Monthly Archives: January 2010

Emotional eating…we all do it

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I think I have touched on this subject before, but I thought it would be worth talking about again – emotional eating. The kind of eating that most often leads us to trouble.

Wednesday morning, I was on my computer and decided to post something to my Confesssions of a Fat Girl Facebook page; this is what it was: "Don’t let emotions control your eating habits. If you are mad, sad, stressed or tired, don’t let food be your relief. Instead, call a friend, go for a walk, go work out or do anything that keeps you out of the refrigerator and your cupboards. If food is what you really want, grab an apple or an orange instead of a candy bar or bag of chips."

That post was at 6:44 a.m.

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting at 8 a.m. Want to know what the topic was? Yep, you guessed it. It was emotional eating. Weird, huh? It actually kind of freaked me out.

I know we have all done it. I have done it a ton lately, and I am not sure why. Maybe it’s the winter doldrums. I’m not much of a cold-weather person so I tend to stay cooped up inside the house quite a bit, which doesn’t help matters any.

So, when I am bored, I tend to take many trips into the kitchen. I open up the fridge, look around, most often not grabbing anything. Then, I go to the cupboards, open the doors, look around, most often not grabbing anything. But, sometimes, I grab something to eat every single time. And it’s not always something healthy. I bet there are days I do this at least 10 times. Now keep in mind, between these times, I haven’t gone grocery shopping or anything. So really, what do I expect when I open the doors to the cupboard or fridge eight hundred times a day? I mean seriously, all the food is the same. It’s not like some magic food fairy came by and filled the fridge with something magical!

But it’s not just when I am bored that I do this. If I have had a crappy day at work, which most often doesn’t happen (thankfully), I get home and do the same food-hunting process. Open the doors, look around and then most of the time, walk away. But I am not always fortunate enough to walk away. I don’t always have willpower or the strength. Sometimes I just grab something and don’t really even pay attention and just eat just to make myself feel better. Sometimes, it’s a piece of fruit and sometimes, it’s not. Maybe it’s a piece of candy or two or three or four…

But it’s not always boredom and frustration that causes me to go on my food hunts. Sometimes, I am anxious or sad or stressed or even happy. So, what can I do and what can you do? We can learn to read our body’s signals. We can learn to determine if it’s physical hunger or our emotions. At my meeting, the leader talked about identifying actual physical hunger – such as when our stomach growls or we feel lightheaded, have a loss of energy or even, get the shakes. These types of symptoms are signals that we are hungry and actually NEED food. Not just want it because it might make us feel better – for the short term anyway.

Most often, when I eat mindlessly because my emotions take over, I feel worse afterward because I will most often eat something I shouldn’t have or shouldn’t have had so much of. You know what I mean.

So, next time you are heading to the kitchen, stop. Think about what you are doing. Determine if you are really hungry – as in your have physical signs that your body needs to be refueled – or if it’s just your emotions taking over. If it turns out to be emotional eating, then do something else – put a puzzle together, paint, draw, exercise, read, chew on a piece of gum, call a family member or friend, exercise, take a bath, do some deep breathing, exercise, clean your house, clean your car, exercise…I think you get the picture. Do something other than eat. Unless, you really NEED it.

A little disappointed

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Today was weigh-in day at my Weight Watchers meeting. I really, really, really, really…okay, I think you get the picture…DID NOT want to weigh in. But I did.

I wish I hadn’t. But I know it’s the only way I can stay accountable. I had my biggest gain today in about 12 weeks. My goal weight when I started WW was 155 and at my August 12 weigh-in, I reached it. I hit 154.6. Since that time, I have lost and gained and at one point (it was October 28), reached my all-time lowest in more than 16 years – I was an even 148 pounds. Yep, that’s right, 1-4-8. Since then, I have fluctuated up and down .4 here or maybe 1.2 there, but today, I was up 2.2 pounds from last week’s weight of 148.2. So, I am now at 150.4. 

I know, it’s not that big of deal, right? But for some reason, it really bothered me. I think because it was all at once. I  mean, 2.2 pounds. Yikes. Although, really, I am still under my goal weight, which makes me uber excited. Seriously, I haven’t been this thin – OMG, I actually just said the word thin…wow, that sounded weird – since before my son was born and as many of you know, he is a teenager with a driver’s license and his own car!

I know the gain is completely my fault. This past week, I have been totally lax about my eating, and kind of, about my tracking, too. There may have been more than one occasion where I forgot to log a piece of candy or a handful of Doritos or something else sinful and oh-so-bad-for-me. Now that I think about it, it may have been two or three or, okay, maybe it was five or six times I didn’t log the food I was shoveling into my mouth. Why? As my son always says when I ask him a question, "I don’t know." I guess it was laziness or it could have been my attitude. I simply didn’t feel like it or didn’t care for some unknown reason.

Thankfully, though, I haven’t been lazy about exercising. I probably would have had a much bigger gain had I not exercised so faithfully. And that is because of Tina, my new workout buddy! Thanks, Tina. Glad we have each other to rely on. Tina and I meet at 6:30 a.m. at my house on Mondays and Fridays and at 5:30 p.m. at her house on Wednesdays. We both do other exercising on the other days, as well. We have been having a blast. 

Well, today is the start of a new week for me. And I am jumping back up on that horse and takin’ it for one heck of a ride. I hope to have those two pounds off at next week’s weigh-in. Luckily, my good attitude is back and I am ready to log everything that goes down my hatch! Wish me luck.

NOTE: I have been meaning to ask, is there anything you want to know? Is there anything that you wonder about me, my eating habits, my exercise regimen or any other topic? Please feel free to post a question or send me an e-mail to celbeam@gmail.com. If you haven’t noticed, I am pretty open and willing to talk about my healthy living/new lifestyle journey. So, don’t be afraid. Ask away. And, as mentioned in the last few posts, Confessions of a Fat Girl is now on Facebook. Look me up and become a fan! Thanks.

Cool invention idea

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I came up with a great idea for our break room/kitchen at work – a warning system or signal of some kind that would let employees know when there is tempting food, such as leftover birthday cake, leftover bars, leftover cookies, leftover dessert or leftover whatever, on the table.

Seriously, I am not even kidding. There should be red lights that flash and warning bells that sound loud and clear when I, or, I guess other co-workers, approach the break room. "THIS IS A WARNING. THERE IS TEMPTING FOOD ON THE TABLE…ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!" At that point, I would hope I’d turn right around and go back to my desk. Safe from regret. I would stay out of the kitchen until the next alarm sounded, "THE TABLE IS FREE AND CLEAR OF ALL FATTENING, HIGH-CALORIE TREATS. YOU CAN NOW ENTER AND NOT BE TEMPTED." 

Or maybe, when someone brings a treat and leaves it on the table, it would trigger an all-employee e-mail with this message: "THE KITCHEN IS NOW OFF LIMITS TO THOSE WHO DON’T WANT TO BE TEMPTED BY TASTY TREATS." Then, when all the treats were gone, we would get another e-mail that said, "THE KITCHEN IS ONCE AGAIN A TREAT-FREE ZONE."

Wouldn’t that be awesome? Wouldn’t that rock? I, for one, would LOVE IT!

It used to be worse when our night cleaning person would leave decadent desserts nearly every day. Oh, she was a great baker. I miss her. No wait, I miss her treats. No, just kidding. I miss her and NOT her treats. There would be ooey-gooey caramel bars or delicious mouthwatering chocolate bars or scrumptious cookies on a regular basis. Although that was a long time ago and I didn’t much care back then, there were days when I literally would avoid going into the break room.

This morning, as I was making my way into the kitchen, I passed a co-worker who said, "There’s cake on the table." I sincerely thanked her and thought about turning around, but I didn’t. I proceeded into the kitchen where I filled up my cup with hot water for my morning tea and then slowly, very slowly, walked past the table, turned back around and cut a teeny, tiny piece of cake loaded with frosting, which I immediately shoved in my mouth as quickly as possible. 

Then, with a smirky smile, I walked, no, bounced, back to my desk. Ahhh, sugar is so wonderful so early in the morning. So maybe, that warning system isn’t such a great idea after all. I probably would ignore, just like I did the warning from my co-worker.

P.S. Yes, this is another reminder that you can find Confessions of a Fat Girl on Facebook. So come on, find me and become a fan! Thanks.

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Sunday snackfest

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I’m beginning to not like Sundays. Not because I typically do between eight and 10 loads of laundry, but because for some reason, I snack ALL – DAY – LONG!

I don’t know what it is about Sundays that I have this compelling urge to eat all day. And not necessarily healthy eating, either. I wake up and have my usual breakfast and always have good intentions of eating healthy the rest of the day and then, sometimes, within minutes, I am in the kitchen opening the refrigerator and the cupboards trying to find something to snack on. I should count how many times I walk back and forth from the living room to the kitchen on any given Sunday. I wonder if I could count that as exercise? : )

Let me share yesterday’s food frenzy with you. For breakfast, I had two packages of instant grits, which I love by the way. I make it really thick and only add two packs of Equal to it. No milk. No maple syrup. Nothing. Just two packs of Equal. Next, I decided to have one of my Vitalicious muffin tops. As I was warming it up in the microwave, I remembered we had leftover fat free Cool Whip from our Saturday night dinner with friends. I made apple tartlets that had a dollop of Cool Whip on them. Well, my Vita tops are chocolate and so of course, the Cool Whip was a perfect topping for my muffin. Seriously, I eat these muffin tops every morning and I never, I mean NEVER put Cool Whip on them. But because it was in my fridge, I had to finish it. It was divine.

Let’s see, what came next. Well, I know I ate some Doritos and then four Cinnasticks from Dominos with a container of the icing, a four-cup bag of Jolly Time 100-calorie microwave popcorn in the kettle corn variety, two crusts off my son’s pepperoni Dominos pizza that he had leftover from the night before that he was gnawing on for lunch, a Weight Watchers chocolate creme cake, Hostess 100-calorie lemon cakes, a pear (Wahoo, I actually ate one thing healthy!) and half of the Greek pizza that my husband made for supper. Forty-four Weight Watchers points later – yes, I said 44 points, my day was done. The four Dominos Cinnasticks were 11 points alone. The container of icing was five. YIKES!

My points would have been a lot higher had my son listened to me and drove to store to get the vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup I was craving and so desperately wanted. As mad as he thinks I was, deep down I was really happy he didn’t. I definitely didn’t need it. Thanks, Brandon, I did actually appreciate that for once, you didn’t listen to your mother. 

I know I have to snack some times and not be so rigid when it comes to my healthy living journey, but I do have to admit, it kind of ticked me off. Not necessarily because of everything I ate, but because I felt like I couldn’t control it. Does that make sense? I didn’t beat myself up over it or anything like that, but I just feel disappointed sometimes. Like I said, though, not because of everything I shoveled in, but because I felt compelled or the urgency to eat like that. It’s the not having control that I don’t like.

Well, this morning, I got up at 5:45 a.m., had a healthy breakfast and then worked out. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and did 25 minutes of circuit training. I definitely feel much better and know that I will have a better day today. I almost always do well during the week and even on Saturdays. It’s those darn Sundays that get me. I guess I will have to try better next week.

P.S. I know most of you probably tired of hearing it, but if you are on Facebook, check out Confessions of a Fat Girl and become a fan! Thanks.

Ever feel like giving up?

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Giving up. This is definitely something I have thought about more than once during my new healthy living journey. No lie, I probably think about it once a week. It’s not that I don’t enjoy this new lifestyle, I do. Actually, I enjoy it more than I thought I would – well, most of it anyway.

I love eating healthy and trying new recipes. I even love tracking how much goes down the hatch on a daily basis. That’s actually probably the most fun part out of all of this. Why? Because like I have said many times before, I make it a game. I like to see just how much I can actually eat and stay at my daily allowed Weight Watchers points. Sometimes, it’s really crazy just how much does go in my mouth each and every day. Fortunately, nearly all of it is fruits and vegetables and lean proteins and all that healthy stuff I am supposed to eat, which is good. I guess. 

I mean, if I happen to have a DQ blizzard or my all-time favorite ice cream treat from Cold Stone Creamery, I can’t eat much else for the rest of the day. And really, what fun is that? Isn’t quantity sometimes better?

And when it comes to exercise, I do like it. Kind of. Sort of. I have a new exercise buddy, Tina, and it’s really awesome. It is so much better to work out with someone. I love it. But I think I may have figured out why people quit exercising or take a break from it. It’s called sore muscles. Seriously, they hurt. And no matter what anyone says, it’s not always a "good hurt." You would think after doing all the friggin’ squats and blasted lunges – front and back mind you – that I have done in the past six months, my legs would be used to it. 

Nope. They’re not. I am obviously still not in very good shape. Yes, I have lost more than 40 pounds, but dang, my muscles need work. After our last Friday workout and then with Monday’s workout, I really truly was going to quit. Exercising, that is. I could barely walk, my legs hurt. Okay, I am kind of a baby and like to whine, but c’mon, it wasn’t much fun. And okay, it kind of was a "good hurt" – kind of. Fortunately, Tina and I already had plans to meet yesterday otherwise I probably wouldn’t have done anything. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do like to exercise. Most of the time. When I am done doing it, that is. And it does make me feel good and it really does help me make better food choices. Most of the time. Most often, I think, "I am not wasting all that exercise I just did for a lousy cookie or two." But then there are other times I think, "Well, I just exercised for an hour I can eat whatever I feel like." UGH! And someone just told me yesterday that I have such good willpower. Really? You think so? Sometimes, I don’t.

I just wish I was one of those persons who really, honestly, truly, thoroughly loves to exercise. I wish it didn’t seem like a chore or something I HAVE TO do. Maybe I am just sick and tired of being cooped up in the house and need to just get outside and run. Too bad I am such a wimp and won’t do anything outside unless it’s at least 40 degrees or warmer. I know, I AM A WIMP.

At any rate, I will keep plugging along and won’t quit. But sometimes, I sure wish I could.

By the way, for those who don’t yet, Confessions of a Fat Girl is on Facebook, so become a fan! Thanks!

Rewarding yourself

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When you set up goals for yourself and then reach your goal, do you often reward yourself? Some people do, some people don’t. Oftentimes, people will reach a goal and reward themselves with food. That may not always be the best choice.

My opinion is that people should be rewarded for reaching their goals. If they work hard at it and achieve what they set out to do, then why not be rewarded for the effort. Now, I am not saying the rewards have to be outlandish, expensive items. Instead, they can simple and cheap. Which in this economy, is probably best.

I read somewhere about some cool ideas for rewards that people can use and do. Of course, for the life of me, I can’t remember where I read it, but I do remember some of the items. So, here’s what I think you and I guess, myself, should do. Make of list of five goals you want to complete within a reasonable amount of time. Make them attainable goals – don’t set yourself up to fail. They can be small goals or they can be large goals. 

Next, figure out how you are going to reward yourself. Here are some ideas for simple and cheap or half-cheap rewards: 

If you don’t visit a coffee shop on a regular basis, treat yourself to a cup of fun coffee or tea (be mindful of the calories) for reaching one of your goals.

For another, how about a nice relaxing bath with candlelight, soft music and a glass – yes, only one – of your favorite wine. BY YOURSELF. No kids, no TV, no husband, no telephone, no computer. Just you and your bathtub. Door closed. Take at least half an hour all to yourself.

Okay, this is food, but why not treat yourself to a piece – I said a piece, as in one, uno – of your ultimate favorite chocolate. The one you can only find at the bakery or specialty chocolate shop. Remember to eat it very, very slowly and savor every, single, solitary, itty-bitty bite.

Buy a new book or go to your library and check out a book. Spend an entire Saturday curled up on the couch (that is after you spend at least 30 minutes exercising in the morning) reading your book. The laundry can wait. The dust will be there the next day. Maybe a family member or friend can watch your children. But take the time to relax. You deserve it.

There are other things that may cost just a little bit more money, but hey, don’t you deserve it, aren’t you worth it? So how about a 30 minute massage, a pedicure, a manicure or even just a facial. Why not buy a new outfit or maybe a new purse or a new pair of shoes – a fun pair for summer – or even a new perfume. 

Maybe you reward yourself by spending time with a friend, catching up in person instead of through text messaging, e-mails or Facebooking.

So, set up goals – small or large, but attainable – and then figure out ways to reward yourself. The rewards can often be the best part because then, you have something to look forward to. Have fun with it and be creative. Maybe even share some of rewards by posting a comment here. Maybe your reward might just be my next reward.

A great big sugar high!

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Wow, it’s amazing what too much sugar can do to a person…especially when that person hasn’t had much of "that" kind of sugar.

Every now and then, okay, about once a month or so, I feel the need to indulge in a few sweet treats. Today, apparently, I over did it. Really. Don’t get me wrong, I eat sugar – the natural kind found in apples, oranges, bananas and McDonald’s ice cream cones. Oh wait, I guess that’s not the natural kind I was talking about.

Today, I was just about done with work when I heard the door to my co-worker’s cabinet/locker-thingy open. She’s in the next cubicle over, but metal doors aren’t the most quiet in a nearly empty office, especially when the door kind of sticks. That sound signifies that someone is more than likely snitching a piece of candy from her candy bowl, which she so graciously keeps full for all the sweet tooths in our office. You can almost always find the likes of Hershey’s kisses, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, Dove chocolates and much more in that gigantic plastic bowl of hers. Usually, I don’t indulge. At least not that often. Maybe once a week. Maybe. Really, it’s probably once a month. Really.

Well, today was my day. After the candy thief went back to his/her own corner of the office, I made my way to the candy cabinet. Because it was that once-a-month thing I was talking about, I knew I had no business even peeking in the cupboard. But I did. I snitched my own piece or two…during the first trip. By the time I got back to my desk, the two pieces I ate – two Dove chocolatey caramel goodness pieces – were long gone and I wanted more. Not the it would be awesome if I could have a couple more feeling. It was the OH-MY-GOD-I-HAVE-TO-HAVE-MORE-NOW feeling. I think it took me five steps instead of the usual 15 to walk to her desk. It was crazy.

Well, I snitched three more pieces. Ate them down so fast I don’t think my brain processed exactly what I was doing. Funny thing when I was done, though, I immediately went online to my Weight Watchers site and logged my five Dove chocolate/caramel candy pieces. Five pieces, five points. Yep…5. I can eat an entire meal for less than that. But, honestly, it was worth it. Even though I don’t think I necessarily chewed them or for that matter sucked on them until they melted, they just kind of went down. Fast. But nonetheless, I enjoyed them greatly. Because I kind of stocked up on fruit today (let’s see, I ate an orange, a banana, an apple and a pear), I was fine with eating five pieces of chocolate.

Well, until about 10 minutes after I was done. WOW! It was like I was floating on some kind of sugary cloud. But with another cloud above me that was rumbling over my head causing a kind of sugary headache. I really didn’t like that feeling. At all.

I really don’t think I will be indulging in that much sugar in such a short amount of time ever again. Ever. Not to say that I won’t indulge in that much sugar again…it will just be spread over a longer time period. 

P.S. If you’re a member of Facebook, look up Confessions of a Fat Girl and become a fan. I would surely appreciate it. Thanks and thanks for reading my blog!

Trying new foods

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Do you like to try new foods? I never did as a kid, but now as an adult, I thrive on trying new foods. I love tempting my tastebuds with fun, different and sometimes, what I call unique foods. Unique because we don’t make them on a regular basis or are not part of our regular diet.

As many of you know, on Saturday nights, my husband and I love to cook, drink wine, play games and listen to music. It is our date night. I recently had a friend tell me that my husband and I cook as a means of entertainment. I never thought of it that way, but she was right. It is entertaining.

I said in a recent post that I wasn’t going to count points for my Saturday night food extravaganza’s but last night, when my husband and I tried a new food, another new recipe, I found myself on the computer figuring out the points. To my surprise, what we ate was actually pretty healthy.

Couscous. Besides being fun to say, it’s fun to eat and healthier than I thought. One cup of cooked couscous only has three Weight Watchers points. It has the texture and consistency I love – it reminded me of grits, which is another food I love.

The recipe we made was quite healthy, although we cut the amount of oil called for nearly in half. Although the recipe stated it made four servings, there was plenty of couscous for six servings, which is what I used when figuring out the Weight Watchers points. I scanned the recipe in, so I wouldn’t have to retype it. The Warm Couscous & Grilled Zucchini Salad recipe is pictured below, along with the directions for preparing the zucchini. After the pictures, I will explain what we did differently.

The recipe said to brush the onions with oil. We did not do this. My husband sprayed them with Pam instead and it worked just fine. Also, we used only a 1/2 tablespoon of oil for the zucchini. When I figured out points, I only put 2 tablespoons of oil because the 1/2 that was used for the zucchini I figured was burned off when grilled. We also added a little bit more juice than it called for. I think my husband squeezed the juice from half an orange over the whole dish when it was done cooking. 

We served the couscous with a grilled mahi mahi that had a raspberry chipotle marinade on it. The whole meal was fantastic. Here is the picture I took when it was on my plate:

 

We had leftover couscous, which I ate today for lunch. It tasted just as good warmed up in the microwave as it did last night. Couscous is something that will definitely become a part of our regular food repertoire!

P.S. If you are on Facebook, check out Confessions of a Fat Girl and become a fan! Thanks!

What do I eat?

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Over the past couple of months, I’ve had people ask me what types of food I eat. So, I’ve decided to share it all here. But I am going to warn you, this is going to be a long post. I will list my meals for the last week, starting with Sunday, January 10.

January 10
Breakfast
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
1/2 cup Quaker quick oats – this is the dry measurement
2 teaspoons canola oil – this was mixed in my oatmeal
2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup – this was mixed in my oatmeal
Lunch
2 slices Sara Lee 40 calorie wheat bread with about 1 tsp I can’t believe it’s not butter spray, 1 packet of Equal and about 1/2 tsp cinnamon sprinkled on top
5 Brach’s cinnamon jelly hearts
1 packet of Nestle fat free hot chocolate
Supper
About half a small cheese and green olive pizza from a local restaurant, Angelina’s and two pieces of garlic toast

January 11
Breakfast
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
1/2 cup Quaker quick oats – this is the dry measurement
2 teaspoons canola oil – this was mixed in my oatmeal
2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup – this was mixed in my oatmeal
Lunch
1 Arnold sandwich thin with 1 wedge Laughing Cow light swiss cheese
1 medium-sized sweet potato with about 1 tsp. butter spray and sea salt
1 apple
Supper
1 helping of the chicken dish I wrote about earlier this week
Snacks
1 Hostess 100 calorie lemon snack cakes (These are so delicious!)
1 piece of Weight Watchers string cheese
1 pear

January 12
Breakfast
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
1/2 cup Quaker quick oats – this is the dry measurement
2 teaspoons canola oil – this was mixed in my oatmeal
2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup – this was mixed in my oatmeal
Lunch
1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of Sara Lee bread sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray (I use a generic brand) and 1 slice of Kraft 2% milk cheese dunked in about 1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh cut green beans (this equals about two cups) with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and sea salt
3 slices Oscar Meyer smoked turkey breast
1 container of sugar-free 60-calorie Jell-O in the Dulce De Leche flavor
Supper
1 grilled chicken breast with a chipotle lime sauce on it
3/4 cup Bird Eye Steamfresh super sweet corn with a couple of sprays of butter
1/2 bag of cooked carrots (I buy the Great Value ones from Walmart)
Snacks
1 piece of Weight Watchers string cheese
1 orange
1 Weight Watchers lemon snack cake
1 Arnold sandwich thin with about 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 pear

January 13
Breakfast
1 container of Yoplait thick and cream light French vanilla yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup Fiber One original cereal
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
Lunch
1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of Sara Lee bread sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray (I use a generic brand) and 1 slice of Kraft 2% milk cheese dunked in about 1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh cut green beans (this equals about two cups) with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and sea salt
3 slices Oscar Meyer smoked turkey breast
1 Hostess 100 calorie lemon cakes
Supper
I ate a chicken and pear with raspberries and raspberry vinaigrette dressing from Doolittles – I ordered it without the pecans and the blue cheese crumbles
Snacks
1 orange
2 pieces Weight Watchers string cheese
1 Weight Watches lemon snack cake
1 apple

January 14
Breakfast
1 container of Yoplait thick and cream light French vanilla yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup Fiber One original cereal
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
Lunch
1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of Sara Lee bread sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray (I use a generic brand) and 1 slice of Kraft 2% milk cheese dunked in about 1 tablespoon of ketchup
3 slices Oscar Meyer smoked turkey
1 bag (about 3 cups) Birds Eye Steamfresh broccolit cuts
1 apple
Supper
3 ounces grilled top sirloin steak with about 1 tablespoon of Grill Mates mesquite seasoning on it (the liquid kind that you make from a packet)
1 large baked potato with about 2 tablespoons fat free sour cream and about 1 teaspoon butter spray
Snacks
1 orange
1 Hostess 100 calories lemon cakes
5 cups Jolly Time 100 calorie kettle corn (about a half of the big bag)
1 Arnold sandwich thin with the butter spray, 1 packet of Equal and cinnamon sprinkled on top
1 small piece of cake (I was at some celebration thing for an assignment I was covering for work as my job as a reporter)

January 15
Breakfast
1 container of Yoplait thick and cream light French vanilla yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup Fiber One original cereal
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
Lunch
1 Jimmy John’s turkey unwich sandwich (this is made with a lettuce leaf wrapped around the sandwich fixings instead of using bread) with no mayo or cheese and then cucumbers and avocado spread added to it)
1 bag of Lay’s plain baked potato chips
Supper
4 1/2 ounces of grilled pork tenderloin with a teriyaki sauce on it
3/4 cup Birds Eye Steamfresh super sweet corn
3/4 cup Success brown rice
1 Vitalicious muffin top – deep chocolate
Snacks
1 banana
1 orange
1 apple
1 Vitalicious muffin top – deep chocolate
1 Hostess 100 calorie lemon cake

January 16
Breakfast
1 Vitalicious muffin top – chocolate mint
1/2 cup Quaker quick oats – this is the dry measurement
2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup – this was mixed in my oatmeal
Lunch – I have had it yet, but I know what I am having
1 grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of Sara Lee bread sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray (I use a generic brand) and 1 slice of Kraft 2% milk cheese dunked in about 1 tablespoon of ketchup
3 slices Oscar Meyer smoked turkey breast
1 medium-sized sweet potato with about 1 teaspoon butter spray and sea salt
1 container of sugar-free 60-calorie Jell-O in the Dulce De Leche flavor
Supper – not sure what we’ll be having this evening
Snacks
1 apple
1 orange

If you notice, I have weights and measurements for a lot of my food and that is because I still literally weigh and measure out much of the food I eat. Sometimes, I can eye-ball it, but I am still not comfortable doing that. And really, I don’t mind measuring out and weighing my food. It really keeps me from over eating. It keeps my portions in check, which has been and always will be a problem for me. 

Well, I hope that shed some light into my world of eating. Some days are good, some days aren’t. But overall, I am pleased with my food choices…..most of the time.

P.S. If you’re on Facebook, check out Confesssions of a Fat Girl and become a fan! Thanks!

Pumped!

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Oh, the power of the Internet. As many of you know, I now have a Confessions of a Fat Girl Facebook page. The other day, I posted this, "What’s your preference…exercising with a buddy or exercising alone? Are you more motivated when exercising with a friend – I know I am." 

I had several people post that although they work out alone, they would rather work out with a friend. Even though I have been exercising a lot more than I normally do these past few months, most often, I wish I had someone to work out with. Yes, there have been times that I worked out with my student trainer and on a few occasions, with my husband and son. But those times are few and far between. I don’t think my 16-year-old son cares to spend time working out with his mother and most often, my husband is too tired.

I don’t know what it is that makes me work out harder and more often when I have someone to work out with, but I do. It just seems more fun and not as much work. Does that make sense? One of the comments on my Facebook page said that the person likes to work out with someone else because it keeps her motivated and she works out harder because she doesn’t want to look bad. That completely makes sense to me. I get that. Maybe it’s the whole competition thing? Although I really have never thought of myself as competitive, at least not when it comes to sporting-type activities. Maybe it has something to do with camaraderie or feeling like a part of something – yes, even though there is just the two of you.

At any rate, after a few exchanges on my post about exercise, I offered for one of the commenters, who I know lives in my town, to e-mail me if she wanted to come over to my house to exercise with me. I won’t go to a gym because I have all the equipment I need in my own basement – plus, I can’t afford it. I mean, come on, I have a nice treadmill, a nice elliptical, free weights, a small weight bench, an exercise ball – plus, I have a Wii Fit and Wii EA Active. Do I really need to go to a gym? I didn’t think so.

So, after several e-mails back and forth between my commenter and myself, we made a plan to meet tomorrow morning to work out. We were going to meet for coffee and hash out a schedule to start next week. Then, I thought to myself, "Why not just start tomorrow? I can put a pot of coffee on at home!"

I can’t wait for tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to having an exercise buddy!

P.S. For those who are on Facebook, look up Confessions of a Fat Girl and become a fan!