Week 8 Day 1 or Winner Winner Chicken Liver Dinner

After my gain last week I was afraid that I would not loose anything this week and I did...2.2 pounds.  This is great because I lost the 2 pounds I gained and then 0.2 pounds more!  My fear is that I will be stuck forever in the fat that has eaten my body.  I get really scared sometimes.  My Prince is such a support always saying the right thing or just not saying anything when it is appropriate.  God really sent me the man I needed, not the man I wanted.  I learned at last to let go and let God work.

Last Sunday we did go to Cracker Barrel for an early dinner.  I was surprised I had an appetite after the harrowing ride.  Understand, my Prince learned to drive in a tiny village in Guyana, which is in South America.  He is really a babe in the woods driving in suburban chaos.  He drives too fast when he should slow down, he drives too slow when he should be going faster, he seems to enjoy driving in others lanes and he will NOT drive on the highways.  Well the latter is a good thing!

So getting back to Cracker Barrel, I did research their meals and points.  I ended up ordering the smaller plate with fried livers, mashed potatoes, green beans and a biscuit.  I ate everything and counted all my points and enjoyed my food and husband.  I was full but not stuffed.  I am proud of myself!  My Prince had a $25 gift card and it paid for our meals AND the tip and the only money we spent was the gas it took to get there. Winner, winner, chicken liver dinner!

I have been extremely snackie poo-ish and always stayed within my daily points but I am not eating enough balanced meals.  I am off this week and plan on cooking every night a new recipe.  I found a new recipe today from Spark People for Fresh No-Cook Tomato Sauce and you serve it over pasta.  The sauce is 4 points and then add the pasta points and you have a meal I can eat and the Prince can too!

 

I found this computer simulation of my body today and at goal.  I think it is really amazing and it would be a good inspiration tool.  Sometimes you wonder what you would look like at a goal weight and I think it is really pretty good interpretation.

I have several activities I would like to partake in while I am off. 

• Read Dimiter by William Peter Blatty (started)
• Find my old Weight Watcher cookbooks (found all but the little steno book that has handwritten recipes)
• Stitch on Snowflower Lace
• Bake the WW recipe Pumpkins Spice cake
• Plan my meals for all week
• Cook up a bunch of chicken to shred and pop back in the freezer
• Make up my eye glass cleaner
• Start a herb garden

I am praying for a great week for myself, my family, my friends and readers.  I look forward to journaling soon.  God Bless!

I never promised you a herb garden or herbs that compliment

Herbs go well with these meats:
Beef: thyme, celery, marjoram, coriander, sage, rosemary, oregano, garlic
Chicken: garlic, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, coriander
Fish, fried: mustard, oregano, tarragon, sage
Fish, grilled: thyme, coriander, fennel, rosemary
Pork: marjoram, mustard, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic
Roast Beef: basil, oregano, thyme, mustard, rosemary, garlic
Turkey: basil, rosemary, cumin, oregano, thyme, sage

The following herbs work well in these dishes:
Basil: tomatoes, tomato sauces, peas, squash, lamb, fish, eggs, tossed salad, cheese, potatoes, pasta
Bay leaf: vegetable and fish soups, tomato sauces, poached fish and meat stews
Dill: fish, cream and cottage cheese, potatoes, fish, vegetable salads, pickles, tomatoes
Marjoram: fish, vegetable soups, cheese dishes, stew, roast chicken, beef, pork, stuffing
Mint: jellies, fruit juices, candies, frosting, cakes, pies, pork, potatoes, peas and chocolate
Oregano: tomato sauces, pork, pizza, vegetable and fish salads, chili
Parsley: meats, vegetables, soups, eggs, cheese
Rosemary: poultry stuffing, potatoes, cauliflower, fish
Sage: stuffing, pork roast, sausage, poultry and hamburgers
Savory: eggs, meats, salads, chicken, soups and stuffing
Tarragon: fish sauces, egg and cheese dishes, green salads, pickles, chicken, tomatoes, sauces for meats and vegetables
Thyme: soups, stuffing, beef, pork dishes, eggs, cheese, bean and vegetable soups and fish

Week 7 Day 2 or My Prince says I have an amazing body!

And I am laying on the bed and my Prince comes in the room and jumps on the bed and says "You have an amazing body!"  I told him wait until I get down to goal 'cause he ain't seen nothing yet.  He replied "I meant humans not just you!"  Well I guess it was way too much to expect him to be romantic on a Saturday afternoon! What a let down! Although he did mention this little sun dress was fitting much nicer now.

I didn't make the quesadilla yesterday, I took a very long nap and didn't want mess with it when I woke up so I had a Weight Watcher lasagna dinner.  I did however put together the Vinegar Sugar Cucumbers.  I used 1½ cups of distilled vinegar and dissolved 3/4 cup of Equal (the one that measures like sugar) in 1½ cups of water and put that in my container.  I sliced up 2 cucumbers, a red pepper and 2 bunches of green onions and threw them in there.  I also used a little table salt and black pepper. I left it over night and

PERFECTION!  Oh my gosh these are wonderful and there are NO points involved!  I was thinking that cauliflower would be good too.  I don't really like raw peppers but they are superb in this and add nice color.  I could eat these and eat these!  I snacked on a few while we were watching "Olympus Has Fallen"!  Yummers!!!  Two plumb pink thumbs up!!!!

 

My Prince wants to go to Cracker Barrel today as he has a gift card that was given to him.  I found a few web sites that had restaurant menu items with Weight Watcher points.  I found quite a few Cracker Barrel menu items and printed it off to take with me. I added the link to my Crickets' favorite links on the right.

 

I did some stitching last night on Snowflower Lace....

I organized my coupons in a nice little coupon keeper I made.  I have quite a few that I have received at Weight Watchers, like $5 off 12 of their dinners and those I definitely buy.  As my stamina increases I am enjoying grocery shopping more and since that was the topic of our meeting yesterday, it has me thinking of planning more which is a real key to my success.

I am looking forward to a good week and I hope you are too!  God Bless!


Week 7 Day 1 or I found someone else's 2 pounds

So it was a good Weight Watcher's meeting.  I did not lose this week but I gained 2 pounds.  I really want to find the stinker who bequeathed me this unwanted gift because I have enough of my own pounds to find new owners for.

Do I feel bad?  No I don't.  I do not feel defeated nor that I wasted the last week.  I did not eat enough vegetables and fruits this past week.  Money was not there to go and buy fresh vegetables nor my Weight Watcher meals which are my quick go to in the evening if I don't feel like cooking, which is most evenings.  I stayed on program and did not go over my points however 3 ounces of dried peanuts the last 2 nights was NOT good nor was the fact I did NOT take lunch to work yesterday and that is a killer!  I drank at least half of the water which I should have every day which is definitely progress.

I do believe that I am holding onto fluids that is why I gained.  Yes poor choices and I am learning.  Glad I did not have that candy bar yesterday.

So the dump cake really was awful and I threw it out.  I felt bad at wasting my blueberries but it is a recipe I shan't make again!  I made a chocolate cake for a co-worker's birthday and I left it there rather than bringing it home only to have it scream at me.  I would have gained a lot more then 2 pounds too.  So my Pyrex 9x13 glass pan is at work, so I thought I would make a half cake with half the spice cake mix and half the water and pumpkin and use the smaller Pyrex I have.  Good plan don'cha think? Not only that but I can cut it into 6 servings and freeze them.

I went by the grocery to pick up my Diet Pepsi which is on sale to take to work.  I got a six pack for the price of the vending machine robber at work.  I drink one or two a day.

Tonight I am going to make some quesadilla's.  I will put some black beans, chicken and cheese (Weight Watcher cheese which is really pretty good and it melts).  I bought some 6" flour tortillas that are 3 points per one and some fat free sour cream to dip it in.  It sounds good and it is something my Prince will eat. 

My lunches at work usually consist of a Weight Watcher meal and yogurt.  I have oatmeal packets for breakfast, 3 points and my snacks consist of fruit, cottage cheese and some 2 point Weight Watcher snack bar.  I found this little gem at the grocery:

They are mini bags of popcorn and they are just right for work.  Now I am finding coupons for them in my Weight Watch mini mag.

I purchased a couple of boxes of new treats at the Weight Watcher meeting.

The chocolate crème cake I got at the grocery.  The Chocolate Caramel and the Aloha Almond Bars I got at Weight Watchers.  They are a little pricey but darn it I need some sweetness on my lips and I am not talking about my Prince's kisses, we aren't going there okay?!

I found some new kind of Weight Watcher's Ice Cream bars too, I will have one later and review it later also!

So my plan for this week, cut out the peanuts and the jerky, continue to work on my water consumption, build my recipe collection and try the potato soup recipe tomorrow.

My Prince wants to go to Cracker Barrel tomorrow so I am gonna get my Weight Watcher Eat Out book and do some research on line to figure out how many points I wish to spend on that venture.

Looky what I found at the grocery?

Such a darling design on the cover.  I love it.  I am gonna start working on a Just Nan class project from 1996, yes I have been stashing a long time.  It is Snowflower Lace and it is gorgeous!

God Bless my friends!

Week 6 Day 2

I love the inspirational sayings on the Weight Watchers Facebook page.  There is a spark of hope for me to create an amazing day which will eventually bunch up all together to create an amazing year and then an amazing lifetime.  Oh if I could have been this wise years and years ago.

My daily points have been lowered by one, to 37 points which is no big deal as most days I don't even consume all the points.  Yesterday I finished the day with 11 points left on the plate.  They say eat all of your points but if I don't want to eat, which is something I really have never felt, by gosh I won't eat.  I love not having that uncomfortable full stomach feeling, especially when I go to bed.  I know you know that feeling particularly on Thanksgiving Day when you have eaten so much you are truly miserable.

Speaking of bed, I find it a little easier to breathe when I lay down because I don't have such a big roll of fat pressing up into my chin.  I have even been sleeping better.  I lay in bed this morning contemplating losing 10 pounds and how heavy a 10 pound flour or sugar bag is when you tote it from the car into the house.  I was carrying that around 24-7! 

So yesterday I made my first Weight Watcher "Dump Cake".  It calls for a yellow cake mix, fresh berries and 24oz of Diet 7Up.  I didn't have a yellow cake mix, but I thought the lemon cake mix would be good with the fresh blue berries I had frozen in the freezer.  When I took it out of the oven after 40 minutes it was way too liquidy so I put it back in for another 10 minutes.  I cut it up into 12 even pieces and some of the liquid was soaked up into the "crust".  I am disappointed in the taste.  It looks like hell on the plate.

If I make this again, I will use a yellow cake mix and less Diet 7Up.  It is only 3 points for a 3"x3" piece and sweet enough for me but it isn't what I had my taste buds ready for.  I have another Dump cake recipe which uses spice cake mix and pumpkin which I may make next weekend.

I spent most of yesterday on the hunt for recipes on line.  I found a couple of good ones which I will share as I make them.  I have my eyes set on a Crockpot Potato Soup one which is made with hash browns and it counts as 2 points per cup of soup.  Mom wanted that recipe so I shot it over to her in an e-mail.

I have taken out some chicken breasts to thaw and I will probably make some rice because my Caribbean Prince loves his rice.  Although I ran across a Weight Watcher recipe for Oven Fries and they look so good!

A lot of what I am gonna be talking about is food since that is the biggest challenge of all for me.  It seems as though I am more obsessed with food now then before but if I have a few really tasty and easy recipes that will help me sustain my journey.

I can't sit and watch television without something in my hands because I want to eat.  I haven't picked up my cross stitch in a long time.  My girl Rosie died 10 weeks ago and it just seems as though that was the point where my joy in stitching died too.  I need to pick it back up because my girl was so full of love and joy and she left a vacuum in my life.  Sundays are the hardest because she died on Sunday.  How I miss her. This is the last picture taken of my bestest girl 2 weeks before she left me.

 

Off to take on my day!  God Bless!

In the beginning....

I sat on the side of my bed and tried to lasso my foot with the leg opening of my under roos!  I could barely lift my foot off of the floor and this is the technique I had developed to get on my big girl panties.  I was so disgusted by myself.  I looked over at my darling Caribbean Prince who was still sleeping in bed and wondered why he married me. 

After work that day I knew I had an appointment with my doctor to get my blood pressure meds renewed and I could hear him giving me the schpeel about losing weight.  I was trapped by my own fat and I knew what needed to be done, I had just resisted with all my superior mental powers.

When I got to work, I was feeling like I needed to make myself feel better.  I marched into the break room armed with my fully loaded debit card and I definitely knew a hearty breakfast was just the trick to pick up my lagging spirits.  I grabbed a Twix Bar, a Reese's Peanut Butter cup TWIN PAK and a snack bag of fried Cheetos and swiped that card with confidence. 

In walked a co-worker, dang it and I quickly pocketed the candy so no one could see my private hell.  She walked over and picked up an oatmeal package and used her smart phone to scan the bar code.  She looked at me and smiled, "Weight Watcher's, they make it so easy I could do it for life!"  I didn't really want to hear that!  One of her friends came in and they were talking Weight Watchers as I quickly exited and grabbed a magazine and went back to my desk.

I flipped open the magazine as I ripped open the Cheetos and several cheesy bits of deliciousness flew out and fell on my desk and the open magazine.  Well I went to retrieve my breakfast off the magazine and curses upon curses wouldn't you know, one landed on a Weight Watcher ad!  I hear you saying, that isn't true, but it is the honest truth.  At that point I knew that God was speaking to me and I went on-line and joined. 

I decided that I best go to the next meeting the next day while my disgust was high or I would talk myself out of it.  I AM a persuasive girl, just ask my friends!  I was getting very excited about the thought of Weight Watchers.  I had been on the program in 1988 and 1989 and was very successful until I lost my mojo.

That afternoon I told Dr. Cutie Pie of my intentions and he shared some of his thoughts about the program.  Truthfully I don't believe he thought I would follow through.  Well I can't wait to see him again in January because he will be pleased.

My first Weight Watcher meeting I was jazzed for.  I knew I weighed 299 pounds because of my visit to the doctor the day before.  I really liked my leader.  She was and is terrific, fun and full of life.  The gals who run the front end are nice and helpful and they are always having a great time.  I love the Weight Watcher website and really like their Facebook page.

Today starts Week 6 for me.  I weighed in at 286.4 pounds and have lost a total of 12.6 pounds in 5 weeks.  I have stayed on program every day, and only twice gone over my daily points.  One point once a couple of weeks ago and earlier this week I went over 3 points.  I have never used all the weekly allowance points, in fact 3 points is the most I have used. 

I would like this Journal to be a amusing and inspirational platform for me.  I am hoping this girlish girl with cute hair can bling up the world with her story.