so there have been subs filling in. So, the lady I had today was not the same I had the first time I went. One wasn't better than the other; they were just different. Today I felt more like I was back in dance class which I liked.

The neat thing about signing up is that I'll now have access to any class at the Y. So, if I decide that a step class looks fun, then I can go. And since it's only on a month to month basis, I'll have no problem when I leave in June.

For breakfast

2 whole-wheat pancakes w/minimal syrup (235 calories; 5 points)
* Needed to use up the rest of the mix from yesterday. Actually, I hadn't thought t use it right away but after she got up Riley specifically asked for pancakes so I figured why not.

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

Smart Ones Fettucini Alfredo (240 calories; 4 points)

Water

For dinner

Roast chicken breast w/no skin (140 calories; 3 points)
* Yay! My first time roasting a chicken. It was really good too - super, super moist!

Asparagus with dijon vinagrette (30 calories; 0 points)

Water

Snacks

1/2 of a large banana (60 calories; 1 point)

1 chicken shu-mai (20 calories; 0 points)

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

Quaker Mini-Delights (90 calories; 2 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 875

Total WW Points: 16

Total flex points left for week: 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 5

Exercise

Zumba class at the YMCA

200 ab crunches

February 16, 2010 - Day 44

In honor of Shrove Tuesday, which honestly I hadn't heard of until last night, I thought it would be fun if Riley and I had pancakes for lunch. Riley had hers in the shape of Mickey ears w/blackberry preserves and I had some with a little bit of syrup. I thought about going to the store to get reduced calorie/fat syrup, but honestly I couldn't be bothered. So, all in all, not the super healthiest of lunches, but at least I made them with skim milk. Plus, it was a *special* occasion. ;)

For breakfast

1 strawberry fruit and grain bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

2 whole-wheat pancakes w/minimal syrup (235 calories; 5 points)

Water

For dinner

Lighter eggplant parm (300 calories; 5 points)
* I have no idea how many calories this is, but it's supposed to be 5 points. I got the recipe from Gina's WW Recipes, which is a great website with lots of yummy WW friendly recipes. Cam thought it wasn't bad, which is saying something since he doesn't like eggplant. I liked it a lot, and Riley loved it (she actually had 4 helpings!).

Water

Snacks

A small handful of pretzels (25 calories; 0 points)

1 cafe mocha w/skim milk (175 calories; 3 points)

A handful of animal crackers (50 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 950

Total WW Points: 17

Total flex points left for week: 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 6

Exercise

A walk around the neighborhood w/Riley and a wagon (sometimes pulling the wagon with one arm and holding Riley in the other)

About 45 minutes on an elliptical machine

200 ab crunches

February 15, 2010 - Day 43

Today Riley and I had a nice day. We went to the children's museum here in Salem with a friend of Riley's from day care (and his dad) - day care was closed today because of the holiday. Then after her nap we went food shopping where Riley got to ride on the mechanical horse that they put by the entrance. So, I was barely home today which helped me not snack too much during the day.

For breakfast

High fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 ham and cheddar sandwich on multi-grain bread w/dijon mustard (160 calories; 2 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

1 bbq pulled pork sandwich on multi-grain bread (175 calories; 3 points)

1 ear of corn w/butter (180 calories; 4 points)
* The butter I put on contributed 3 of the 4 points! Wow! I think I'm done with putting butter on corn on the cob anyway, since I don't think it added too much in the way of flavor. I think I just did it because I always have.

Water

Snacks

A small handful of pretzels (25 calories; 0 points)

Skinny Cow low fat fudge bar (100 calories; 1 point)
* I'm all for snacks that are delicious and are only worth 1 point. This dessert has 4 grams of fiber!

1 cup of tea - no milk/sugar! (0 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 875

Total WW Points: 14

Total flex points left at the end of the week: 31 of 35

Exercise

100 ab crunches

February 14, 2010 - Day 42

Happy Valentine's Day! This morning I decided to make crepes for the family. Cam loves them, and ever since I've known him, he's wanted to make them. So I figured this would be a nice surprise and something we could all do as a family. It was fun! Riley loved helping, saying over and over again, "Help Mommy! Help Mommy!" and helped add the ingredients and whisk them all together. I manned the grill, and Cam experimented with different fillings. My favorite was honey and cinnamon; Cam liked them with butter and syrup; and Riley liked hers with honey. These were also super easy to make. Gotta love stuff like that! :)

On another note, my weight is now at 138.5 pounds. While that number represents a slower weight loss rate than previous weeks, it's still a loss of weight. So, woo-hoo there! I'm closing in on having lost more weight versus the amount I want to lose. That's my immediate goal for now. Then it's on to fitting into the size 8 jeans I bought at Goodwill today. I tried them on and I can get in them and close them, although not in a super comfy way. But I'm thrilled I could get them on b/c that hasn't happened in a long time!

For breakfast

3 crepes with cinnamon and honey (400 calories; 8 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 ham and cheddar sandwich on multi-grain bread w/dijon mustard (160 calories; 2 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner
Continuing leftover weekend, I decided to have:

A half piece of turkey meatloaf (100 calories; 2 points)

1/2 of a cauliflower fritter (60 calories; 1 point)

Water

Snacks

1 square of dark chocolate (57 calories; 1 point)

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 877

Total WW Points: 15

Total flex points left for week: 31

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 1

Exercise

A little tennis with Cam and Riley (until Riley decided she had enough of chasing balls, and wanted to go down the slides in the play area)

About 45 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

February 13, 2010 - Day 41

It's leftover night! Actually, with the amount I've been cooking lately, a leftover weekend won't even be enough. :)

For breakfast

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

Smart Ones Pasta Primavera (250 calories; 5 points)

Water

For dinner

Shepard's pie (350 calories; 8 points)
* It's hard to know how big your serving sizes are when you're eating leftovers. I think I ate less than last time, so I tried to adjust accordingly.

Water

Snacks

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

Smart Ones Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae (150 calories; 3 points)

At the birthday party Riley went to this morning:

A bite of Riley's banana (10 calories; 0 points)

A bite of Riley's zucchini/chocolate chip muffin (20 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1010

Total WW Points: 20

Total flex points left for week: 31

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 2

Exercise
Nothing. We went to a birthday party this morning, and then I did my taxes this afternoon. Woot!

February 12, 2010 - Day 40

I came across this recipe for brownies that substituted the traditional ingredients of egg, oil, and water for black beans. I was intrigued so I needed to try it. OMG! They are delicious! You would never know that there are pureed black beans are in it. They are yummy and rich. The idea is to take a brownie mix, and instead of putting in the e/o/w, puree up a can of black beans and mix it in. When pureeing up the beans, the recipe I saw called for 1 can of water as well, but that turned out to be too much and the mix was too liquidy (and thus the cooked brownies were too spongey). So, do about a half-can of water and then eyeball it from there.

Seriously, if you like brownies, you need to try making the brownies this way. They are lower in fat and higher in protein and fiber. We are definitely going to make brownies this way from now on.

For breakfast

Before the gym:

1 strawberry fruit and grain cereal bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

After the gym:

2 pieces of multi-grain toast w/peanut butter (190 calories; 3 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For lunch

1 ham and cheddar (fat-free!) sandwich on multi-grain bread w/dijon mustard (160 calories; 2 points)

Water

For dinner

Beef stir-fry w/peppers, broccoli, and onions (350 calories; 7 points)

Water

Snacks

1 black bean brownie (120 calories; 2 points)

1 bowl of cheerios w/skim milk (140 calories; 3 points)

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1170

Total WW Points: 20

Total flex points left for week: 32

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 3

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

February 11, 2010 - Day 39

Today was another very blah day for me today. I didn't want to do anything - I didn't want to (and didn't) go to the gym. I didn't want to watch TV, read, go out, nothing. I'm not sure what's going on. Nothing, save a smile or giggles from Riley, would cheer me up. I did need to go food shopping so Cam, Riley, and I went together, and my mood improved. Hopefully my better mood continues on to tomorrow. We'll see.

For breakfast

High fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 tuna sandwich on multi-grain bread w/fat-free mayo and cheddar cheese (185 calories; 3 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

2 servings of Shepard's pie (450 calories; 11 points)
* I was going to make the beef stir fry that's still marinating in my fridge, but since I was in such a mood, I decided to have a comfort food. Plus, the rest of my food choices had been smart the rest of the day, so I figured I would splurge.

Water

Snacks

Diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 870

Total WW Points: 18

Total flex points left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 4

Exercise

Lots of weeding - good for the glutes.

February 10, 2010 - Day 38

Today was a bad snack day. Tomorrow it's the gym.

So I was going to make stir-fry tonight but came across this recipe for reduced-fat mac and cheese w/broccoli. Since I wanted to use up the broccoli from yesterday, I thought why not? Plus it was a new mac and cheese recipe which is always good news! It was pretty good too - I needed to add some cayenne pepper to it to give it a little more kick but I didn't have any. So, on the grocery list for the weekend is cayenne pepper and on tap for tomorrow's dinner is stir-fry.

For breakfast

1 strawberry fruit and grain cereal bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 tuna sandwich on multi-grain bread w/fat-free mayo and cheddar cheese (185 calories; 3 points)

Water

For dinner

1 serving of reduced-fat mac & cheese w/broccoli (300 calories; 6 points)

Water

Snacks

1 square of dark chocolate (57 calories; 1 point)

A handful of mixed nuts (100 calories; 2 points)

1 cafe mocha w/skim milk (175 calories; 3 points)

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1192

Total WW Points: 21

Total flex points left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 5

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

February 9, 2010 - Day 37

I'm definitely on a muffin kick lately. It's just so easy - the serving size is there for you already. If I make bread, then I run the great risk of thinking, "Oh, I can just take another little sliver." Plus you can put lots of good stuff in them. Today I made zucchini muffins. They were okay, but not great. Riley loves them though, which is good since they are full of zucchini! I even made it healthier by replacing the oil in the recipe w/apple sauce which apparently is a common substitute. Who knew?

I also found that if I spend time in the kitchen cooking/baking, then I eat less. I guess if I'm just around the food then I'm happy. It also helps when I get myself out of the house, which is why I'm always outside with Riley or taking her to the library (as I did today) or to the store.

For breakfast

1 high fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 bowl of cheerios w/skim milk (140 calories; 3 points)

For dinner

1 broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken (175 calories; 3 points)
* I don't really know how much this is worth calorie-wise, but it's around 3 points for the meal, so I estimated off of that.

1/2 serving of steamed broccoli (25 calories; 0 points)

Water

Snacks

1 diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

1 Smart Ones Peanut Butter cup sundae (170 calories; 3 points)

1/2 of a zucchini muffin (60 calories; 1 point)
* I'm going to try these again with a new recipe.

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 790

Total WW Points: 14

Total flex points left for week: 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 6

Exercise
Nothing, except for playing outside w/Riley

February 8, 2010 - Day 36

Today was very blah for me. I just didn't want to do anything. It was very hard for me not to eat badly. I'm lucky I only ate a muffin for a snack this afternoon. It could have been much, much worse.

For breakfast

1 strawberry fruit and grain cereal bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

A few bites of a broiled portobello mushroom, seasoned w/rosemary, thyme, parmesan cheese, garlic, oil, and worcestershire sauces (20 calories; 0 points)
* Yeah, I didn't like this. It got rave reviews on some website, and I thought I would try it. I've always claimed I didn't like mushrooms, but I didn't think I ever gave them a fair shot. So, I figured why not. Yeah, no, not for me. So instead, I had...

1 Smart Ones 3 cheese ziti maranera (320 calories; 6 points)
* It's more calories, but definitely more my speed.

Water

For dinner

1 serving of rosemary turkey meatloaf (185 calories; 3 points)

One and a half cauliflower fritters (170 calories; 3 points)

Water

Snacks

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1 diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

1 smarties (50 calories; 1 point)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1105

Total WW Points: 19

Total flex points left at the end of the week: 28!!! This is the most I've ever had left over at the end of a week. Go me! :)

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on elliptical machine

100 ab crunches

February 7, 2010 - Day 35

****** Weight update: 139.1 lbs ******
This is the first time I've been under 140 lbs in I don't know how many years! Woo-hoo!

For breakfast

1/2 of an everything bagel w/fat-free cream cheese (170 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 bbq beef burritio (290 calories; 5 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

1 roasted chicken garlic sausage (140 calories; 3 point)

1 serving of 3-bean salad w/rotini pasta (230 calories; 5 points)

Water

Snacks

1 handful of chips w/refried beans, cheese, and sour cream (120 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 1235

Total WW Points: 24

Total flex points left for week: 28

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 1

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on elliptical machine

Various weight exercises for my arms (using 5 lb weights)

100 ab crunches

February 6, 2010 - Day 34

I just realized that I'm officially over the one month mark with my diet (I started it on Jan 4). Cool.

For breakfast

1 strawberry fruit and grain cereal bar (130 calories; 2 points)

1/2 of a clementine (20 calories; 0 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 rice cake w/peanut butter (130 calories; 3 points)

Water

For dinner

1 serving of carne asada (180 calories; 4 points)

1/2 serving of brown rice (85 calories; 2 points)

1 serving of asparagus (32 calories; 0 points)

Water

Snacks

1 bite of a sample of pizza [at Costco] (20 calories; 0 points)

1 bite of a sample of barbecued chicken on a bun [at Costco] (20 calories; 0 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

1 cup of WW Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream (140 points; 2 points)

So for today it's roughly:

Total Calories: 827

Total WW Points: 15

Total flex points left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 2

Exercise

Playing and a walk around the neighborhood with Riley

100 ab crunches

February 5, 2010 - Day 33

So today I made my own pasta (thanks to my mother-in-law's loan of her pasta roller). It turned out okay. I think it would have been better if I hadn't gone low fat with the recipe. I think the hardest thing was rolling out the pasta. The roller couldn't be locked down with the vice it comes with since my countertops are the wrong width. So, I had to maneuver the rolling while the roller moved around and I held on to the pasta with both hands. In this case, making the pasta was definitely a two-person job!

In any case, I was proud that I did this. :)

For breakfast

1 high fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 serving of grilled garlic and herb chicken (120 calories; 3 points)

A few bites of Italian creamy garlic Rice A Roni (50 calories; 1 point)

1/2 serving of steamed brussel sprouts (20 calories; 0 points)

Water

For dinner

1 serving of low-fat "lasagna" (410 calories; 7 points)
* This lasagna wasn't a traditional lasagna because the sauce wasn't tomato based but instead made from cornmeal and skim milk. Plus, the only cheese it contained was the sprinkling of parmesan I put at the top. The mix for between the layers consisted of potatoes, peas, and onions reduced in skim milk. The lasagna noodles were made from whole-wheat flour and water.
* The verdict on this meal is "not bad." Riley and I ate our entire portion, and Cam took seconds, so it certainly was on the good side of "not bad." What we decided was that it was a little on the bland side, so if/when I make it again I need to think of what to add to this to make it have a little a more punch. I welcome any ideas!

Water

Snacks

1 small banana (90 calories; 1 point)

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1 diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

Total Calories (roughly): 1040

Total WW Points: 19

Total "Flex Points" left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 3

Exercise

One hour on an elliptical machine - this is the longest I've done so far. Since I knew I was going to have some pasta tonight, I figured a little extra cardio would do me good. :)

300 ab crunches

February 4, 2010 - Day 32

I was so proud of myself today. I went in to the office since I had to teach, and I was a little nervous about keeping up my diet. I usually forget to bring lunch and thus need to go out somewhere. There's this awesome place where they sell varenikis (they're like pierogis, but smaller) and they are amazingly delicious. This summer I must have gone there about twice a week. In fact, when I walk in, the lady that runs the place knows exactly what I'm going to get and starts prepping my food even before I order! :) However, after do a rough calculation on the calories and fat, I found that the meal is about 1300 calories and about 70 grams of fat! Yikes! No wonder I put on weight! Now, I'm not saying I'll never go there again before I leave Salem. That'd be crazy! But I figure I'd like to continue losing weight a little longer before I indulge myself. So instead, as you'll see, I brought in my lunch today. Go me! (As a bonus, it saves money...)

I also did NOT give in to temptation and eat the chocolate that was offered up to passerbys on the secretary's desk. Phew!

For breakfast

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 tuna and mayo sandwich with american cheese on multi-grain bread (230 calories; 3 points)

1 strawberry fruit and grain cereal bar (130 calories; 2 points)

Water

For dinner

1 piece of homemade white sauce pizza w/sausage and red peppers on garlic and herb dough (373 calories; 9 points)
* Wow, we sure are eating a lot of pizza lately! I do have to say that I'm liking the pizza a lot more now that we are making it ourselves. Maybe that's why we're eating it more!
* We're also eating a lot of peppers recently too. At least they're healthy, unlike the pizza they're sitting on. :)

Water

Snacks

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

2 bites of WW boston creme yoguret (10 calories; 0 points)
* I didn't like this. I've had boston creme flavored yogurt before and liked it. But this wasn't good.

Total Calories (roughly): 988

Total WW Points: 18

Total "Flex Points" left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 4

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

February 3, 2010 - Day 31

I so did NOT want to go to they gym today. I'm not sure why either. After I dropped off Riley at day care and trudged my way over (yes, I did go), I just kept thinking about how this was going to be torture. This trend continued while I was on the elliptical machine; I thought I was going to die. But, I got through it, thankfully. :)

For breakfast

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1 Light & Fit Strawberry yogurt (60 calories; 1 point)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 Smart Ones Mac and Cheese (270 calories; 5 points)
* This wasn't bad. In fact I liked it better than the Lean Cuisine variety (which is surprising since LC is made by the Stouffer's co. which makes an AWESOME frozen, non-healthy m&c).

Water

For dinner

1 ground turkey enchilada (345 calories; 7 points)
* Wow! This was REALLY good. I can't believe I've never had enchiladas before, let alone made them. This is especially surprising since I lived in Tucson for 10 years, but I digress. Cam's been wanting them and since I had no other ideas for today, I figured why not? Man. I totally could have gorged myself on these. However, I was good and just limited myself to one.

1 serving of sauteed yellow and red bell peppers (30 calories; 0 points)

Water

Snacks

1 square of (78% cacao) dark chocolate (57 calories; 1 point)

1 serving of cheerios w/skim milk (140 calories; 3 points)

Total Calories (roughly): 1127

Total WW Points: 21

Total "Flex Points" left for week: 33

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 5

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

400 crunches - Nope, this isn't a typo. I just did 4 sets of 100 at different points throughout the day.

February 2, 2010 - Day 30

All in all, a quiet day today. Tuesdays usually are.

For breakfast

1 high fiber oatmeal (160 calories; 3 points)

1 clementine (40 calories; 0 points)

1 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 tuna and mayo sandwich with american cheese on multi-grain bread (230 calories; 3 points)

Water

For dinner

1 serving of 3-bean salad w/wheat rotini pasta (230 calories; 5 points)

1 dijon crispy drumstick (200 calories; 4 points)
* This was really tasty! I removed the skin, lightly salted the chicken and then covered each in a thin layer of flour. Then I coated the drumsticks with a mix comprised of mayo (fat-free), dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Then I covered the drumsticks in rice krispies and cooked at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Water

Snacks

1/2 of Riley's clementine (20 calories; 0 points)
* This was her second one so I didn't feel bad about eating it. Plus, she kept shoving the pieces in my face saying "Mommy's turn." LOL.

1 diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

1 high fiber banana nut muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

Total Calories (roughly): 1110

Total WW Points: 19

Total "Flex Points" left for week: 35

Days left in flex points week (after today) : 6

Exercise

150 crunches

February 1, 2010 - Day 29

So, I weighed myself today, and I've decided that my home scale is completely unreliable. At times it is 2.5 pounds less then the gym scale; other times it is only .5 pounds less. So, I've decided to only use the gym scale to measure my progress. Too bad I always weigh more on the gym scale. :) But, I figure it is more accurate.

So, as of today, my weight is 141.7 pounds. On first glance it looks like I didn't lose any weight this past week, but I need to remember that last week's weight report was done on the home scale. When I weighed myself on the gym scale last week, I weighed 142.5 pounds. So, I lost about a pound this week.

What's also important for me to remember is that since the gym scale is always more than my home scale, I probably didn't weigh 148 at the beginning of this journey, but instead more like 150-151 pounds. So, total approximate weight loss in this first month (I'm only a few days shy) is about 9-10 pounds. Woo-hoo!

For breakfast

2 pieces of multi-grain toast with peanut butter (190 calories; 3 points)

Some cantaloupe (60 calories; 1 point)

1/2 cup of coffee w/vanilla creamer (35 calories; 1 point)

For lunch

1 serving of Special K with skim milk (140 calories; 3 points)

For dinner

1 serving of garlic and peppercorn pork (150 calories; 3 points)

1 serving of onions, garlic, and peas (130 calories; 2 points)

1 serving of onions, garlic and sweet potatoes (150 calories; 3 points)

Water

Snacks

1 banana nut high fiber muffin (170 calories; 3 points)

1 diet hot chocolate (25 calories; 0 points)

Total Calories (roughly): 1050

Total WW Points: 19

Total "Flex Points" left at the end of the week: 18!

Exercise

A little over 30 minutes on an elliptical machine

100 crunches