Week 31 Day 6 or I have been SO good!

Well it is Thursday and I have been very good this week.  I am really proud of myself and it really doesn't matter what the scale will say on Saturday.  Yes I want it to say I have lost pounds but I know I have eaten and journaled and even drank my 48oz of water every day except on Saturday.  Life is good, even though the weather hasn't been very nice.  Today it was supposed to get into the 40's and it will continue to warm which is great.  I am ready to walk outside.

There are 2 food purchases I wanted to share.

 

I have been looking for this flat bread forever.  I found it by the specialty cheeses in HyVee.  There are 6 flat bread pieces, each piece is a mere 2 points!  I can't wait to try a pizza on one of these puppies.  The price was $3.28!  

 

 

These are so yummy and a great snack or you could cube them up, they are about 5 inches long and put them in a salad too.  Each stick has 2 points!  Score!!!  The price was $4.47.

 

So that is about it for now.  I will check back in on Saturday.  Until we eat again!

Week 31 Day 2 or Fabulous Food Finds

Yesterday after my meeting I was browsing the cookbooks and I purchased this one.  I found a few that sounded good, such as Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes, Beef and Sweet Potato Stew, Honey Citrus Baked Chicken, Crisp Cornflake Chicken, Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings and Asian Sesame Noodle Salad.  There are many more in here.

Fat: 0.5 g Carbs: 3 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 1 gm  Serving Size: 4oz

Price: $2.69

Points:  0

Notes: I got these to make a recipe on the Hungry Girl web site.  

 

Fat: 10 g Carbs: 15 g Fiber: 0 g Protein:0 gm  Serving Size: 5 pieces Price: $5.99

Points: 2

Notes: I saw these in the Weight Watcher magazine and wanted to try them.  They are a little pricey for 5.5 servings.

Fat: 4 g Carbs: 1 g Fiber: 0 g Protein: 2 g  Serving Size: 1 wedge
Price: $3.99

Points: 1 

Notes: I had been looking for these for a while and found them in the specialty cheese department at HyVee.  Each round has 8 wedges and each flavor has different nutritional numbers, but I believe all are 1 point each.  I gave the nutritional numbers on the Creamy Swiss.

Fat: 10 g Carbs: 15 g Fiber: 3 g Protein: 2 g  Serving Size: 4 cups
Price: $3.88

Points: 2 

Notes: This stuff is good!  I half a serving and take it to work as an afternoon snack.  It isn't real salty but it does have a good flavor and I don't miss the salt.

Fat: 0 g Carbs: 5 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 0 g  Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon  Price: $2.99
Points: 0

Notes: This jam is seedless and sugarless and is to die for on top of my bagel and cream cheese!  It doesn't get much better then heaven for ZERO points!

 

Fat: 7 g Carbs: 21 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 1 g  Serving Size: 3oz(about 13 pieces)
Price: $2.99

Points: 4

Notes: I have heard great things about sweet potato fries so I wanted to try them. 

Fat: 1.5 g Carbs: 26 g Fiber: 9 g Protein: 4 gm  Serving Size: 1 muffin Price: $4.99

Points: 3

Notes: I had looked all over for these at HyVee and even Wal-Mart.  Then I saw an ad in the Weight Watcher magazine to look for them in the freezer breakfast food section.  That is where I found them in the health food section.  They are sort of expensive but they are awesome.  I love the Deep Chocolate one.  The Apple Crumb is okay but not as awesome.  They come 4 muffin tops individually wrapped.  Now that I know where they are I am going to look in Wal-Mart for the Wild Blueberry one. 

Fat: 5 g Carbs: 4 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 1 gm  Serving Size: 2 Tbsp

Price: $2.78

Points: 2 

Notes: This stuff is so good.  I love it on my bagels with the sugar free Smuckers jam!

Fat: 1 g Carbs: 24 g Fiber: 5 g Protein: 6 gm  Serving Size: 1 bagel  Price: $3.19

Points: 3 

Notes: These are wonderful.  They have the thick middle cut out of them. Love it with cream cheese and Smucker's sugar free jam.

 

So that is about it from the folds of a thinning Lilac Thicket.  Until we eat again!

 

Week 31 Day 1 or Finding passion for losing it!

I suppose I have been feeling defeated.  My head just hasn't been in the game.  I missed my meeting last Saturday due to ice.  So it had been 2 weeks since my last weigh in.  I was dreading the truth, I knew I had gained.  I know I have to really get serious.  I was praying on my way to the meeting.  I told God I needed his strength and help with this long term project.  I stepped on the scale and had lost 2.6 pounds for a total of 36.6 pounds.  I feel like a pretender though, I don't see that I did anything to deserve the loss.  Okay, I don't eat the way I used to and I seem to be enjoying foods I hadn't before like grapes and Greek yogurt and veggie wraps.  That IS progress.

After the meeting I went to Hobby Lobby to look at the Simplicity patterns which were on sale for 99¢.  I think I am finding a passion for weight loss through sewing.  I looked at the spring catalog and not in the plus size section.  I saw such cute things that I wouldn't have bought in the past because they don't make them in the "Big" sizes.  Here are the 10 I bought, I would have purchased more but they limited me to 10.

I did buy the next sizes down and I am so excited about losing more so I can make these damn cute styles for myself! 

Now on the above picture you will see the top 2 patterns are retro styles, vintage styles from the 40's.  I love 40's fashion.

 

Then I went to the thrift shop and found these:

These have not been worn at all!  they are my size and so delicious.  Now I can't wear them yet.  They are Nine West!  The heels are way too high for all this 262.4 pounds to rest on the ball of my foot.  But sometime in the not too distant future I will wear these!  Oh, they were $2.00!

So I am thinking if I start to fill my closets with great buys that I can wear in a year or so, that will help keep me moving down the scale!

I have a lot of new grocery finds that I will share tomorrow.  I took some chicken out of the freezer and I will bake that with some sweet potato fries for our dinner this evening. 

Breakfast was good, 3 scrambled eggs (6 points), one toasted English muffin (3 points) with 2 Tablespoons of Weight Watchers cream cheese (2 points) and Smucker's sugar free seedless strawberry jam (ZERO points).

So with renewed hope and spirit I will bid you all the blessings one can handle.  Until we eat again!


Week 29 Day 1 or Looking ahead

Last week this girlish girl did not post to her blog.  She was feeling deflated and confused.  Week 26 I lost 5 pounds and then when I stepped on the scale last Saturday, Week 27, I had gained 3.6 pounds.  I had been sick for so long I wasn't sure what was going on.  I didn't feel like I had lost 5 pounds the previous week and I sure didn't feel like I had gained 3.6 pounds the week before. 

I called my dear Mother and we talked about it and I think that what she had said made sense.  She said that my body was probably dehydrated from all the illness and that the gain was me rehydrating my body.  That made lots of sense because I just wasn't feeling my clothing was fitting any different.

Today I weighed in and on week 28 I lost 0.6 pounds. At our meeting today Casey talked about looking at the overall results from the past 4 weeks rather then week to week.  Your body swings around when you are changing your diet and life style and every four weeks is a better measure.  So I figured it out.  Over the last 4 weeks I have gained 4.7 pounds and I have lost 5.6 pounds.  So when you figure it out, over the course of the last 4 weeks I have lost 0.9 pounds, close to 1 pound.  I do feel better about it now.

So here is my goal for myself.  Today I am going to plan my meals for the week.  There will be some challenges, I have a birthday on Monday and I want to eat at the Fig Tree for breakfast.  My Caribbean Prince wants to eat out for lunch at a chicken wing place.  That is doable, chicken is definitely something I can eat.  Friday evening my best girlfriends are coming over for an evening of stitching and chili.  That is doable too.  Chili is a great dish with good for you ingredients.  Yes this week will be a piece of cake, Weight Watcher Caramel Apple dump cake!  3 points! 

My long term goal is to lose all this weight by the time I turn 60, in 3 years!  That is doable too!  Until we eat again!

Week 29 Day 1 or New food purchases

Fat: 2g Carbs: 9gm Fiber: 0g Protein: 19g  Serving Size: 5.7 oz  Price: $1.19
Points: 3
Notes:  I heard about this at my Weight Watcher meeting.  I found it at HyVee in the dairy case.  I have not tried it. 

Fat: 7g Carbs: 1g  Fiber: 0g Protein: 1g   Serving Size: 2 Tbsp  Cost: $2.18
Points: 2
Notes:  I love the whipped cream cheese.  It spreads nice and easy.  I was in heaven when I had some of this on top of a toasted English muffin.  It would have been even better with some zero calorie strawberry preserves.

Fat:1.5gm  Carbs: 39gm Fiber: 5gm Protein: 9gm Serving Size: ¾ cup  Price: $1.38
Points: 5
Notes:  I thought since these were whole wheat that they would have been a little lower in the points department.  I didn't have my points calculator when I purchased these.

Fat: 3g Carbs: 19g Fiber: 13g Protein: 5gm  Serving Size: 1 tortilla  Price: $4.49

Points: 2 

Notes: I got these tortillas because they were the ones with the lowest calories.  These are so fabulous fixed in different ways, like a pizza.

Fat: 1g Carbs: 26g Fiber: 8g Protein: 5gm  Serving Size: 1 muffin  Cost $3.19
Points: 3
Notes:  I really enjoyed a muffin split in half and toasted.  I put whipped cream cheese on it and it was so wonderful.

Fat: 2.5gm Carbs: 14g Fiber: 2g Protein: 3g   Serving Size: 1 bar   Price: $7.50
Points: 2
Notes:  They gave out a sample of these at our Weight Watcher meeting a few weeks ago.  They are so good.  They are pricey but they are a great indulgent.  Keep one in your bag when you are out running errands to feed a hunger rather then the drive thru.  Take one with you when you eat out for a nice dessert instead of ordering dessert.

Fat: 0g Carbs: 0g Fiber: 0g Protein: 0gm  Serving Size: 2 Tbsp  Price: $3.77
Points: 0
Notes: I was so excited when I saw these in the Health Food area at HyVee.  I was strapped for cash at the time so I didn't purchase them.  Got them Thursday and bought some strawberries.  I opened up the chocolate one last night.  I was not really impressed.  It is the texture of pudding and somewhat grainy rather then smooth and glossy.  The taste was okay but I don't think I purchase this again.  I will try the caramel flavored one but expect the same results.

Fat: 2g Carbs: 12g Fiber: 7gm Protein: 5gm Serving size: 1 wrap  Price: $3.77
Points: 2
Notes:  My receipt from HyVee says Health Food but I found these with the tortillas in the dairy area.  I was so excited to find these.  Weight Watcher Girl had a new video about this wrap she made with turkey slices, spouts, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.  They are easy to make and look delicious.  I thought a splash of low calories zesty Italian dressing would zest them up.

Week 27 Day 1 or seeing too much of Sandi Jo

I have been feeling rotten since right before Christmas.  I just can't seem to get the energy back.  I have been trying to take care of me but my health is rebelling at the moment.

I went home early yesterday at work.  I was afraid I might be coming down with the flu but I slept pretty well and did not want to roll out of bed and go to my Weight Watcher meeting.  You know I love those things so I must be out of sorts to feel this way.  I got up and got dressed anyway.  I knew I was going to gain but much to my surprise I lost and lost big time.  I lost 5 pounds even!  I am now a 262 pounds and 3 pounds from 40 lost at a total of 37 pounds gone.

There were tons of new faces and I even contributed at the meeting.  One thing Casey said during the meeting really struck me.  "Don't quit before you talk to me!"  I was thinking perhaps if the first leader I had back in the 80's had said that I would not have reached the 300 pound point.  I promise I won't quit before I talk to her!  I don't believe I will give up on this but that is my promise.

Water is something I haven't been drinking but this past week I can't get enough of it.  Casey says that when we feel as though are lips need lip balm that is because we need to drink water, we are needing to hydrate our bodies.  I now see that.  So water is going to be something I consume more of.

Greek yogurt, everyone is talking about it.  I tried it sometime back and it was awful.  So last week I bought 1 carton of it, pineapple.  Oh my gosh I didn't know you have to stir the stuff off the bottom and into the yogurt.  It was to die for.  I bought more at the grocery Thursday and I am in love with it.  It is so rich and custardy...very filling.

Oh and I had a Jerry Springer moment this morning when I tucked the entirety of both my hands down into my jeans!  Then I realized I could pull them down without unzipping or unbuttoning them!  I think I am going to need a smaller size soon.

So even though I am under the weather I choose joy!  I am proud I went to my meeting, I am thankful I have a great job with terrific people, I am joyful in my husband and our life and I have the most wonderful family anyone could ever hope for.  On that note I hear my bed calling to me and I think I will answer that!  Until we eat again!

Week 26 Day 1 or I am cracked alright!

One of my favorite sayings "Blessed are the cracked for thru them the light will shine!"  Yes I am cracked but not shattered.  I had a gain at the scale, 1.1 pound.  Okay I own it.  I didn't eat right this last week and I haven't journaled my food in weeks.  So today is day 1, I have put the past behind me.  I wish I could get this respiratory stuff behind me but I am sick again.  Not as badly as the week of Christmas but I am puny!

Our Weight Watcher meeting was full at 8:00am.  There were some new faces.  I was excited because Casey has begun to remember my name!  I feel special.  We talked about this new Simple Start program which you eat power foods and don't weigh and measure.  I have pulled the leaflet out and will read it over later.

I went to the grocery store and came home and put the groceries away.  I put potatoes on to boil as my Caribbean cutie wants potato salad.  I got myself a small steak and will have that as well as a salad for dinner.

I rediscovered shredded wheat.  One serving is 1.7 ounces and 4 points.  I had that with a half cup of skim milk and a tablespoonful of sugar.  Oh my was that good, and filling.

 

I know I am late to the Greek Yogurt party but I did try some and I thought it awful.  I thought I would try it again only to discover there was probably fruit at the bottom and I didn't stir it up the first time.  All I have to say is I need to go back and buy more because this was so awesome!  One dollar per 6 ounce container is pricey but oh my gosh it was 4 points of heaven.

 

I was very excited to find my beloved sandwich rounds at Aldi's.  They are 3 points just like the ones I bought at Hy-Vee but I paid 1.99 for Aldi's brand and at Hy-Vee they are 3.19.  They are really good too!

 

I am exhausted and I am going to lay down and snore for an hour or so before I tackle that potato salad.  Stay healthy and happy and until we eat again!