Morgan and I left D/FW on Tuesday morning to head out to see my parents. Morgan, as I may have mentioned before, is attending the 2010 session of Camp Grandma. We got in around 1:40 or so and only were delayed about 40 minutes. The plane that we took to Orlando was late getting into Dallas, so we had that domino effect going. We apparently brought some rain with us, but that’s perfectly fine! We ALL can use a little of the wet stuff from time to time. With the girls in Florida, that leaves the boys back in Dallas. Adam apparently is being a little stinker…but he and Steve are having a good time. Morgan is having fun here too.
Steve assured me that he is looking after my precious new addition (the Veracruz) and let me know that I will be coming home to a full tank of gas. Maybe a clean car too??? Hmmm…if he reads this issuance, there may be a subliminal hint!
We relaxed on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning, Morgan and I went to the Y with my folks to get a workout in. Morgan mostly did the treadmill and goofed around though…Me? I actually ran for about 15 minutes. I had my music with me, and I really think that makes a huge difference. That, and running on an indoor track. I also did about 40 minutes on the recumbent bike on an Alpine Pass workout setting. I did 12.25 miles in 40 minutes. I wound down the workout with a 5 minute cool down on the elliptical machine. I think I earned about 10 activity points that session!!! I was quite stinky afterward…but hey…that’s what showers are for!!!!
One of the things I absolutely LOVE about coming back to Florida is getting a chance to visit with friends that I don’t get a chance to see very often. We always plan at least one girl’s night whenever I come into town. This visit included a girl’s night of Country Line Dancing at the famous “The Barn” in Sanford. I even packed my Tony Lamas for the occasion, since they don’t get a chance to go out much!!! Sammie, Diane, Donna, Michelle and I went out Wednesday night for some line dancing and some catching up. I was even able to follow along…mostly…I did come to a conclusion though…it’s MUCH easier to line dance to songs that are self-explanatory. Example: “Right foot stomp…Left foot stomp…You cha cha with your right…You cha cha with your left…You turn to the right…And move to the left…Back it up! ... and jump!” Now THIS I was able to dance to, no problems. No Dance-step ADHD! We really worked up a sweat. As long as you find an activity that you like, go for it. Activity is activity and they ALL help to burn calories. I do need more practice with the line dancing though…Michelle and her husband were kind enough to play chauffer on Wednesday night.
After the dancing was over (or when we all had enough…whatever way you look at it…tee-hee!!!) we went out for a bite to eat. We ended up at Denny’s, since it was close to home. I was having a hard time deciding what to get, since most of the menu looked pretty POINTS® heavy. I decided on their “Ultimate Omelet”, which normally has 18 points. This omelet is a 3-egg omelet, which has cheese, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, along with hashbrowns and toast. What I did to make the best of a bad situation is adjust how I approached my order. I asked for egg whites (3 are only 1 POINT®) and NO MEAT, and NO CHEESE. This meant counting POINTS® for the egg whites, a couple of extra POINTS® for the oil or butter used on the grill, and no POINTS® for the veggies. My omelet I estimated at 4 POINTS® [3 for the butter/oil on the grill, 1 for the egg whites and none for the veggies]. I had dry wheat toast and the hashbrowns, plain. The total damage for my dinner indulgence came to 11 POINTS®, which I had in my budget. Not bad for all that, especially when the omelet by ITSELF contained 18 POINTS®. There are ways to work around any menu situation. It just takes a bit of thought.
This morning (today is Thursday…) we went to work out again. Today, I stuck with walking and did 45 minutes on the track at a nice pace. Tonight I am meeting some friends from Grad School for dinner in Downtown Winter Park (for those of you Central Floridians on my distro…). I am very much looking forward to a nice night of catching up with my study-group buddies.
Work seems to be surviving without my presence in the office. I even went against my better judgment and chatted my boss to see if they were okay! He said they were fine. Good thing, because I did NOT bring the PC with me. Didn’t want to check a bag, and he wasn’t too thrilled with my proposition of having him pick up the checked-bag fee if I had to tote the laptop along with me…LOL!!!
I will be attending a Saturday meeting here in Orlando. I even managed to get a friend of mine (who is also a reader of my newsletters) to join. I am meeting her up there at the 8:15 meeting and will be there to support her. She told me that I am an inspiration to her, and she is finally ready to make the commitment to lose the weight. I am SOOOO proud of this woman.
OH—in other news? I submitted my weight loss story to Lean Cuisine.com and I received word via email yesterday that they selected my story to appear on their website. As soon as I get a working link from those guys, I will enclose so you can view the webpage! How exciting! I am now pseudo-famous!!!
This is also the third straight week of losses for me. Down 2.2 pounds (or 9 sticks of butter) this week. More to come, I promise!!!
The meeting on Monday focused on plateaus, or lack thereof!
True plateau indicators:
- Occurs when weight stays the same for several weeks
- Usually happens six months inMay occur for physical reasons
- Weight-loss results in lower Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR) – energy required to keep vital functions going when the body is at rest (accounts for 60-70% of calories burned). When weight loss happens, body mass and BMR go down
- Energy intake = Energy output = Time to reassess!
- Revisit your Plan guidelines
- Write and follow a weekly plan (I do this, and I do see results!)
- Check your activity stage (Book 2 – Start Moving More)
- Hang in there. It’s a LIVE-IT not a DIET!!!
Week 2 of the fruits and veggies challenge is to use more color this week. See if you can get more colors in this week. With the summer upon us, this ought to be a no brainer…greens, reds, yellows, oranges and blues…they are all there!!! And they are cheap too! Produce is a great POINTS® Value too. They filling foods, and they will keep you satisfied. Remember—no one ever had to join Weight Watchers for OD’ing on fruits and veggies!
“Success is a journey, not a destination”
- Ben Sweetland
RECIPESElissa’s soon-to-be-famous Throw-Together Chopped Salad
Since I was leaving for vacation on Tuesday the 13th, I wanted to try and use up some of the veggies in the fridge. I came up with this recipe on the fly, and it was FABULOUS! I served this with some veggie burgers.
POINTS® Value: 2 per serving
Servings: Approx. 3
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: NONE!!!
Level of Difficulty: INSANELY Easy
Ingredients:
3 cups mixed greens (I prefer a spring mix), chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced thinly
½ cup very thinly sliced red onions
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tin anchovies, drained and diced (this you can leave out…but it adds a nice salty dimension to the dish)
¼ cup reduced fat feta cheese crumbles (I prefer Athenos)
2 Tbsp light vinaigrette style dressing (for this iteration of the salad, I used Kraft Greek Vinaigrette with Feta Cheese & Oregano; 2T for 50 calories [1 POINT®]
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well. Drizzle dressing over all, and combine. Divide evenly among three salad plates. Enjoy!
