Holiday Consumption Interrupted

Another year almost over and I’m still working to reach my goals.  I haven’t noticed a big decline in the numbers on the scale, but I have noticed a lot more toning in my arms, legs and bum.  I’ve noticed a lot less fat to my fat rolls and more visible bones to my structure.  Yes, I can say it, I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.  And I’m thankful.  Thankful for the support of my family,  friends and co-workers.  Thankful to Ashley for the kick butt Zumba groupon that got me working out.  But I’m most thankful that I experienced an aha moment and made a decision to live a healthier lifestyle.

From Thanksgiving 2008 (above) to now (below)!

Here I am celebrating my 27th birthday Oct. 24 at Arbor Day Lodge.  I just wanted to see if I could fit!

Business trip to Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va. – Nov. 2011

I’m going to try something completely different for Thanksgiving this year.  I’m not going to get upset about ‘messing up my day.’  In fact, I’m probably going to gorge myself on turkey, potatoes, noodles, fudge, shrimp, pumpkin pie, rolls…and the list continues.  I wait all year for three special days (my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas) where I can eat whatever I want, how much I want, without even considering how terrible it is for my body and weight loss goals.

Now, I know you’ve heard me gripe on several occasions about overdoing it here, late night binging there, so on and so on.  But most of the time I’m overeating on healthy choices.  Even on my worst days I never eat the way I used to.

I can do this 1. because I’m seriously ok with it,  2.  I DESERVE it and  3.  I’m going to burn some of it off!

The average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Caloric Control Council. Most of these calories come from the all-day snacking in front of the TV while watching parades, sporting events or as my family does…watching Christmas Vacation.  On a normal ‘good’ day, I typically consume between 1500 to 2000 calories, which is about average for a woman my size.  Now simple math suggests that I will be consuming twice the amount of food that I normally do, if not more.  But in reality my stomach doesn’t hold that much.  The problem is the selection.

BE CHOOSY

This Thanksgiving you can have your cake (and turkey and potatoes and stuffing and sweets) and eat it too.  You just have to be choosy.  One of the first things I noticed when I began my weight loss journey was not the amount of food I was eating but the amount of calories in the foods I was eating.  It’s a common misconception that fat people eat large amounts of food all day long. That’s not always the case.  More times than not overweight people are eating several normal sized portions of very high calorie food and they don’t even know it!

Here’s a little math problem to illustrate my point.

Women, ages 19-50, who are moderately physically active can consume about 2000 to 2200 calories. McDonald’s Big & Tasty (yes the ‘healthy’ one with lettuce and tomato on it), with medium fries and medium Coke is a total of 1050 CALORIES!  That doesn’t seem like a whole heck of a lot of food, but that is more than half the recommended daily calories in just one meal.

Now I don’t want to inundate my Thanksgiving feasting by worrying about how many calories I’m consuming.  I do that on a daily basis and honest to goodness, I need a break!  But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a game plan to make better choices, thus consuming less calories and being proud of myself for doing better than I would have!

•  Fill up on calorie free liquids. Lucky for me my aunt always has some delicious raspberry or lemon tea on hand that I drink pretty much all day long.  If my stomach is full with liquids, it’s going to be a lot harder to squeeze more and more food in as the day progresses.  Drink up!

•  Resist too many appetizers.  At my aunt’s house, the pre-eating is almost as good as the meal itself.  There are always tons of yummy appetizers around to nibble on before we say grace and chow down.  Instead of going back and forth to the kitchen or buffet, try filling a small plate with goodies and only eating that.  Spend your time playing a board game, visiting with family or checking out the Black Friday steals!

•  Take smaller portions.  Whether it’s one bite, two bites or ten, mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes.  Research shows that the first couple of bites are the most enjoyable anyway, so why load your plate with huge helpings when you can have just a little of a lot?  One tip I’ve learned is to use a small spoon to dip out YOUR portions.  Let everyone else use the big scoops and serving spoons.  A Cornell study found that people who used three-ounce serving spoons shoveled out nearly 15 percent more food than those who scooped using smaller two-ounce spoons.

•  Be selective.  My Weight Watcher leaders usually hit on this point at least once every holiday.  If the item in question is something you can have any time you want it, skip it.  For me that food is gravy.  My turkey and potatoes are just fine without it.  I don’t mind it but I don’t really have to have it.  In fact, I don’t really have to have a very big pile of mashed potatoes either.  I like stuffing, but it’s not my favorite, so I might take a small helping of it and save room for the more important things, like turkey, noodles and pumpkin pie.

•  Choose better options.  In addition to selecting the foods you love versus eating everything in sight, you can also shave off calories by opting for healthier choices of your favorite foods.  When you’re filling up your appetizer plate, add even a few pieces from the relish tray.  Your aim may not be to eat veggies on Thanksgiving, but if you incorporate veggies into your pre-dinner mindless snacking, you’ll consume fewer calories and not even know it! Or split a piece of pumpkin pie and a piece of pecan pie with someone instead of having a slice of both.  Gotta have turkey?  The leanest poultry is white meat from the breast with no skin.  One portion, which is about the size of an iPhone, is 124 calories versus the same portion of dark meat at 286 calories.  And if you remove the skin, you can skim off an extra 35 calories and 3 grams of fat.  Two tablespoons of gravy is OK at only 6-18 calories but use an actual tablespoon instead of using the spout of the gravy boat to measure.  Other suggestions? Sweet potatoes vs. mashed potatoes (because of the butter).  Even better if you scrape off the marshmallows and sweeten with Splenda and nutmeg!  Applesauce is half the calories (83.5) and one-third the sugar of jarred cranberry sauce, which has 209 calories and as far as desserts, pumpkin is packed with beta-carotenes, an antioxidant, and boost your immune system during the cold Thanksgiving weather.  Pumpkin is also full of fiber and will fill you up faster than sugar laden pecan pie or carrot cake.

GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN

For the past several Thanksgiving’s I’ve told myself I was going to do something active but in reality, after eating and eating, exercising was the last thing I wanted to do.  Instead of not doing anything active at all, I’m going to be prepared with several options. I can do them all or I can do only one, but having a list of possibilities makes it easier to rule out activity all together.

•  The easiest option is to walk.  I found this handy little website (I believe Google has one too) that lets me select various points in my community and tells me how far it is.  When it comes to my family dinner, we celebrate across town at my aunt’s house.  I’m from a really small town so across town for me is really about half a mile.  Now in order to get to my aunt’s house I can either drive, hitch a ride with my parents or walk.  Using www.gmap-pedometer.com, I’ve mapped out a one mile jaunt to my aunt’s house so my first goal is to actually walk to Thanksgiving.

A mile burns about 1oo calories, which, compared t0 the 4,000 or so I’ll probably be consuming it seems rather pointless.  Right? Wrong.

The Truth about Fat
So what happens to all those extra calories you don’t burn? Caloric intake above your total daily energy expenditure (calories in > calories out) is converted into droplets, which are gobbled up by your fat cells. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Luckily, following puberty, the body has developed all of its fat cells. Unfortunately, fat cells can never go away. Although they can shrink, you can never actually get rid of the cell itself.  So even if it’s just a few calories, BURN BABY BURN!

OTHER ACTIVE OPTIONS

•  If there are kiddos in the family and weather permits, lead a Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt.  I found a great one here or you can create make your own.

•  Gather the troops.  Since Thanksgiving is three days away, I’m a little behind on planning and promoting, but I’m hoping by Thanksgiving 2012 I can team up with people in my hometown community for a Turkey Trot.  It’s basically a 5k run/1 mile walk that takes place all over the United States.  Unfortunately, the closest one to us is in St. Joseph, Mo. about an hour away.  Find a turkey trot near you.

•  Pace out the meal.  Stop after the appetizers for a poetry reading or a game of Pin the Feather on the Turkey. Laugh off some calories with a joke-telling contest before dessert.

•  I found this unique idea that would take a lot of cooperation but would be fun.  If your family and friends live close, arrange an around the neighborhood meal: Have appetizers in one spot, the meal at another, and dessert at another person’s house. If you live close enough, walk or bike to each place.

•  Burn even more calories by raking leaves and helping clean up after the meal!  And if the weather’s crappy, there’s always Wii.

Speaking of being active, I wanted to include a few shots of the Zumba Flash Mob I took part in.  Yes, I can’t believe it, but I joined a group of crazy women with Zumba fever and started dancing in a crowd of Husker fans on a game day.  Go us!

Remember to take time to be thankful for what you have and to enjoy life.  Everything you want to accomplish can’t be done in a day because lessons wouldn’t be learned and life wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Take it one day at a time.  One step at a time.  One choice at a time.  Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Before I leave you, I wanted to contribute at least one Favorite Food Find:

Caribbean Pork and Plantain Hash

Oh My!

My boyfriend ‘s favorite food is plantains and I wanted to make him a meal that incorporated them.  I found this recipe and it turned out to be a wonderful mix of sweet, meaty and spicy.  Nutritional information included. Enjoy!

More favorite finds (from Pinterest):

A Reader Reaches Out

Jessica,
I just read the last few entries in your blog on wordpress and I wanted to thank you for sharing.

I’m in the process of trying to make a life change to start a much healthier lifestyle but I’ve been afraid of failing. Looking at your photos and reading your words has given me more confidence.  It seems that I could have absolutely nothing exciting happening in my life but I always find something to keep me from taking the time to make that leap.

Did writing everything on your blog help give you motivation? Overweight kind of runs in my family and I’m currently in a transition period living with my parents while I look for a new apartment and I’m constantly surrounded by all the carbs and sweets and muck. I had lost weight while I was abroad but I’ve gained every bit of it back since I’ve been home and I’m so frustrated. I’ve tried a diary but it doesn’t work because I can hide it or not update it and nobody reads it because it’s private. My family obviously cares about me, but they don’t worry about my weight or really provide much support for weight loss. And I’m living in BFE where I don’t really have any other support group but my family. Do you think a public blog that all of my friends can read would help? Hmmm… haha.

Regardless, you are so gorgeous! I’m happy for you and all that you have accomplished the past few years. You have inspired me! I’m very grateful that you posted your blog address.

Dear Friend,

Thank you! It’s so great to hear others input on my blog. Believe it or not I get messages like this often and have written kind of a lengthy response. I want EVERYONE to take control and lose weight. It’s one of the best gifts you can ever give yourself.

There is no real rule to motivating yourself to lose weight, it just happens. You have an aha! moment where you’re so disgusted with yourself there’s no stopping you.

Mine happened when I was driving somewhere. Back to Missouri I think. Anyway, my lower fat roll was pressed against my leg and I swear it was only inches from my knee! I was mortified at how fat I had become. I hadn’t weighed myself in years so I didn’t even know how much I weighed. I just knew my clothes were tight and I had to keep buying them bigger and bigger. The next step up was a 26! I hated walking up and down the stairs, I was out of breath, it was even hard to bend over and tie my shoes.

I had no idea how to lose weight at all. I had tried Atkins for a few months in college, dropping 35 pounds, but it was so limiting and so hard to stick with. Then I just decided I’d go to a WW meeting. I weighed in at 276 lbs. While it’s not 300 lbs. it’s pretty damn close and that embarrassed me. I didn’t care if anyone else knew, I did and I was determined to not be any heavier. Ever.

I signed up for a month (prepaid, no refund) so I would have to go the entire time. Afterall, I had invested $40 into it. I was still pretty disgusted with myself, which kept me motivated, but I also thought it was kind of fun. For me, grocery shopping was like going thrifting. I scoured the shelves for low point foods with my little calculator for weeks until eventually I had a good idea of everything. That’s the hardest part. Learning everything. But you lose along the way, which is a plus, and after you get over that hump it’s pretty easy. I also promised myself I wouldn’t quit until I reached my goal of 200 lbs. I always say WHEN I reach my goal, I WILL lose the weight. I never say if. Ever.

I didn’t eat out or go to the bars for probably three months because I wasn’t comfortable making choices. And even when I started to be it wasn’t easy. It’s not easy to pick the healthy item when you want the unhealthy ones your friends are having. But I started thinking of it as my specialty. I knew how bad things were, I was prepared. Even though a chicken wrap with fries might appear healthier than my 4 oz. steak and baked potato, I knew it wasn’t. And I’d gladly share this knowledge with my friends. At a cost, of course. People grew annoyed. Choosing a place was exhausting. Going through the menu was torture. But eventually, you figure it all out. You may not know what’s in a particular menu item, but you know to look for grilled meats, you’re not afraid to ask for items on the side or no oil and you’re scouring the internet for nutritional information. You ask for fresh fruit for dessert and put half your food in a to go box. This is honestly just part of how I eat.

It took me months to finally open up to people at the meeting, but eventually my WW leader Chris and a couple other women, LaDonna and Aimee, became my weight loss buddies. People talked about how there health had improved so I started researching how my weight loss was helping my body. Every time I lost a good chunk of weight, I’d go to the store and pick up that many pounds worth of potatoes. I was constantly reminding myself of how well I was treating my body.

And the weight dropped off. I got selfish, in a good way. I cared about what was going in my body and what I looked like. I bought more expensive groceries that were lower calorie and they were MINE. This was special stuff just for me. I think that’s another thing that has helped me. Every woman likes to be pampered and for years I was awkward about this. I didn’t think I deserved to be pampered because I was eating so bad and I was getting fatter and my clothes looked bad and boys didn’t like me. Hell I didn’t like me. I went to work, then home. I avoided people. I was unhappy. But then I started my get healthy journey and felt so much better, physically and emotionally. I pampered myself more because hell yes, I deserved it. I’m proud to be a woman. I’m happy to be a little diva-like. I like to look good. I work hard (both physically and financially) and I don’t feel so guilty about rewarding myself. I deserve it. I know that now.

I also started buying clothes to fit my new figure. Celebrating my success. This is when I started to blog. I wanted to hold myself accountable for this journey so I wouldn’t lose my focus. I was reveling in my success but I still had a goal. By sharing it with the world, including close friends and family, I had nothing to hide. People understood. People were motivated. And that’s what has kept me motivated. You, my dear, keep me motivated. People telling me how proud they are or how good I look. That motivates me. My doctor telling me I’m healthy as a horse and my ability to be more active. That’s what motivates me.

I got past that first big step of learning how to do it, now I’m just learning how to stick with it and educating others so there lives can be changed too. While you educate others, it will also motivate you and refresh your mind. I’m much happier now. I feel better, I look better and my weight loss success has a domino effect on the rest of my life. I’ve taken classes, tutored ESL, bought a bike…things I have always wanted to do but never did. I wasn’t confident because I was always hindered by my low self-esteem.

I really think the WW plan is the way to go. It forces you to basically teach yourself. You have to measure out a cup and eventually you’ll see what a one cup serving is. And your body will be used to the smaller portions. You’ll make better choices because you know you’re feeding your body, not your mouth. You’ll choose low fat, healthier foods because they have water and fiber and nutrients that fill you up longer. You’ll still be able to eat chocolate cake, and cookies and everything you want, but in moderation. And if you do go overboard, the beauty is you haven’t ruined anything. You just start the next day better.

I’m not going to lie to you and say I didn’t feel hungry from time to time. Especially in the beginning when I was used to eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That will get better. You’ll realize more often than not that you’re really not hungry, you just want that cookie or piece of cake or chunk of cheese. You’ll learn that you can drink something that’s calorie free or eat some fruit that curbs the hunger and saves you until it’s time to really eat a meal. After you accomplish this over and over, you’ll feel pretty good about yourself. You’ll see the control you have over what you eat and that feels powerful.

Weight Watchers has changed my life. Now I know how to eat, what to eat. My relationship with food is completely different. I try different foods, I prepare new recipes, healthy food is super good! I even crave fruits and veggies now. I also know when I’m overdoing it and I think about it when I’m consciously screwing up. But I never let myself give up. You will struggle with food choices forever, everyone does. But with these skills you’ll know how to take control and be in control.

WW’s takes over your mind and truly becomes a lifestyle. You notice yourself eating healthier most of the time so you can splurge when you really want to. I don’t track what I eat as religiously as I used to but it’s absolutely vital for someone starting their journey to do. Write down everything that goes in your mouth and figure out how ‘expensive’ it is. I can do it mentally now. I keep track and when it comes time to eat, I can reflect on what I’ve already had, what my plans are for the rest of the day and then make a decision of whether I should grab something light or if I should have a meal. As my dad would say, you start “eating like skinny people.” Don’t get me wrong, though, I still track. Especially on days when I want to eat everything. Even if I know I’m going to go overboard, I can at least see how bad I’m eating. And sometimes it’ll help me stop, right there, middle of the day, after I’ve blown it bad. I stop, think about it, refocus, tell myself it’s going to be ok and move on.

I still have 25 lbs. to go before I reach my goal and I know I can and will do it. I don’t know how long it will take, I don’t know how far I will go, but I do know that I have the knowledge and the ability to lose or maintain my weight. Forever. I don’t have that excuse anymore. I’ve completed the courses. Now it’s up to me. And like I said, the success I’ve had with losing weight has helped me succeed in every area of my life. I’m proud of myself, I care about myself and I’ll never go back to miserable.

Sizing Up

The infamous ‘holiday season’ is fast approaching and for many people, the last thing on their mind is stepping anywhere near a Weight Watchers meeting.  I admit, in the last few weeks, I’ve been busy.  Really busy.  And I’ve been bad.  Really, really bad.  And I definitely haven’t wanted to weigh in. But I did.  I’ve managed to do a pretty decent job of maintaining or only gain .4 or .2 but it’s not the direction I’d like the number to go.

But this season I’m prepared.  I’ve got the knowledge, I’ve got Zumba, I just need the power. Willpower that is.

My plan is to continue working out, to continue tracking what I eat and then to completely and utterly enjoy every bite of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. YUMM!

Since tracking isn’t always the easiest thing to do, I’m going to work on ‘sizing things up.”

One of the hardest things I’ve come across with the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan, is that I can’t guess points based on calories.  Previously, most of us figured out that each point equaled about 50 calories.  So, if something had about 200 calories, it was probably 4 points.  Since calories aren’t even considered now, I’ve found myself calculating more and enjoying foods that aren’t packaged as a single serving.  If they aren’t packaged, though, that means I have to measure.  Something I’ve never been good at.

For lunch one Friday (we get free lunch at work every Friday), we had Hy-Vee food catered, which included a tray of veggies, a try of fruit, chicken wings, a ring of shrimp, smoked salmon, crackers and my favorite…cheese cubes.  Now I have been trying for over a year now to accurately measure those little squares of goodness, but never felt very successful.  I know an ounce of cheese is about 3 points, but what’s an ounce?  Lo and behold I found some great images on the web that finally answered my cheese dilemma, as well as my peanut butter one.

A 3-oz. serving of meat equals a deck of cards

A medium potato equals a computer mouse.

A handful of popcorn is about 1 oz.

1 oz. cheese equals 4 dice

2 Tbsp. peanut butter equals 1 Ping-Pong ball

And a few more:

3 oz of fish = checkbook, not the checks but a checkBOOK

2 tablespoons of salad dressing = one full shot glass

1 cup of pasta or cereal = size of baseball

1/4 Cup of mixed nuts, dried fruits, granola = size of golf ball

1 tsp. of butter or margarine = postage stamp (the standard size guys, let not get crazy here)

I can never remember this right off the top of my head, so I’ll be penciling them in to my Dining Out Companion and/or my Pocket Guide.

For those of you just starting the plan, there are a couple tips we ‘old heads’ use to control our portions.  When eating out, ask the waiter for a to-go box with your meal.  Put half of it in there for later.  If I’ve had a chance to calculate my meal, I don’t do this.  I enjoy every bite.  But if you have no game plan, or decide you just can’t resist the bread or appetizers, this is the way to go!  Also, when dining in, use smaller plates and bowls.

I purchased these perfectly portioned bowls at Big Lots a few days ago and have already put them to good use.  I used Cheerios to test it and the cup is just a little bit bigger than one cup.  This will be perfect for cereal, snacks, fruits, even measuring out one cup portions of main dishes.

The biggest problem I had and still have when it comes to my weight loss journey is the amount of food I consume.  You never underestimate a bowl of ice cream.  How many people do you know that pull out a handful of chips, count two too many and toss them back in the bag? Yeah, me either.  The trick is to measure immediately so you don’t have to talk yourself out of finishing off the bag.  And it pays off in the long run…

Same Husker, same shirt, two years later!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halfway Through 2011

By July 1, many people find that the success they’d hoped for when setting New Year resolutions isn’t reality. Rather than dwell on setbacks or, even worse, wait until next New Year, just keep on keeping on.

I had really hoped that after two and half years on this weight loss journey, I’d be down to 199 lbs. and a size 12.  But the past six months I’ve battled with the same 3 to 4 lbs., going up and down, up and down, and staying around the 223 lb. mark.  It’s frustrating, yes, but am I disappointed? Not one bit.  I’ve still managed to keep off 50 lbs. and I work out at least twice a week, maybe more.  That, my friends, is still progress.  I’m healthier and happier than I have ever been, and I live healthy and happy (with a few screw ups, heartbreaks and indulgences here and there. ).

I think all too often, people try to do it all.  They want to eat perfectly, exercise regularly, stop smoking, work hard at work, go to church and make sure the house is clean from top to bottom every waking moment.  Or at least that’s how I wish my life would go.  But a recent article in Weight Watchers magazine snapped me back into reality.  Nobody’s perfect!

The article, featured in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue and titled Little Miss Perfect, starts with a quote from Molly Woundtightly.  Here goes:

“If I’m not going to give something my all, there’s no point in trying.  Three weeks ago, I swore off sweets and eating out, and I started waking up early to get to the gym.  I lost three pounds the first week – but barely any since.  I’m ready to throw in the towel and dive into a pint of ice cream. Help!”

As I was reading this, I was nodding my head.  Yes, yes, this is what I do and yes, yes, I’m about to give up.  Why is dieting so stinking hard?

What the expert, author Debbie Koenig, said :

As a former perfectionist who now helps others accept their imperfect selves, allow me to offer some expert advice.  First, put down the spoon.  Now, pick it back up again – after you’ve measured out a reasonable portion.  When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s generally the quantities that are problematic, not food itself.

You’re taking a perfectionist’s approach to weight loss.  That’s fine if all you’re after is a quick fix.  But going to such extremes won’t cut it if you’re in this for the long haul.  For example, when a patient tells me she wants to drop six dress sizes in a few months, I liken her to someone who’s never gotten off the couch saying she’d like to run a marathon: It’s not realistic.  

Instead of sprinting to the finish line in January, try taking baby steps by setting attainable goals, such as, “Today, I’ll take a walk during my lunch hour,” or “I’m going to eat one less processed snack.”  Focus on that one healthy change a day rather than the numbers on the scale.  Remember, your weight is just ONE measure of the healthy changes you’re making.  

Adopt an 80/20 eating strategy.  Eighty percent should be the good stuff: whole grains, fruits and veggies, lean meats, and healthy fats.  The other 20 percent can-and should-be the fun stuff.  So if you have nonfat yogurt with fruit and slivered almonds for breakfast, and for lunch you have a salad with chicken breast, go ahead and have a handful of fries with dinner-and savor them without remorse.

There’s a name for what happens when you’re too rigid with dieting. I call it the “What the heck?” effect.  You’re meticulously good for three weeks, and then you eat a brownie and think,”What the heck? I’ll finish the entire tray!” This behavior leads to a sense of self-loathing that makes it hard  to get back on track.  I’d rather see you eat one cookie a day (and enjoy it) than give up sweets “for life.”

Oh, and one last thing.  Enjoy the act of eating.  Focusing on the sumptuous flavor of dinner rather than the calories it contains will make mealtime a lot more pleasurable.    

When I first started Weight Watchers, I was losing weight but I felt so restricted. I never ate out, I was too scared to eat high calorie foods and I struggled for a really long time to ‘adopt’ my healthy lifestyle.  I found myself saying way too many times, “Man I can’t wait to lose all this weight so I don’t have to do this all the time!”

HAHAHA!  What was I thinking?  I’m going to lose 76 lbs. and then eat whatever I want and expect the weight to just magically never reappear? Not likely.

I enjoy food everyday, I probably even eat chocolate or something sweet at least once a day, and I don’t feel any guilt about treating myself anymore.  Well, I feel guilty sometimes, but only when I really, really fall off the wagon and I have to guilty myself to get back on!   I’ve been trying to accomplish this for a very long time now.  Living a healthy lifestyle most of the time, but not stressing about doing it all perfectly, and having a life that includes drinks with friends, sweets and eating out.

Last Saturday, Jillian and I made a trip to Red Mango.  As I ate my raspberry/chocolate frozen yogurt goodness with chocolate chips, cereal and a bunch of other crap on it, I didn’t feel even the slightest bit of guilt.  Why? Because I tracked all week and I knew I had the points for it.  It wasn’t about me sneaking in something I shouldn’t be eating, because as all Weight Watchers know, nothing is off limits.  Nothing at all.  And even after eating that, I weighed in Monday with a 1.4 lb. loss.   Go me!   The trick is to track and measure ALL of it…the good, the bad and the just plain ugly.

I hope this article helps somebody else too.  It really hit home with me and I’ll be passing this information onto one of the world’s most recent Weight Watchers members, my dad!!!  I couldn’t be more happy or more proud of my father right now.  Even though he claims to have fallen off the wagon, I have high hopes that he’ll get right back on.  If Weight Watchers was a gift I could wrap up really pretty (er, well have my sister wrap up really pretty for me) and give it to everyone in the world, I would.  Yes, I said everyone, not just the overweight.  Nothing in my life has made me understand my relationship with food and hunger than WW.  I’m so happy I get to see my dad’s journey.

In addition to not being perfect, I have a few tips that have helped with my success recently.

•  Chew gum.  Sometimes it takes all the power in the world for me to dig through my purse and shove a piece of gum in my mouth when my mind is trying to figure out the next item of food I can get my hands on.  My favorite flavor is currently Key Lime Pie.

•  When eating out, don’t give yourself unhealthy options.  The first thing I do when I get a menu is start figuring out the healthy combinations.  I might even write them down.  Then I use that list to make my decision.

•  Try new things.  This could include new foods, exercise and methods for making healthy choices.  I started doing Zumba in February.  I try different foods when I eat out or low calorie products I find while grocery shopping.  I’ve also started tracking my food online.  I used the paper tracker for more than two years and thought that since I didn’t have a fancy smancy phone, tracking it online wouldn’t work for me.  I was wrong.  Big time.  Not only is it easy (especially since it’s my homepage when I open Safari) it’s also made me more accountable.  Before, when I ate something, I would put down the number of points that I believed it was but I wasn’t always 100% sure.  Online, I can put in 24 crackers or 1/2 a serving and since that particular food is already calculated (and you can add your own) and stored in the system, I know I’m tracking the right points. WARNING:  TRACKING ONLINE CAN ALSO BE A REAL WAKE UP CALL!

• Don’t have time to write it down right away?  Snap a picture with your phone’s camera of the either the nutritional information or the actual meal.  That way you will have it on hand when you’re ready to calculate.

I recently covered Chick-fil-A Leadercast, a leadership conference a Southeast Community College, and one of the speakers said something that really struck a chord regarding changes.  This relates to us because we’re constantly making changes, to our habits, to our routine, and even to our wardrobe as we’re dropping the pounds!  The speakers name is Allison Levine and she is a mountaineer.  She has climbed the highest peak on every continent, served as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, and skied across the Arctic Circle to the geographic North Pole. In January 2008 she made history as the first American to complete a 600-mile traverse from west Antarctica to the South Pole following the route of legendary explorer Reinhold Messner.  Needless to say this woman has some strength and some hardcore willpower and has done some pretty amazing things.

In her presentation, she paralleled being a business leader to climbing Mt. Everest.  When you climb Mt. Everest, it’s quite a journey.  It takes a really long time to just get up the mountain because you have to keep starting over. On the first day, you climb only a short distance so you’re body can adjust to the changes in altitude.  On the second day, you get a little farther but have to go back down.  So on and so on.  She also talked about having to climb skinny, little bridges from one area to another, over deep dark ravines and having to watch out for avalanches.  Ok, admittedly, this is much much more scary than living a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes the journey is scary.  It’s scary to have to say no to your friends.  Will they think I suck for never hanging out with them?  It’s also scary to try new things.  Am I wasting my money on this new food?  What will my fat butt look like riding a tiny bike like that?

Levine said, “Fear is ok. Complacency is what will kill you.  You have to be able to react to the environment around you (bad food is everywhere). When you’re a leader (you’re the leader of your weight loss journey), you have to put a smile on your face. You can’t just ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t (no one can lose the weight for you).”

Changes? You have to keep your barrings and know at some point things will return to normal or work out.
Overwhelmed? Break it down into small steps.

It’s what you do with the lessons you learn while going forward on your journey. You have to weather storms. It’s not always about getting to the top of the mountain.”

I guess my point of this very long blog is that what works in the beginning, doesn’t work forever. Trying to be perfect and take it all on at once, probably not gonna work either.

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”  ~Mary Engelbreit

One more thing…

Since I’ve been MIA for a while, I haven’t shared my most recent athletic achievement.  I participated in my second 5k Walk it WW Challenge and I’m starting to feel definition in my arms from Zumbaing my booty off.  While the scale might not be changing, I’m definitely noticing a difference in my body.  Thank you Meagan and Melissa for accompanying me on the 5K.  Both women have been doing a superb job of eating better and exercising and are really starting to show it.  Keep it up!

Usher concert on May 22, 2011

Aim for Progress, Not Perfection

AIM FOR PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION

These words struck me as I read through the story of Carla, a WW member since 2008, in my Weight Watchers Weekly.

She stressed the importance of patience and not falling off the wagon when the number on the scale is rising.  I also found her stay-on-track trick also very inspiring.

“If I’m out without measuring tools or my Tracker, I take a picture of my plate with my phone so I can track the meal when I get home.”

Great idea!

Learning and executing healthy life lessons, like the ones Carla has adopted, are what truly separates devoted Weight Watchers from the pack.  Many people embark on the journey, but only the strong survive.  Survivors are those who possess the strength to fight bad habits and hunger from boredom, strength to plan and prepare and strength to simply continue when it’s not always the easiest thing…those are the true losers (in a good way)!

It was strength over rich food, good beer and lack of exercise that helped Abby Simons drop 35 lbs. after five months on Weight Watchers.

Abby is a wonderful woman I met as a freshmen in college, who now works as a reporter in Minnesota.  I’m very honored to be able to share her weight loss journey on my blog, which Abby frequently read to stay motivated.

Abby, right, before

Here’s her story:

“I was pretty unhappy by the weight I had put on and the way I looked, but I wasn’t really doing anything about it,” she said.  ”I was on my way home from a road trip with college girlfriends and one mentioned losing about 15 pounds in a few months on Weight Watchers.  I was impressed and signed up as soon as I got home.”

Abby never set a specific goal weight but knew she needed to shed a few pounds.  As a child she hadn’t struggled with her weight and her mother kept the cupboards clear of junk food.  Through college Abby used activity to deter extra pounds.  But in 2009, she began a couple of new relationships…one with a man and another with rich foods.

The couple constantly ate out or indulged at home.  Abby was bored with her workout routine and too unmotivated to head to the gym after a long day of work.  Eventually a minor foot injury from wearing poor quality shoes shut her activity down completely.

“In the summertime I rode my bike everywhere and it kind of balanced itself out,” she said.  ”But in the winter, all I did was lay around and eat.  Eventually my weight got ahead of me.”

Abby, left, before

Now, Abby works out five days a week, running a few miles most days or lifting weights.  She makes sure to wear proper shoes and has started working out in the middle of the day with co-workers.  Her next goal includes running a half-marathon this summer.

“I love the way exercising makes me feel, and I love the way my body is transforming inside and out,” she said. “I have more muscle definition, which I love, and I am stronger with more energy. I enjoy challenging my body and seeing the things it can do, that I never thought it could do. My metabolism is higher, I’m more regular and, I can splurge on junk food if I worked hard that day.  Admittedly, a lot of my interest lies in vanity. Whenever the treadmill is really starting to suck, I think about how good I’m going to look in a bikini on the beach in a couple months. To imagine myself having a figure close to mine in high school is motivating.”

Abby and I at a wedding in February 2011

Abby has successfully maintained her weight loss, even though she is no longer attending meetings regularly. Exercise plays a large role, but so does her new attitude toward choosing foods.

“Exercising is what keeps me motivated,” she said.  ”Put it this way: 30 minutes or three miles on a treadmill only burns about 350 calories, give or take a few. Do you think I’m gonna throw that away on a mini-bag of potato chips? Hell no!”

Abby tracked her weight loss online using the Weight Watchers eTools and attended weekly meetings to keep herself accountable.  She also incorporated healthy foods like Morningstar Veggie Burgers, Flat Outs, Bagel Thins and turkey bacon into her diet.  She enlisted the help of friends, like her boyfriend George, mom Sally and friend Sarah Gravlin, as well as co-workers, to stay focused.

“I like how Weight Watchers showed me what I could do instead of what I couldn’t.  I had so many options, and counting points was easy to do and made sense.  It was also, in a strange way, kind of fun.”

Abby and her boyfriend George

Abby’s Top Tips:
•  Hold the cheese, you won’t notice it’s missing.

•  Bread is not worth all the calories.

•  The fridge is not an entertainment center.

•  Drinks lots of water after working out.

•  Work out on an empty or fairly empty stomach.  Drink coffee for a little energy.

•  Good shoes with good support are a must.  They should be a size bigger than your street shoe.

•  Get a workout buddy to stay accountable.

Working Out Some Relaxation

I felt like I was cheating but I dragged myself to a free Zumba class held at the F Street Community Center Friday night. I didn’t know what to expect and it took a lot of convincing from my co-worker, but I bit the bullet and went to work off the Valentino’s pizza we had for lunch.

I never felt more lost than I did the moment I walked in, wearing my purple tight fitting Zumba shirt and my nice, black dress boots. We do, after all, have about five inches of snow covering Lincoln. Not many people had showed up due to the conditions and as the friendly faces streamed in I noticed one difference between me and all of them…I’m white!

As if I wasn’t shaking in my boots enough already, I was imagining how stupid I was going to feel ‘popping’ it in a sea of black women.

I was timid at first, but I laughed at jokes and shaked my booty.  Made conversation and eventually warmed up to it.  This Zumba session, led by a very perky little Asian girl, was very low intensity. I almost wonder if it’s meant for an older crowd.

While I didn’t break the sweat I usually do (and probably didn’t burn off the two extra slices of pizza I had) it did get me moving a little more than I would have. We did some meringue, belly dancing and marching in place.  We even pulled out some steps and did a little ab work.  By the end of the hour, I had befriended an older woman named Daphne.

“See you next Friday,” she said, as I walked out the door.

So what are the benefits to a low intensity workout?

•  You still burn calories!

•  Reduces blood sugar levels and insulin resistance

•  Lower levels of depression, better sleep, more energy, a greater ability to deal with stress

•  Gentle stretching doesn’t elevate the heart rate as much as an intense workout, but these moves are excellent for stress relief and relaxation which helps to lower blood pressure.

All in all it was a very relaxing workout.  I burned a few calories, had a few laughs and have another new venue to blow off steam and get to know people.  Does this mean I should punt my high intensity workout? While I’m quickly being whipped into shape at my other Zumba classes, this low intensity exercise offers a nice break. Low intensity exercise is perfect for people who are just starting out or for people who have physical disabilities that limit their ability to do strenuous exercise.

FAVORITE FOOD FIND?

Applesauce.  I recently discovered I love the stuff.  I know my mom fed it to me as a baby, all mashed up with cottage cheese, but I guess I forgot how delicious, cold, sweet and filling it is.  Yummmm!

Kinda Weight Watcher

“If you kinda do it, it kinda works.  If you really do it, it really works.”

That’s the message my Weight Watchers leader Cally left us with Monday night.  As she read the words from her oversized paper tablet, heads nodded around the room.

I know this all-too-well since I’ve been a kinda do it weight watcher for a while now.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s not like I’m gorging myself with thousands of calories every other night, eating well on others and praying for a good weigh in.  Behavior like that isn’t just kinda doing it, it’s not doing it at all.  But I do enjoy the occasional Friday Afternoon Club drinks with my workmates or spontaneous Indian/African/Sushi dinners with my friends.  I’m losing and gaining but mostly maintaining… not the best strategy since I still have 25 lbs. to lose!

But as a self-proclaimed “kinda do it weight watcher”, I’ve found the only answer for us kinda-do-iter’s is exercise.

At the beginning of the year, Jillian, my good friend, neighbor and partner in crime, joined Gold’s Gym.  Membership was free, it was ten bucks a month, truly a good deal if there ever was one.  But me in a gym?  Not likely.  First of all, I don’t know what to do among the sea of machines, plus there are a lot of men and I have to motivate myself to keep going.  Then I found a miraculous deal on Groupon (if you don’t know what this is, look it up and sign up.  I’ve gotten some amazing deals).  This one was fifteen Zumba visits for $15 (usually $5 a class)!  It was fate, I’m sure, because I saw the deal, bought it and haven’t looked back.

Every Monday and Thursday at 7 p.m. you can find me at the Center for People in Need.  We salsa. We meringue. We even do some belly dancing for good measure.  This fitness phenomenon is an aerobic workout that’s a mixture of rhumba, salsa, flamenco, hip hop and meringue. Zumba works every muscle group for sixty minutes and rewards me with 16 Weight Watchers Activity Points each time!

This is a picture of just a few people in my Zumba class.  This was in the beginning when I was still new and timid but you can see me along the wall in the back.  Ashley, our instructor, is in the front row with the black tank and gray sweats.

I’ve done Zumba about six times.  My first try was hard.  I was out of breath, sweating and moving around like a blind mouse. Fortunately, our instructors roommate quickly befriended me and encouraged me the entire time.  When the final, slow down song came on I almost cried.  I made it!

By my third try, I had gotten the hang of some of the moves and didn’t feel like giving up.  Now, I sweat more than I ever have and I have no problems dropping it like it’s hot in front of hundreds of other women (sometimes a man or two).

Ashley, our instructor, is also terrific.  Every class she kind of radiates with a Zumba Zeal.  She starts off  with an enthusiastic “let’s party” and encourages us to really shake our booties, or yell out Zumba when the song calls for it.  We even did a dance off on Valentine’s Day.  People laugh, people clap, it’s a good time.  The music is good, the dance steps are hip and it’s remarkably easy to alternate between low-impact and high-impact. For that reason, my packed class contains an impressive mix of  ages – anything from rail thin 18-year-olds to women pushing 70.

Even if you have no rhythm, you can shake your money maker and nobody cares.  It makes me feel sexy.  I move my hips, shake my bum and act like a backup dancer.  I even bought some Zumbaesque shirts at Target (with peace signs, hearts and glitter) for class, something I would never have seen myself wearing.  Everyone is confused by the dance moves at one time or the other, but the energy in the room is infectious.  By my second or third visit, I had totally given in to Zumba Zeal, whooping and shouting with my fellow Zumbazons. I’ll be back as long as I can afford it.  I’m addicted!

For me, exercise wasn’t ever a priority.  I knew if I exercised more, I could burn off more calories, but I never wanted to burden myself with something else I had to do.  I’ve been to the gym but my friends had to drag me.  But with Zumba, I look forward to it.  I want to go.  And I’m quickly realizing there are a lot more benefits to working out than burning excess calories.

1.  I feel better.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out (a.k.a. stress from work!). You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.

2.  I’m proud of myself

I try to get to Zumba as often as possible and it feels good to actually take the initiative to do it.  It feels good to be able to complain about having to workout because I actually do workout.

3.  I’m healthier

As if eating healthy isn’t enough, I’m doing my body even better by working out.  Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.  And there’s more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

4.  I’m burning excess calories! Enough said.

5.  I have more energy.  Even when I’m tired and don’t feel like working out, I always feel better after. Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you’ll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.

6.  I’m having fun!  I clap, I giggle, I laugh, I jiggle.  I love Zumba!

Convinced you should work out? Good.  Sign up for something and start reaping the rewards!

FAVORITE FOOD FIND:

Here is an amazing recipe I found on WW online, Caribbean Pork with Sweet Potatoes.  It’s fantastic!

I guess I didn’t realize how amazing baked apples are, especially when paired with baked, chunks of sweet potato and a pork loin from Omaha Steaks.

This should be your welcome to fall family dinner, especially if you’re a fan of hot apple cider and sweet potato pie.

The only downfall was I over cooked the pork. The recipe called for 20 minutes but that wasn’t long enough so I put them back in and lost track of time. The sweet potatoes turned out crispy on the edges, mushy on the inside and the apples were like sweet, carmelized onions. Simply divine!

I paired this meal with some cottage cheese. The meal is sweet and the apples and creamy cottage cheese really meshed well. The sweet sauce soaked into the pork was also very nice.

Caribbean Pork & Sweet Potatoes

(I made one piece of pork and cut back on some the ingredients and just counted it as 9 points plus for the whole recipe.  The recipe below is 4 servings, 4 points plus.)

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare is a fable that concerns a hare who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise and is challenged by him to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through the course. When he awakes, however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him.

Your weight loss journey is not a race, but we all have a destination.  We all want to reach our ultimate goal, whether it be a finish line, a certain weight or perfect jean size.  Unfortunately, characters like the Hare beat the slower guys down with their quick fixes.  It looks enticing, it sounds easy, but how many times have you seen people lose weight quickly, only to gain it back and then some?  They take magic pills, have surgeries and drink shakes, but never really get to the core of the problem.

The key, in my opinion, is to focus on the journey, rather than the destination. The destination then becomes the journey.  The best way to lose weight and maintain it is to identify the root, underlying issues. Don’t focus on the specific goal all the time.  Instead of vowing to lose 20 lbs. in 30 days, vow to eat no grains or legumes, no sugar, no vegetable oils and nothing in a box. Instead of resolving to obtain 16-inch biceps, resolve to add pull-ups to the end of every weight lifting session. When you set arbitrary numerical or objective goals, you’re merely attacking the symptoms, rather than addressing the real issue. If you need to lose weight, you need to dial in your nutrition. (source)

I’ve been searching for these guiding words ever since I weighed in last night.  It’s been two great weeks on plan but I missed weighing in last week due to snow.  I was excited but nervous.  I hadn’t had a good week yet on the new, all-you-can eat fruit plan and I just wasn’t completely convinced it worked.

It did!

I lost 2.6 lbs., which puts me at 49.8.  What a relief!  I was so down about not only gaining nearly 10 pounds back, but for dipping back under the 50 lb. mark.  I’m not quite there but I’m motivated to make this next week a good one!  And while 2.6 lbs. is good, for two really good weeks of staying within my daily points target and not dipping into my 49 extra, I was hoping for a larger loss.  I’ve since convinced myself it’s ok.  I’m doing something right.

Slower Weight Losses Last Longer

When a dieter loses weight too rapidly, chances are he (or she) won’t keep it off as long as if the weight came off at a slower rate. Why? That’s probably because metabolism slows down the faster the weight melts off. At first, the weight comes off fast, but then after the body adjusts to fewer calories, weight loss tends to slow down because metabolism also winds down. However, this is actually beneficial because weight won’t return as quickly when not dieting.

Losing Weight Slowly Teaches Dieters Good Eating Habits

Rather than considering your weight loss program a diet, think of it as a change of lifetime eating habits. Too many dieters determine to lose weight by a certain date, such as an upcoming wedding, school reunion, etc. Rather than adopting this mindset, just decide to change eating habits for a lifetime, instead of a small hunk of time. This takes the pressure off trying to reach a particular goal by a certain date. In other words, don’t aim for a quick fix, but focus on developing healthier eating patterns.

• Make better food choices – For example, eat more protein than carbohydrates. Fill up on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as getting other daily food groups, rather than consuming empty calories containing no nutritional value.

• Eat three balanced meals daily - Never miss a meal, even if you don’t feel like eating. By skipping meals, dieters can actually sabotage weight loss rather than help it.

(Source)

Since it’s going to take time to drop the last 30 lbs., might as well enjoy it. Right? Here are some of my latest favorite food finds.

•  Trader Joe’s Pasta Medley.  I added bits of grilled chicken to make this a meal.  The entire bag is only 12 points!

•  Rocket Fizz is a soda and candy shop in Lincoln (two locations at 70th and A and 14th and Pine Lake).  They have vintage candies and thousands of bottles of pop, including an entire selection of diet sodas.  It’s kind of hit or miss.  Some of them are fantastic, some of them not so much.  It’s a fun place to visit and yes, we weight watchers have options.

Try It Without It

When I was growing up, sandwiches had cheese and toast had butter. Salads had ranch dressing and cereal had milk (except the time my mom decided to try OJ to deter my childhood milk allergy. NOT RECOMMENDED!)

But as I continue on my journey, I find myself more choosey about what goes in or on my meal.  Adding cheese to my 6-inch Turkey sub adds at least 2 points (it’s already 7 pts. plain).  Is it worth it? No, not really. Is my sandwich not as delicious without it? I don’t even miss it! Do I have the calories left in my daily budget to ‘waste’ on cheese? Yes, I ate light today and really want a small helping of shredded mozzarella.

It may seem silly to waste so much thought on whether or not I have cheese on my sub, but this is my life.  This is part of the plan.  This is the process I go through for everything I put into my mouth.  Sounds exhausting, which, yes, sometimes it is but it gets easier. Before you know it, ordering your steak dry or a baked potato, goodies on the side, is second nature.  I’ve found that salads taste even better when I dip my fork in the dressing for each bite and that I don’t really miss cheese when I opt not to have it.

In Hal Urban’s Positive Words, Powerful Results, I’m reading about choosing words.  Now I know foods are not words, but they can be classified as similar when you’re talking about choices.  Urban quoted Maya Angelou and if you’ll humor me for a moment and thing about food as the subject instead of words, you may see my point.

“Words (food) go into the body.  So they cause us to be well and hopeful and happy and high-energy and wondrous and funny and cheery.  Or they (food) can cause us to be depressed. They get into the body and cause us to be sullen and sour and depressed and, finally, sick.”

Urban pointed out that we can choose words that make us or another person feel hopeful, happy, high-energy, etc. or we can choose words that make us or others feel sullen, sour, depressed and sick.  Which type of words (food) do we want coming into our bodies? What type of words (food) do we want to put into the bodies of those around us? These are important choices and we make them everyday.

In his classroom, Urban has a big, orange sign that says CHOICES.  I’m actually thinking of doing the same in my little cubicle to remind me that yes, I do have choices regarding the food I eat, the words I use, the tone I take.  The point of this is to remind me that I have choices.  I know I have them, we all have them, but sometimes we don’t remember to make them.  We just eat.  Or we just talk.

Here are some ways you can easily cut 50 calories or more and don’t have to sweat to do it.  If you pick just two a day, you’ll cut 100 calories. Burn 100 more calories a day (a 15- to 20-minute walk will do the trick) and you’ll lose almost half a pound a week. That may not sound like much, but it adds up to 20 pounds a year!

1. Leave the cheese off your sandwich.
2. Use 1 cup skim milk instead of 1 cup whole milk.
3. Use a nonstick spray instead of 2 teaspoons oil.
4. Drink seltzer or diet soda instead of regular soda.
5. Have an English muffin instead of a doughnut
6. Use 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise instead of 1 tablespoon regular mayo.
7. Eat 2 tablespoons less ice cream.
8. Drink 4 ounces less juice.
9. Use 1 tablespoon less cream cheese.
10. Order small fries instead of large fries.
11. Use 1 tablespoon less salad dressing.
12. Use one less pat of margarine
13. Substitute 4 ounces ground turkey for 4 ounces ground beef.
14. Have 1 ounce of pretzels instead of 1 ounce of potato chips.
15. Substitute 1 tablespoon jam for 1 tablespoon butter.

And a few more…

Bottom Out Dessert
Dieting doesn’t mean saying no to pie. Shaving off the bottom crust decreases the damage by 100 calories and you won’t even know it’s missing. (Hint: This works with layer cake too.)

Dine Out Lighter
For Mexican meals, ask that your burrito be made with the the smaller taco-sized tortilla to subtract at least 100 calories. When having Japanese food, order the miso soup (30 calories) instead of the green salad (250 calories). If it’s a Chinese dinner you crave, skip the crunchy noodles with your wonton soup for a 120-calorie savings.

Get the Scoop
The average deli bagel packs at least 300 calories — and that’s before you add butter or cream cheese. Hollow out the inside (about a third of the bagel) and you’ll downsize by at least 100 calories.

Switch What You Won’t Miss
Do your taste buds detect the difference between oil packed and water packed tuna? How about an omelette prepared with butter-flavored nonstick spray rather than butter? These simple swaps will net 100-plus calories in savings, but chances are you won’t even notice the switch.

Lighten Your Liquids
Replacing an 8-ounce soda with seltzer saves you 100 calories a pop. Other substantial liquid savings: Substitute a glass of water and an orange for your morning OJ.

Thin the Skin
Pulling the skin from a serving of poultry instantly trims 100 calories. To keep your bird moist, do the peeling after baking or broiling.

Right-Size Your Carbs
The typical restaurant pasta meal is at least four times the recommended amount. Dole out a single serving — about the size of a tennis ball — and spare yourself hundreds of extra calories. Ditto for rice and potatoes.

FAVORITE FOOD FINDS

As long as we’re making choices, I’d like to share a few more of my favorite finds from Trader Joe’s.  Sorry for the bad pics, these are just random ones I found on the web.  I avoid doing too much grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s because it gets a bit pricey, but these items are definitely becoming staples at my house!

•  Trader Joe’s Shredded Lite Mexican Blend Cheese.  Just 2 pts. for 1/4 cup, this is a really good, low fat cheese.

•  Trader Joe’s Beef Barley Soup with Veggies is a measly 4 points for the entire 17.6 oz. carton and has chunks of real meat. I eat a bowl of soup and a sandwich (2 pieces of Sara Lee bread, one package Budig meat, mustard for 4 points) for lunch every day so I’m always looking for large portions with few points.  This one is definitely a winner.  QUICK TIP: If you’re going to take soup for lunch, don’t forget a can opener.  Keep one in your desk drawer, along with measuring cups and spoons, to help keep you on plan!

• Trader Joe’s Frozen Asparagus Spears (NOT THE GRILLED ONES).  I keep a bag of these in my freezer at all times, especially in winter when fresh asparagus is so expensive.  There are similar products at other stores, but this bag seems to have more for a low price.  I put a few stalks on the same pan I cook my meat on, add a couple teaspoons of Olive Oil, salt, pepper and maybe some fresh mushrooms.  The fresh, sliced mushrooms at Trader Joe’s are also very delicious, better than the ones I get at Wal-Mart or other grocery stores.

•  Cats Cookies.  I’ve mentioned these before but that was before I discovered the cinnamon ones.  I mean, you can’t dis chocolate in any shape or form, but my new favorite after-work snack includes these little kitty’s and a nice, big banana!  Three points for 15 crackers.

•  Fettucini Mushroom (in the frozen section).  I add a few frozen meatballs and a side salad to round out the meal.  It’s microwavable, super easy and VERY delicious.  I think the entire bag is about 12 points (will serve two), meatballs are about 1 point each.

•  Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Wedges are 1 point each.  There are 16 thick wedges in each tin and since it’s dark chocolate, it works wonders to satisfy a chocolate craving in a small portion.