Showing posts with label weight watchers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight watchers. Show all posts

Monday, October 5, 2009

Weight Watcher's New iPhone App


How cool is this for all of you who track your calories and/or points? Weight Watchers just came out with an iPhone App for tracking. Brilliant idea. I used to use my Palm (back in the day) but it was really more like note-taking than anything organized. Since then, I've mostly been paper based.

I'm not doing Weight Watchers now, but maybe I should be. Of course, then I'd have to get an iPhone. I'm guessing they don't have one for my Google phone...


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Back in action


So I've been a bit distracted since my trip to Texas for Mother's Day. I always use trips as an excuse to blow my diet. Which I did this time as well. And although I told myself I'd be back on my diet as of Monday, instead, I let myself get completely distracted in wedding planning! Alex and I finally set a date for the wedding. (More on that here).

However, I'm definitely going to have to get it together and lose some weight before the wedding! So I have some new motivation.

I'd like to figure out adding a new gym membership to my wedding saving budget, but New York gyms can be pricey.

So I'll start by joining Weight Watchers again...

Here we go...

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Uh Oh! Sabotage!


So I've completely fallen off the wagon. Luckily, I have this blog to confess my sins, pick myself back up and keep on going.

I'd been slipping a bit, but then yesterday I just went all-out-off-the-diet. We ordered a pizza and had chips and dessert. Ug. And had my usual old Starbucks breakfast this morning and pizza again for lunch.

No good. I'm just cranky, and that's what I do when I'm cranky.

So I need to just accept my temporary defeat and start over. But I have a trip planned this weekend, so we'll see how this all goes! I will however report back!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Vegetarian Pulled Chicken Sandwich


Just had this It's All Good brand veggie barbecue pulled chicken on a grilled bun for dinner. Only two Weight Watchers points per serving. Two servings per box.

For all you vegetarians/vegans out there, I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for some variety. Or even if you aren't a vegetarian, but you want a low point meal, this is a good choice.



Wednesday, April 29, 2009

My sweet tooth is kicking my butt


Last week, I was okay with a little something sweet after dinner, but this week, my sweet tooth is getting the better of me.

Is it better to indulge a little (as I have been) or to just stay strong and get that sugar out of my system?

I've been having little tastes. Like today in our meeting, there were cupcakes! I LOVE cupcakes! Bypassing a cute little chocolate cupcake (my favorite) isn't at all like skipping on a cookie.

So I had half of one.

And I've been looking at Weight Watchers dessert recipes.

Like these...

Chocolate Banana Napolean
Chocolate Souffle
Mini Chocolate Mousse Tarts



Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Soy and Cashews in Lettuce Cups


This recipe just in from Real Simple. I love lettuce cups and I love Boston lettuce even more. However, their version is chicken, and mine will most definitely be either tofu or fake soy chicken. The cashews are a huge plus.

See the Real Simple recipe here and substitute as necessary to make it vegetarian.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sweet Tooth: Chocolate cake, whipped cream and berries


Those of you who know me know that I have a *serious* sweet tooth. Mostly, I've been trying to cut out sugar, but tonight I decided to make a little desserty treat.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones chocolate chip chocolate muffin heated, plus fat free whipped cream, plus strawberries = YUM!

4 points.

Italian Eggs Over Spinach and Polenta


I almost bought a package of polenta at the store today-- so mad I didn't because I just found this awesome-sounding recipe on Cooking Light.

I'm looking for variety and want to try new things, so this is perfect as it's unique, healthy, simple and fast enough, but still vegetarian. I'll let you know how it turns out when i do make it.

Only 264 calories and six points per serving.

See the complete recipe here.

Friday, April 24, 2009

The Cookie Monster Strikes Again!!


Ummm...yeah...that would be me!

I haven't been sleeping well (which i can't figure out) and have been super tired. Unfortunately, when I'm tired and cranky, I turn to food. So this morning, I had a bigger breakfast than usual to try and combat that a bit. I totally inhaled it! Which was fine, all within my Weight Watchers points. Except that I still wasn't satisfied. But i wasn't technically hungry either.

Tired, having trouble concentrating on the notes for my morning meeting, I went to the kitchen for an extra cup of coffee. Again, okay. But then it happened...*someone* left two big bins of cookies on the kitchen table! Chocolate cookies!

Totally snarfed one down!

So that's the bad part. The good part is that a) it was quite little, b) i resisted a second one by asking myself what good it would really do, and c) this was the third day someone had left out different kinds of awesome cookies. And this was the first time I indulged.

So a little bit at a time I guess.

It's more about why I was eating this morning, than what, at the end of the day, i did eat. My biggest challenge too is that I totally felt better after my snarfed breakfast, cookie and coffee.

I should start calling that gnawing part of me the cranky monster.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Wow Meal: Tempeh Coconut Curry


I tried something new tonight. I gave tempeh another try, but this time in a coconut curry with mushrooms, peas, red peppers and scallions -- on a bed of brown rice.

It was superb and surprisingly low in points. I used the Tofurky tempeh strips, so talk about easy.

Water with Orange and Basil (Really!?!)


Yes, really! I've certainly had water with lemon and even water with cucumber which is lovely and refreshing.

The orange sounds great, but basil? Green Lemonade raves about it though. Convincingly enough that I have to try it!

Mmmm...Tostadas


So I had a little dig in the pantry last night and decided to make tostadas. Mmm...tostadas. It was a great, satisfying meal. In general, I've found that dieting helps me enjoy my food more. I take more time to appreciate what I do eat.

I made the tostada shells myself from corn tortillas and added all the fresh veg I had, plus red beans, a sprinkling of cheese and the teensiest bit of fresh avocado.

My recipe was a bit hodge-podge, but check out the Weight Watchers one on their site here. Theirs includes jicama, corn, avocado and lime. Yum!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Zucchini Pasta with Raw Marinara Sauce


I've just discovered The Vegan Foodie. She has the most fantastic recipes.

This zucchini pasta not only looks good, but I find it quite intriguing since it's all raw food. Sounds easy to make. (No cooking involved, of course!)

Plus, she says that it gave her energy, gotta try some of that!

I'll let you know how it turns out. The original recipe is from the Raw Food, Real World cookbook.

Pizza and spades


So Alex had the guys over tonight to play cards, and I had to face the temptation of pizza.

I planned on eating just one piece but ate a second when I saw I still had enough points left for the day. Now the rest sits in the box taunting me.

Which made me wonder, point- and health-wise, is it really worth blotting the oil off pizza? Does it work, I mean? Are you a blotter?


Monday, April 20, 2009

Spinach, Vegetable Quesadillas


I'm all for quick convenience foods. I'm often tired when I get home from work, so quicker is better. I also grew up in Texas where Mexican food reigns, so that's pretty much a staple in my diet as well.

One of my favorite foods are quesadillas. Which, if not done right, can do you in! However, follow my instructions below and you'll have a quick, healthy, vegetarian dinner option.

Vegetable Quesadillas

Ingredients
fresh spinach
diced onion
fresh minced garlic (or garlic salt (optional))
mushrooms
diced red pepper
low fat cheese
small low fat/whole wheat tortillas (corn are even better!)
hot sauce

Preparation
Using a no-fat cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil, saute the garlic and onion until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and let cook a few minutes. Finally, add the rep peppers and spinach for a final two or three minutes.

Add the sauteed vegetables and a small amount of cheese to a tortilla, fold in half and heat in the same frying pan, just until the tortillas are warm and soft.

Weight Watchers Points
Points will vary depending upon the amount of cheese, oil and the type of tortillas you use, so please measure accordingly. However, points range from 2 to 4 per half quesadilla.

If you're really strict, you could even do a half quesadilla (ie: one tortilla folded) for one point (corn tortilla, a dusting of light cheese, no-fat cooking spray).

Adapt the vegetables to suit your taste. To shave some time off the cooking, keep the mix of veg simple.

Enjoy!

Healthier "Cranky Food" Options


So far so good. I've only had one minor slip up in the last few days.

I was super cranky much of the weekend for whatever reason, and I did splurge on ice cream Saturday during the worst of it. It was actually frozen yogurt, but still... Definitely a pattern for me to turn to sweeties and comfort food when I'm in a mood.

However, I balanced that slip up with the fact that last night, I was cranky and super starving, but instead of ordering out as I usually would, I zapped some low sodium minestrone soup in the microwave, added a bit of parmesan and fresh spinach, and really enjoyed my very low point dinner.

I just needed something with zero effort and instant gratification. The soup surprisingly did the trick. I just need to remember that next time!

Then I worked on an art project to help focus my energy in a different way. Hopefully, if it turns out as I hope, it'll soon be featured on my blog Dabble.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

5K Run Across the Brooklyn Bridge


As far as exercise goes, I need as much motivation as I can get, so the idea of building up to and preparing for some sort of race is appealing.

I've done a few 5Ks for charity purposes, but never for exercise. All of those times, I walked the 5K, my only expectation just to finish it. So perhaps I can not only sign up for this one, but keep an eye on the time and set certain goals for myself.

The Weight Watchers website has created the Momentum Walk-It Challenge. They've set up all kinds of resources with a whole section for walking teams, info on area trainers (a lot for New York), and a list of 5Ks and other events to sign up for. Very cool. As an extra perk, you get a couple of freebies for joining. For signing up for a 5K, Weight Watchers gives you a free 6-month subscription to their magazine.

I've decided to sign up for the Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson 5k Run Across the Brooklyn Bridge. The fact that it's on the Brooklyn Bridge is another big perk. What beautiful views!

NOTE: Yeah! Alex has just agreed to sign up with me!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

My journey begins!


Not that I haven't been on this journey before! I've been on Weight Watchers however many times in the past. It works, believe it or not; it's just a matter of staying on the program!

This blog is less for public consumption, though it is of course public, and more for me to focus my energies. However, the accountability of having to report my point totals and weight loss publicly is a good thing.

So, here we go!

"Before" picture above.