I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S TRUE

Ladies and gentlemen: tonight, the unthinkable happened. Take a gander at my dinner this evening:



This dinner looks innocent enought, doesn't it? Clearly, a nice salad on the right, and what appears to be a pasta dish on the left. But NO! It's NOT. In fact, it's ALL VEGETABLE! I cooked up my very first spaghetti squash, and therefore my ENTIRE DINNER was vegetable!

Now, if you know me well or have been reading this blog, you know that I do NOT have a love affair with vegetables. But in my quest to get in more nutritious food, eat healthier, and think of food as FUEL, I'm trying like hell to eat more veggie adventurous.

Granted, there's a whole lotta cheese on that salad, but I ate ALL VEGGIES, SO CUT ME SOME SLACK! Actually, the cheese was fat free crumbled feta and only two points for all of that. AND, some of what you're looking at is actually diced onion.

The squash was really easy to cook: you just cut that sucker in half, scrape out the seeds, poke some holes in it with a fork, take a pan and fill it about 2 inches of water, place it inside side down, and bake for about 45 minutes on 350. Once it's done cooking, you scrape it out with a fork and it comes out in long stringy pieces like spagetti. I sauteed some onions and garlic and then mixed it all together and put the sauce on top with some pepper.

And point-wise, let's break this down:

Spaghetti Squash: 0 - that's right ZERO - POINTS!
Veggie Pasta Sauce: 2 points
Fat Free Parmesan: 1 point
Salad: 0 points
Fat Free Feta: 2 points
Lite Greek Dressing: 2 points

The entire dinner: 6 POINTS!

And here are the nutritional benefits:

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

But still, I missed the meat. lol

FALSE ALARM

Ok, so it turns out that I'm a paranoid dink. I lost -1 this week. Not bad for a gal who thought she was going to be drowned in her her own water retention. Yay for surprise weight losses!

TODAY, I FEAR THE SCALE.

What a week. I always forget what a struggle the third week of every month is for me. I'm fighting emotional trauma, food cravings, ache-y legs and boobs, water retention - it's just a week of PMS hell for me. Overall, I didn't do too poorly, but there were moments when I gave into cravings, and then I'd just beat myself up or punish myself for that. It's really kind of a sick and twisted joke that nature plays on women. I cannot WAIT for menopause. Seriously.

During my last successful bout of Weight Watchers, I'd always get frustrated by this week of hell because I'd always inevitably either gain or stay the same. There was NEVER a loss on this week. And judging from the way I feel right now, there won't be this week either. You know those old rubber hot water bottles that the old folks used for aches and pains? That's what I feel like. Just this big old fattie sloshing around. Gah. I HATE PMS.

And despite the fact that I know there's not much I can do about PMS, and despite the fact that I KNOW that I'm not going to lose tonight (in fact, I'll probably gain), I'm already beating myself up over it and fighting some mild depression (well, that's tied in with the mood swings, but still - no loss doesn't help). THIS is a major part of my battle with food. Breaking old habits. That includes eating patterns AND mental roadblocks and behaviors. I had a bad week. I should shut up and move on and think positive, but it's hard. Mostly because I feel like I don't have much control over the emotional and mood swing aspect of things.

But in any case, this is my attempt to prepare for tonight's potential gain. Overall, I did well: I stayed within my points, still have almost all of my flex points, got at least 3 activity/exercize points each day, and I'm still down. Just swishy from all the water retention. Venting like this is helping me break the cycle and see how I beat myself up. If I can see it and how irrational it is, I can fix it.

I'll swim back later and give you an update.

THE FRIDGE OF A HEALTHY GIRL!

PMS will kick my ass no more! I went out today and LOADED my fridge with healthy choices. I also threw away any junk-type food that I might give in to. Don't get me wrong, these are not things that I'll never have again, they are just things that will impede me from my progress right now, and therefore must go.

So let's take a looksy into my fridge, shall we? I still can't believe this is the inside of MY fridge, but dammit, I WILL live a healthy lifestyle and I WILL make good choices, and I WILL eat vegetables - even if it kills me. (which we all know it won't, but I like to be dramatic...)

TOP SHELF: Fruit Juice boxes - mostly for my neice, but every once in a while I get a craving for a sweet drink, and it's a better alternative than soda. Diet Cherry Coke, low-point pasta sauce, low-fat cheeses (I won't eat fake cheese - bleck), diced onions and peppers.

SHELF TWO: Veggie wrap sandwich from Trader Joe's, grilled garlic herb chicken breast from Trader Joe's, lowfat yogurt, eggs.

SHELF THREE: Beer (a gift from my neighbors - a multipack!), tons of bottled water, cranberry and grapefruit juice for mixers when I have company, low-fat yogurt, diced, jarred garlic, strawberries, dates (the only kind I have lately).

BOTTOM DRAWER: Lots and lots of veggies!! Lettuce, tomato, cukes, onions, asparagus, broccoli, spagetti squash, carrots, celery....

I'm actually excited to try the spagetti squash. I've heard a lot of good things about how you can eat it like spagetti and it's so much better for you. I like asparagus with chicken or pork, and I'll be eating lots of salad this week.

So, this photo makes me feel better about any damage I may have done this weekend. I'm still on track and focused, and I'm going to fight PMS with every ounce of my being.

And remember - send great veggie recipes my way!!

PMS MELTDOWN

Ok, I know a lot of people think that PMS is bullshit, but I'm here to tell you that it is NOT. It's real, and I deal with it for a week out of every month.

When I was younger, I never really had any problems. As I got older, I got hit hard with some of the major symptoms: horrible mood swings and emotional outbursts, jittery nerves, headaches, water bloat, and the worst of all, ravenous appetite. All I want to do is eat, and I'm not talking about carrots and lettuce, and Friday night through Saturday afternoon, I gave in.

Friday night I was craving sweets. I had bought some Snackwell's Devil Food Cookies for our game night (which never came to be), which were 1 point each. I ate four of them. I also had a caramel apple (3 points), and a few jellybeans. This was spread out over the night, but somehow I still managed to stay -4 below my points for the day. Still, it pissed me off that I gave in to the sweets and let my appetite control me. And of course, I was all emotional about my inability to stave off the ravenous appetite.

On Saturday, I "confessed" to a friend, and felt better that I was aware of the power that food still has over me, and made a choice to find some sort of tea or over the counter mediciation to help me deal with these really crappy PMS symptoms. I don't want anything getting me off track - even my own body's chemical reactions.

Still, yesterday was a disaster. I didn't plan, and I was rushing around. I haven't been getting much sleep, so I ended up sleeping in until 11:00, which is pretty much unheard of for me these days. I woke up, got dressed, and had to drop my dog Julip off at my parent's house for the night before I went to run some errands and then go to a concert. I realized as I was going there that I hadn't eaten anything and wouldn't have time to eat before the concert. So, I pulled through McDonald's drivethru. Yes. I did.

I got a cheeseburger and chicken mcnuggets. And now, not only did I make an awful choice, but I'm letting that choice consume me with guilt. It's the only thing I ate yesterday, but I know how horrible 1) the choice was and 2)how horrible it was to punish myself and not eat anything else.

It's pretty clear that although I'm winning the war, I'm still fighting a lot of smaller battles.

So today, I'm going to the market and buying LOTS of veggies. I need to make smarter, more prepared choices. And say goodbye to cheeseburgers once and for all.

LOW POINT GAME NIGHT

Tonight is the first time I'm having a group of folks over to my place for "game night!" I'm really excited, and not only because we're playing games, but because I've got a bunch of like-minded healthy friends coming. So rather than do our usual chinese food or pizza take out, I'm preparing low-point snacks for everyone. Here's what I'm having:


-My 1 point Smart Pop Kettle Corn, of course!
-Fruit and Veggies
-1 point Vegetable potstickers
-1 point No-Pudge brownies
-1 point Cranberry Orange bread

I'm still gung-ho, hard-core, and keeping on track. It's week 3, and I'm not even CLOSE to faltering. I'm prepared, motivated, planning ahead. Gahdamn! I'm proud of myself.

WEIGH-IN # 2 : RESULTS

As my brother would say: HOLY SHNIKIES!!

I lost 3.4 lbs this week, bring my two week total weight loss to 7.4 lbs! Whoo hoo!

Something is just RIGHT about this time around. I'm working hard, and I don't feel deprived and I just feel like I'm in a very good place mentally to do this.

Even my cheat night choices weren't so bad. I had 22 points left for today, and I had saved 32 flex** points for cheat night. What did I choose? I got a coke, because I was really craving one, and I got a buffalo chicken salad and french onion soup. Not the healthiest soup and salad combination, but also not a big pasta dish or ginormous bacon burger. I was fairly heathly in my choice - ON CHEAT NIGHT.

I'm just really proud of myself right now. Bring on week 3!!

**For those of you not in the Weight Watchers know, you are allowed a certain number of "points" to eat each day, and are given 35 "flex points" to use throughout the week. You can use the flex points a few at a time each day, or use them all at once for a special treat. I've decided to save them for cheat night. It allows me to have something a little more fattening without feeling guilty, and I have an entire week to be good after I eat.

WEEK 2 IS ALMOST COMPLETE!

I've made it through Week 2 without cheating or messing up! Hooray for me!

The first two weeks are usually the toughest - at least for me. Your body is really adjusting to the new way of eating and drinking, and every food demon rears it's big, ugly head. Things I don't even normally want beg for me to eat them. Example: I'm not a big cake eater. I don't dislike it, I just never ever crave it. But Sunday was my dad's birthday party and we had cupcakes. I HAVE NEVER WANTED A CUPCAKE SO BADLY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! But I was able to resist and did not have one. I was really proud of myself that I won that little battle.

On WW, you really CAN eat anything as long as you count the points. But I'm trying to CHANGE what I eat and my unhealthy patterns along with losing weight. So having a cupcake doesn't work towards that goal.

My bigger problem is vegetables. Someone PLEASE help me with this. I've never been a big fan, and I have to force myself to eat them. I love salad, but cooked veggies and I have never had an agreeable partnership.

Here's what I DO like:

-salad of all forms
-asparagus with balsamic vinegrette
-steamed broccoli with a little bit of grated parmegan
-corn and potatoes (of course! I'm a good irish girl)

If anyone has some kick-ass recipes or ideas for veggies, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Weigh-in tomorrow! I'll keep you posted....

THE "WES" CHALLENGE!

My friend Wes commented, and gave me a great motivational challenge:

One thing that's really become clear to me through my experience and the experience of my friend is that (I know, big revelation) diet AND exercise both play a role in weight change.

So keep us posted not just on your diet adjustments but also your exercise adjustments, would you please?

Absolutely!

EXERCISE: So far, the biggest change has been 3-4 long walks a day with my dog, Julip. I haven't really used the treadmill yet because of that, but I definitely think adding in 30 mins of uninterrupted walking would be a benefit. I'm going to make that my goal for this week. 2-3 nights of 30 min treadmill walking.

In addition, I *just* added in handweights. I'm such a weak diva right now - no strength at all, so I'm starting light a 5 lbs. I do about 10 different arm weight exercizes - all at 1 set of 10 reps right now. If anyone has better suggestions, I am absolutely open to it. Building muscle strength is REALLY important to me since I'm getting older (and weaker!)

Anyhow, go get 'em. I'll stick with you here so long as each month you either weigh less than the month before (even half a pound counts) or your clothes fit differently from the month before. Slow and steady wins the race -- go get 'em!

Now THAT is motivational! And I truly appreciate that. I have to earn my readership, and that motivates me to continue to do well and succeed. Thank you, thank you, thank you for that challenge! I'm going to post a monthly countdown at the end of the month just for that purpose. Look for that over on the sidebar!

The boy definitely understands the meaning of the word "accountability." LOL Thank you, Wes. I think these are really excellent comments, and challenge me to be acountable for ALL of the aspects of my weight loss - not just the lbs on the scale or low-point finds.

And for those of you who may not know my pal Wes, he's the premier mouth-drumming expert in the country, a world-class musician, a genius math tutor, and just an all-around swell guy. You can check out his website HERE!

¡MI NOMBRE ES DIVA! ¡ES UNA FIESTA MEXICANA!

Mexican food is not on the top of my list as a favorite, but every now and then I get a hankerin' for it...like last night. I had quesadilla's on the brain while I was picking up some groceries, and also found a new item that I had for dinner tonight. If you want a low-point, tasty mexican treat - this is for you!

This shredded chicken comes fully marinated in a taco-seasoned sauce. Best part? One 1/4 cup serving is only 1 point! So here's the meal I prepared. Go ahead and copy it, arriba!

SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS WITH RICE & BEANS

TACOS:

2 Ortega Shells (2 points)
2 servings of the shredded chicken taco mix (2 points)
Diced tomato, onion and pepper (0 points - you're not using a lot here)
2 tblspoons of sour cream (1.5 points)
Shredded Mexican cheese (2 points)

TOTAL: 7.5 points

I paired this with a Smart Ones- Santa Fe Rice and Beans (6 points). I threw a little chopped pepper and onion in there for a little kick too.

TOTAL FOR THE WHOLE MEAL: 13.5 points!

If you need to cut down the points, you can take out the cheese or sour cream, or just cut the Santa Fe Rice & Beans in half for 3 points. It's still a healthy side serving with the tacos.

I actually made 4 because I was super-hungry and I had a ton of points left. They were REALLY filling and I could barely finish two of them. This is a nice, hearty meal...and if you're diggin' mexican, it'll do the trick!

PHOTOS!

I just put a link (over to the right) of my starting photos. I think I'll probably put a new link up for every 25 lbs I lose. Unless I just happen to look fabulous one day, and then I put that up too. lol

If anyone has any before/after inspirational photos they want to share - or even have me post here - please let me know!

I'd also love to feature anyone with a success story, so feel free to drop me a line if you're proud!

LOW POINT AWESOME-NESS

Being the point-whore that I am, I'm always on the lookout for tasty, low-point eats. When I did WW a few years back, I knew ALL of the good snacks and such. I get really excited when I find something that doesn't taste like cardboard and only costs me a few points. (which probably speaks pretty dramatically about the excitement in my life right now. lol)

So, here are the latest low-point winners for me:

HEAVEN'S BISTRO : VEGGIE PIZZA : FULL PIZZA= 12.5 POINTS

I'll be the first to admit that eating vegetables is a huge chore for me. I've NEVER liked more than just a few of them, although I'm training my palette to be a little more adventurous.

But this here pizza is the answer to my veggie prayers! It's LOADED with vegetables, so you get a good 1-2 servings on your pizza. It's also REALLY tasty and filling. I'm a girl who can easily put away a whole frozen pizza, and 3/4 of this filled me up. And the best part? 3/4 of a pizza was 9.5 points!!! So far, I've only seen them at Trader Joe's, but their WEBSITE gives you locations of where to buy.

KASHI ROLL! CHOCOLATE TURTLE = 3 POINTS

Anything that says "turtle" on it, immediately gets my attention. I'm a sucker for chocolate, caramel, and nuts. Only this wasn't exactly that. But I didn't care. This roll rocked!

The outside is covered with a rice krispie and nut mixture, and the inside is a chewy, chocolate-y center. It's not as a good as a candy bar, obviously, but it's hearty and pretty damn tasty. I had it with my coffee for breakfast and it completely filled me up. I am going to stock-up on these bad boys because when you need something low-point in a pinch, these work like a charm. Kashi is also having a promotion right now for a free granola bar. Check out their WEBSITE.


KEEBLER'S RIGHT BITES: FUDGE STRIPE MINIS : 2 POINTS

In general, I'm a big fan of all of these 100 calorie pre-packaged goodies. It's already portion controlled for me, there's no thinking, and most of the time, they taste really good. These are my absolute favorite though, because they're chocolate-y good, and only 2 points for the whole package. When looking for these, you have to look in the Keebler section - not the Nabisco section, where most of the other 100 calorie snacks are.

AND THE BIG LOW-POINT WINNER OF THE WEEK IS:

ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S SMART POP KETTLE CORN: 1 POINT!!

OH. MY. GOD. I struck popcorn GOLD here! The entire bag - THE ENTIRE BAG - is only ONE POINT!! And I'm not talking one of those, "you're on a diet, here's a little tiny snack pack of popcorn" bags. This is a FULL BAG of popcorn and it's only 1 point.

I LOVE me some kettle corn, and my mom talked me into trying this. I did it begrudgingly, because I've found that most of the Smart Pop stuff tastes like cardboard to me. THIS TASTES GREAT!! IT'S AWESOME!! This is sweet is yummy and totally filling and guilt free. You can check out this product and some of their other Smart Pop products on their WEBSITE.

So there you go. Some good low-point eats for ya. I'm off to make a nice low-point lunch....

4 LBS GONE - 102.4 TO GO!!

My first weigh-in was today, and I lost 4 lbs. I actually didn't think I lost anything, so I was pretty excited that 4 were gone. And I have my puppy, Julip, to thank for it!

Ever since we moved to the loft, Julip isn't able to just run outside like before. I now take her out for long walks at least 3-4 times a day, which is a significant amount more walking for me these days.

Another friend is thinking about joining our Wednesday group too, which will rock and make it much fun for the three of us to be there supporting each other.

That's it, just a 4 lbs weight loss check-in.

YOU BETTER WORK!

Work it, girl!

Ok, I'm going to be 35 in February, and I am truly tired of being a fat-ass. I've been fat my entire 35 years, and it needs to change. I've rejoined Weight Watchers and I'm going to make it stick this time. I'm going to rebuild myself into a Diva Machine.

I just moved into a great new apartment with my treadmill readily available (and NOT being used as extra hanging space for my clothing). I've gotten rid of old baggage (old being Bob, baggage being Bob), and I'm working to make my life better in every way.

I'm doing this with my friend CT - who truly rocks. We're going to kick each other's asses and make sure we both stay on track.

I'm going to use this as a way to post about my weight loss challenges, general info, new recipes, and great new low-point finds.

And I'll try to be funny.