Taking the Reins

Yes, that would be me. Just wanted to clear the air a little. In the past hour, I’ve read tutorials and support forums to no avail….I cannot get my blogroll to show up, and I cannot get my poor little blog to register on the most active list. Now, I don’t want it to show up for vanity reasons, although I did love all the comments I used to get. No, I’m just lazy. It’s so much easier to just click on the sidebar than it is to go search for myself or log in! At any rate, this poor little blog will continue to be plain and boring. (Shoot, my Myspace is ALL pimped out— I am so ashamed of myself here)
Today was okay. We ended up going to lunch and I ordered a pulled pork barbecue sandwich with steamed veggies on the side. I only ate the bottom half of my bun, so for the whole lunch I’m estimating about 6 points. Rather than slather it in BBQ sauce, I accidentally reached for the hot sauce and doused my poor pile of meat. Let’s just say I was just a bit lit up by the end of lunchtime.
Am also sad because my favorite spin instructor is moving to Wednesday morning classes. She was absolutely fantastic– 5 minutes of stretching before and after, 45 minutes of heart pumping cardio, and then 5 minutes of abs after we cool down. Probably one of the better all-around workouts I’ve gotten. Too bad I have a job or else I’d be following her to Wednesday and the new time slot. Here’s to hoping her replacement is as fabulous as she is!
Here’s the damage for the day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
TJ’s instant blueberry oatmeal 3
Carrots 0
TJ’s light string cheese 1
TJ’s Fiberful bar 1
Barbecue pulled pork sandwich, 1/2 bun with steamed veggies 6
Lean burger, Wonder Lite bread, Jalsberg Lite, lettuce and banana peppers 5
Sugar free hot cocoa 1
Thomas’ Lite English Muffin with 1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter 3

Totals 22
Flex points: 30 remaining
Activity points: 4 earned/not touching them

I have managed to have a good day thus far, but for me, the nighttime is the most dangerous time. I’m sometimes alone, and at times that leaves me without control. Sometimes I crave a tablespoon of peanut butter. Other times, it’s a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats without milk. Or every once and a while, it’s chocolate. I’ll take it any way I can get it.
There are no “triggers” for me, unless you want to call PF Changs’ crab cheese wontons “triggers.” (Seriously, if I order them, the wontons didn’t do the triggering– I already made my mind up to abandon the day!) I think I just get bored and need something to keep my fingers occupied. If I’m not typing, I must shovel food into my mouth…..and the time I’m most likely to be inactive is a few hours before bed. Danger zone! I haven’t quite mastered the art of eating a satisfying dinner so that I don’t go desert happy and munch until bedtime. I’ve tried brushing my teeth when I’m done with dinner. This works– it’s the brushing the teeth part that proves difficult. I’ve also tried the “drink a bottle of water before you eat anything” tactic. I find that after I down the bottle, I’m still ravenous and lack the control to wait and see if my hunger changes in 10 minutes. I’ve even tried going to bed early, but my DVR is so full right now that I can’t record any more 10pm tv shows until I catch up with the ones I’ve already missed!
Excuses, I know. But one day, I will learn the secret. Trust me, I’ll share it when I figure it out.
Here’s my today….mind you, I haven’t had dinner yet, but this is what I intend to eat:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
TJ’s instant blueberry oatmeal 3
Pria Bar 2
TJ’s light string cheese 1
TJ’s Fiberful bar 1
Mini chocolate bunny 2
TJ’s Ricotta stuffed chicken breast, 4 ounces 4
1 Baby Artichoke with ICBINB spray 0
100 calorie pack Wheat Thins with 1 wedge laughing cow light 3

Totals 19
You bet I’ll eat the other 3 points tonight. Maybe treat myself to the Skinny cow ice cream sandwich? Score.

Every once and a while, I’ll have a day where I’ll sneak a Hershey kiss, an extra tablespoon of barbecue sauce, a squirt of Miracle Whip, or a little handful of almonds. I know that in that very instant, I’ve probably consumed a point, or a half a point at the very least…..but somehow I choose to leave it off my daily points table and “forget” about it. Only I never really forget. It always lingers in the back of my mind, and somehow I’m back to being 10 years old and have just gotten away with sneaking an Oreo from the cookie jar. I don’t feel joyous and triumphant because I cheated the system. I just feel….guilty. I’ll admit that the frustration I feel when I step on the scale and don’t see a loss is immensely profound. But rather than blame myself, it’s always easier to just blame the system. But today, I’m going to fess up. Because today I gained a pound, and I only have myself to blame. Yesterday, I did not count a handful of nuts or my Salad Spritzer dressing that I had for lunch. I ate 6 full-size carrots, and they surely were not 1 point. And my 1.5 cups of Honey Bunches of Oats was probably more like 2, but I wouldn’t know because I was too lazy to measure it!
So there. I’m guilty. Guilty of forgetting….intentionally

…at least I hope that’s what I’m accomplishing these days! Today was a great diet/exercise day for me. Not only did I really stay on program and feel good about what I ate, but I also made it to the gym and had an absolutely fantastic spinning class. And thanks to all the water I downed during the workday, I was sweatin’ up a storm! Woohoo! This was one of my very first days where exercising was a release and the adrenaline rush I needed to get me through the rest of the night. Just the thought….er, the hope…of having a rocking hot body is enough to keep me going here. Only then will I go on my long awaited honeymoon.
So, started the morning off with some blood tests. I have this chronically high temperature 3 weeks out of the month, and I’ve finally figured out the pattern after 6 months. I really don’t feel so hot during this time, I’m cold, and of course I have gained nearly 10 lbs since moving to California. FINALLY, I have a Dr. who is willing to dig deeper into the thyroid. So, fingers crossed they figure something out. I’ve been a human pincushion for too long.
Thanks again for all the encouraging remarks about my “obsession.” My friend and I had a good talk today and both felt pretty bad about it in retrospect. I vowed to try to talk work at work, and she vowed to respect my need to watch what I eat. Works well for me.
No pearls of wisdom today. Just hope I stay on track tonight. Here is my day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
TJ’s light string cheese 1
TJ’s Fiberful bar 1
TJ’s Instant Blueberry oatmeal 3
Pria Bar 2
3 large carrots 0
1 cup of salad w/ salad spritzer (not enough to register) 0
Sugar free hot cocoa 1
1 ounce salami and 1 slice light Jalsberg in a spelt wrap 5
2 cups romaine lettuce with Trader Ming dressing and 1 tb slivered almonds 2
1.5 cups Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds 4
Totals 22
Flex points used: 5/30 remaining
Activity points earned: 4/5? Who knows. I’m not eating them, though!

I can’t go to bed without a diatribe on the scale at the Dr. office. Does anyone else live in fear of that extra bar that takes you instantly 50 lbs up? Oh my gosh…..total freakout this morning when we had to go to 150 for the first time in ages. Up until now, the 150’s had been a thing of the past and just a figment on my home digital scale. Possibly a rounding error! Or maybe just off kilter because they are inherently flawed and not tared? Yeah, well, that second bar really set me off. The lady weighing me tried to make me feel better by saying that it had to be way off because there was no way I was 151 lbs, but somehow her bewilderment only made me angrier. I suppose that was the impetus for my day, but I just had to mention it.
And now I shall stop my experiment to see why my blog is no longer on the active list. It was actually pretty good motivation for a while— must post every day so my name shows up on the home page. Then I don’t have to remember the name or web address to my blog. How lazy am I?!

I had the very best lunch today!! My honey picked me up and we headed over to a new chain called The Cravery. They make handheld pot pies, fresh salads, and the most amazing soups you could possibly imagine. If you don’t have restraint, the Cravery probably isn’t for you. But there were so many options for me that I was pretty excited. My meal was just a bowl of tomato basil bique. Yes, a bisque. Yes, it was topped off with heavy cream whipped in. I’m sure it was evil. But the soup was dark red enough that I figure it couldn’t have been that bad. And if there were lots of cream, I would have been violently ill all afternoon. Anyway, this is the best soup I’ve ever had in my life, with the exception of Ruth’s Chris’ French onion soup. (I have dreams about that one) Anyway, thick from the pureed squash they add, and spicy, too. I felt like I was having a major cheat day! Hubby agreed and thought his cup of soup was almost better than his pepperoni pizza pot pie. (He is an evil man, we can all agree on that)
Anyways, to feel better about this unknown wonder, we hit the gym tonight and I did 40 minutes on the treadclimber thing. (Like an elliptical, but it has a vertical component in addition to the resistance) It’s hard work! I feel good, though, and worked up quite a sweat. Hubby and I came home and took turns putting eachother through our ab routine. I will see that six pack one day if it kills me.
My friend and coworker today said that I obsess about food like an anorexic person does. I have to say, this has been bothering me. She isn’t entirely incorrect. I mean, Weight Watchers has consumed my life for well over a year. But unlike her, I am not naturally blessed with skinny genes and every decision I make has to be carefully measured so that I don’t lose my grip on my weight. I’ve vowed never to get to 178 lbs again in my life. This is going to be a challenge. I feel bad that I’ve made her think I am obsessed, but I feel like I only talk about my diet if people ask! I suppose from now on, I’ll just tell people I’m allergic to butter and I’m just not hungry. Ugh. Is having a blog about what I eat really that obsessive? Can’t it be informative and helpful to people on their journey without me being labelled as an obsessive freak? Now, my husband’s parents came out and visited us last month and all they talked about was protein. They were downing protein shakes and avoiding the saltwater taffy store I took them to, constantly talking about how unhealthy everything was. I’m pretty darn healthy, so it really incensed me when they kept going on and on, like they held the monopoly on good eating. His mom even went so far as to tell me that I was “eating like a big girl” because I ate all of my vegetarian enchilada (mind you, I ordered it without cheese and gave half the tortilla to my husband) while she could barely touch her massive burrito. After THAT lovely visit, I swore I’d never make people feel as guilty around food as they made me feel. I hope my coworker doesn’t think I’m trying to be virtuous or preachy!! I suppose I need to be more mindful of this in the future.
OK, here’s another vent. My lovely S&P 500 company has chosen a new health insurance provider who insists on spamming us with health information. They had the nerve to send me a 24 page Powerpoint presentation on exercise, because obesity was causing the health care premiums to rise and that hurt our company. Um, when is it their right to harass us about exercise? I was forced to take a survey for a reduced premium earlier in the year and I said I exercised 3-4 times a week. They told me I was at risk for obesity and heart disease because I was not exercising 60 minutes every day. Who do they think they are? No wonder I am obsessed with food and my weight. I’m being harassed by my own health insurance provider. Maybe they should comp our gym memberships and bring in onsite WW meetings?? Nah, that’d be too nice of them.
Anyway, sorry for the digression. Here’s my day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
TJ’s light string cheese 1
TJ’s Fiberful bar (I found them and bought a case! Yes!) 1
1 Bowl of Tomato Basil Bisque 7
Pria Bar 2
3 large carrots 0
1 cup of salad w/ 2 Tbsp Trader Ming’s Ginger Sesame Dressing (so good) 1
Parmesan-crusted red snapper (made a mistake yesterday) 3
Balsamic roasted asparagus 0
Klondike Slim a Bear fudgesicle 1
1 Tbsp peanut butter 2
Totals 21
I ate 5 flex points last night. Had a bowl of strawberries and a Fiber One bar. Flex Point used: 5/30 remaining. Activity points earned: 4

Happy Easter! I can’t say that I encountered nearly as many challenges today as some of you who had the big family gatherings with ham dinners and East egg hunts. I merely slept in and went about business as usual. However, I did get forced to stop at a new gelato shop this afternoon– Piccomolo’s. Apparently, Italian ice scream has half the fat and calories of regular ice scream. A small serving (3 ounces) contains 158 calories and 4 grams of fat, according to the poster on their wall. So I ordered a small peanut butter, because of course my willpower was gone. Thankfully, I really wanted to eat dinner tonight, so I handed it over to my husband after only a few bites. Even if the poster on the wall was lying, I probably didn’t sabotage myself.
On the plus side, I had my two week non-WW weigh-in this morning. (I’m trying to solidly get back down below goal before I officially weigh in and get back to regular meetings– I would be too embarassed to put this weight down in my maintenance book) I’m down from my high this week of 153.5 to 151. This is all very good news and keeps me motivated to continue with all the hard work. 151 is goal weight, so I still have a good 3 or 4 lbs to go before I feel comfortable walking back into the meetings again. So, I’m resetting my flex points and hoping I can hold it together! (I was 143 on my wedding day, and even then I couldn’t wear a bikini— I bet something in the 130’s is a good lean weight for me, so I just want to see it!)
I had a great shop at Trader Joe’s this afternoon and stocked up on a bunch of meal ideas. I got these ricotta stuffed chicken breasts with marinara sauce– 180 calories— that look delicious. Also got some fresh flounder filets I hope to have for dinner tonight, a la Roni’s parmesan-crusted recipe she posted a week or so ago. Then I got some extra lean burgers– 150 calories each— because I know that both me and my husband will eat them. And to top off this smorgasboard of lean protein, I got a few pounds of beautiful scallops. Mmmm….love scallops. So I’m looking forward to trying to pull this off this week! I also have an acorn squash that I have no idea what to do with…..do I HAVE to do the brown sugar thing, or is there some other yummy way of preparing it?? And I got a mini artichoke. It looked so good, but I have never eaten an artichoke before and have no idea what to do with it, so it’s just sitting in my fridge looking all pretty.
Here’s my food for the day. I’m adding my dinner, too:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
Banana 2
3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean and 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Breeze 2
2 slices Wonder Light bread 1
Small chicken breast with 1 tbsp BBQ sauce 4
100 calorie pack oatmeal cookies 2
2/3 cup of Gelato 2
Parmesan-crusted tilapia 3
Balsamic roasted asparagus 0
3 small chocolate eggs 2

Totals 21

As is usual for a Saturday, my husband and I went out on the town and ended up having a late lunch/early dinner at El Torito. He’s impossible, I swear. You think we could go to a seafood restaurant or maybe a salad place? Nah, he likes to make it hard on me. Anyway, turns out El Torito has a few good options for those trying to not gain 20 lbs by the end of the meal. I took Roni’s advice on Mexican food stand-by and ordered their vegetarian burrito. It was just a flour tortilla filled with vegetables…..zuchinni, summer squash, tomatoes, onions, and a little bit of corn. No sauce or filling. No cheese. A side of beans, which I don’t think were too bad. (Or even refried) No rice, just a side of melon. I hate melon, so that saved me a few calories, too.
At any rate, aside from being pretty tasteless, I was happy that it didn’t put me over my points for the day. According to DWLZ, the El Torito beans were 1.5 points. No information on the veggie burrito, but I figure it’s just the flour tortilla (slightly larger than the 3-point versions, so I’ll call it 4 points) and maybe some corn. 6 points altogether? And I abstained from the chips!!! I kept shoving gum into my mouth before the meal and when I was done with my dinner to prevent me from eating more. My jaws ache.
Anyway, that was the big excitement for the day. Here’s the dirt:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
1 cup Kashi Go Lean w/ 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Almond Breeze 2
1 cup strawberries 1
2 little Hershey eggs (darn you, mom!) 2
Pria Bar 2
Thomas Light English muffin with Boca sausage patty, slice of 2% cheese, ICBINB spray, and 1/4 cup of egg whites 4
El Torito Vegetarian Burrito with hot sauce 6
1 tablespoon low fat peanut butter 2

Totals 22
Flex points: 35 used (yesterday!! bleh)/0 remaining
Activity points: None. I slept in and missed the classes this morning

Of course I would never buy Easter candy and consume it all on my own. But I didn’t plan on my mother shipping me a box of peanut butter eggs in the mail today. Seriously, the woman knows I have weight issues. Why?! And when did this start up? I’ve been grown up and moved out for years now. I’m 27. I can’t handle chocolate bunnies and Nestle eggs!
So I’m so embarassed I can’t even tell you….how I feel, how much I ate, what my brain is thinking. So I’m not going to. I’m going to consider all of my flex points gone for the week, though, as punishment for my mini binge. I’ve handed the box over to my husband. And now I’m going for a haircut. Maybe after that, I’ll hit the gym and then go to sleep so I don’t eat any more tonight!!!
Insanity, I tell you. Why can’t it ever be easy?

Another good day! Well, the evening is young and I still have some urge fighting to do, but I still feel happy about pretty much everything I ate today. My first day without a 100-calorie pack or fiber bar in a long, long time. To top all this off, I started my day with the first downward scale movement I’ve seen in months — 1 whole pound! Granted, I am almost certain this is water, but it is still a triumph for me. It marks my one-month anniversary of spinning classes twice a week (diet AND exercise combined did not help my weight loss cause for some reason), and finally gives me a little assurance that I might be doing something right. I was a Weight Watchers ACE last year at this time. Surely a year of age hasn’t messed with my metabolism so much that going back to the basics won’t make a difference.
OK, done rambling and feeling sorry for myself. I packed my lunch again today, and when my husband called and asked if I wanted to go out with him, I said sure! and stashed my deli wrap into my purse….and away we went. It helps to choose a restaurant with outdoor tables and limited service. Then I don’t feel so guilty when I don’t order and just nosh on my tortilla. So yet again, I was able to have lunch out without the guilt, bloat, sodium, fat, and horror of the unknown nutritional information of restaurants. I did splurge after lunch and have a 3-point Golden Spoon frozen yogurt- 1/2 pistachio, 1/2 cake batter. Mmmm!! For those of you in the Midwest or the East coast who are doing without, imagine Coldstone, but with fat free frozen yogurt that comes in a million different sizes and fat free flavors. It’s a controlled dieters dream. I was just a little over the Coldstone sinless sweet cream, let me tell you.
So, that was the day. Came home and instead of going to the gym, hubby and I clipped our cat’s toenails. Scruffing him is worth an activity point! So now, we are pulling out the free weights and doing our ab routine…..and I’ll be doing my PT on my knee, since I’m starting to feel the workouts getting to it. Tomorrow is spin class with the instructor that does the full body workouts– can’t wait!
I made a little bowl of Barilla Plus pasta tonight, with a side salad and some balsamic vinegar-roasted asparagus. I really outdid myself on this asparagus. Little balsamic, little salt, little pepper….I could have eaten pounds of the stuff. It was like candy. My pasta and salad weren’t so good, but I am definitely full.
Now all I need is the strength to abstain from the evening munchies. So the challenge begins….. Behold, the daily journal:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
Banana (small) 1
Small apple 2
1/2 of Hershey 100-calorie chocolate covered pretzel 1
La Tortilla Factory wrap with 2 ounces light turkey and 1 slice light cheese 3
Small Golden Spoon frozen yogurt 3
1 1/2 cups of lettuce with sprinkle of slivered almonds and 1 tbsp dressing 2
1.5 cups Barilla pasta and 1/4 cup marinara sauce 5
Balsamic roasted asparagus 0
1 Thomas Lite English Muffin w/ ICBINB spray 1

Totals 21
No flexies eaten today, no activity points earned. (although we could argue about that one!)
Edit: 10:30pm
I didn’t make it through the night. Ate a tablespoon of peanut butter and a 100 calorie chocolate pretzel. Flex points: 10 used/25 remaining. UGH!!!

3 04 2007
I finally am proud of myself today. And no, this is not weight-related. I curbed my mad morning hunger by giving myself milestones. NO, you cannot eat your 3-point trail mix bar this morning. But if you drink another bottle of water and wait another 1/2 hour, you CAN get a yummy string cheese. I baited myself along all day, and lo and behold, I had enough points leftover to actually satiate my hunger tonight!
I packed my lunch, but was disappointed when my coworkers proposed we go out to eat. A nice compromise was the sunny, outdoor food court by our office. I grabbed my tortilla sandwich and shoved a pudding into my purse, then headed out to enjoy lunchtime. I’ve missed out on the social networking in the past because I didn’t want to eat the calories. This was a much better solution! I think I may do it from now on……gets me away from my desk and now I get to have my eyes on them at all times. Hahaha…the life of a corporate female climbing the ladder!
After work, I headed to the gym for my one-hour spinning class. Admittedly, I’ve only ever taken 1/2 hour spin classes before. An hour petrifies me. If I don’t time my endurance just right, I end up with no juice left and am desperately trying to bring my heartrate down while the rest of the class gets to do a sprinting finish. Today was one of those days. My legs were weary from the elliptical/cross train thingie yesterday, and I just ran out of steam. I finished, as always, but it was a rough one! I earned every last activity point out of that one, let me tell you.
Even more exercise awaited me at home when some idiot parked in my parking spot and I had to drive back out to the road and park. I’m annoyed by my twilight hike, and I’m ready to tow, baby! (I had to vent to someone. I know all anyone wants to read about is the food and exercise, but this explains why I ate so many brussel sprouts tonight)
With that lovely sentiment, behold my food!
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 3
Banana (small) 1
TJ’s Light String Cheese 1
Trail Mix Bar 3
La Tortilla Factory wrap with 2 ounces light turkey and 1 slice light cheese 3
Sugar free pudding cup 1
1 cup snow peas and carrots 0
Bowl of Unsweetened Almond Breeze (1 cup) with 1.5 cups of Kashi Go Lean 4
1.5 of Honey Bunches of Oats (I heart this cereal) 5
Brussel Sprouts with 10 sprays ICBINB 0
1/2 of a Hershey 100-calorie chocolate covered pretzel pack 1
Totals 22
Flex Points: I was a bad girl last night and ate 2 pieces of Wild Oats white bread. 5 points. And then I ate something else, but I don’t remember. Oh. Kashi Go Lean. 1 cup. Flex points: 7 eaten/28 remaining
Activity points earned: a lot. Probably 4 or 5. But I’m not eating them, so too lazy to go get the points slide.

Well, I started the morning off with some massive disappointment. 152.5. This is up a pound and a half from a week ago, and I just don’t know what to think of it all? I mean, it’s possible I messed up on some of the restaurant items and didn’t allocate enough points to them, but I at least expected to see some movement. I also got AF this past week, so I thought surely that weight gain would be gone by now. If it wasn’t my TJ’s stir fry (I hydrated and DID NOT use soy sauce), then I’ve just managed to gain weight by exercising and eating healthy. If I weren’t so stubborn, I’d give up. Next up is the endocrinologist. I found a local one and I’m SO there.
Now, on to later today. Hubby came by to take me to lunch today. We usually make it a once a week occurrence, but I’ve been so busy the past few weeks that he resorted to just dropping a Subway sandwich off at the front desk! So today, we set some time aside and headed to ZPizza. I know, pizza is the kiss of death for dieters…. But this particular restaurant has a menu full of appealing salads that you can order with the dressing on the side. I ordered the pear and gorganzola salad, and I picked out all of the candied walnuts because I’d rather not count those calories. The nutritional information on their website has this salad, without dressing, listed at 200 calories. I figure 50 of those have to be the candied walnuts. At any rate, I dipped my fork in my dressing and probably only managed to eat a tablespoon, if that. I was amazed! So amazed, we continued our extended lunch hour with a trip to Golden Spoon for a mini frozen yogurt. 68 calories and 0 grams of fat. Sure, sugar, but I was craving it after my healthy lunch. All in all, I think I made it through my lunch hour with just 6 points eaten! Ok, maybe I’ll log it as 7 just to be on the safe side….
So, that was that. We hit the gym after work and I did 40 minutes on this bizarre elliptical machine that actually is more like a treadmill. I started out doing the fat burning, but wanted to sweat a bit more so changed it to “interval.” if anything can boost a metabolism, interval training should!!! We shall see….
Here’s the day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
Banana (small) 1
TJ’s Light String Cheese 1
100 calorie Pria Bar 2
Z Pizza salad with 1 tbsp dressing 5
Golden Spoon mini yogurt 2
1 cup snow peas and carrots 0
1 packet sugar free hot cocoa 1
1 serving Barilla pasta with 1/4 cup sauce 4
Salad w/ 1tbsp slivered almonds and 2 tbsp Newman’s light balsamic 2
1 tbsp reduced fat Skippy Peanut Butter (I’m obsessed) 2
Totals 22
Flex points remaining: 35
Activity Points earned: 3

Not much commentary to add to my daily menu, except I probably had too many simple carbs in there than is acceptable. I ended week one with 15 flex points remaining, so we’ll see based on my weigh-in tomorrow morning whether I can continue to eat them or if I have to control myself some more. 25 points a day is really what satiates me, and I have trouble getting down below 22. We shall see….
So, here is today. I could probably claim 2 activity points, as we did a one-hour hike before dinner, but I feel guilty taking points when I don’t gasp for breath or sweat away a few pints of water! So, they get added to the activity points for the week:
Food Points
1 Tbsp sugar and some skim milk for my coffee 1
1.5 cups Honey Bunches of Oats 4
1 banana (small) 1
1/2 of 100 calorie dark chocolate bar 1
Turkey burger with light bread and 2% Kraft single 5
Coco’s 90-calorie pack 2
1 small apple 1
Trader Joe’s shrimp stir fry w/ 1 cup veggie fried rice 5
Fiber One Bar (I know! So bad) 3
1 tbsp reduced fat Skippy Peanut Butter 2
Totals 25

Strangely enough, I saw an add for these in Weight Watchers Magazine this morning. Imagine my surprise when I found them in the cookie aisle at Henry’s this afternoon! (I believe it’s the equivalent of Wild Oats elsewhere) These are 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of fiber, and are basically cocoa-flavored crips sprinkled in sugar. Now, I would not suggest adding these to a regular regime, but these certainly take care of the chocolate cravings. I’ve been dying for the past few days and devouring as much chocolate as possible. The cocoa flavor is a nice mix between milk chocolate and dark chocolate, and it was very satisfying. Not to die for, but certainly good for dealing with cravings. I’d recommend them! The very best part about O’Coco’s is that they don’t have any sugar alcohols in them….good news for my poor intestinal track. (Still recovering from the Chewy Fiber One bar earlier in the week–so good, but soooo bad)