Goals!

I went to a meeting today because my normal meeting tomorrow morning will not happen because of the holiday.  The meeting lesson was about goals and, wouldn't you know it, my last post was about my goal to join a gym this year. 

That was a pretty nebulous goal!  So here it is...

Monday, I will go to the new gym up the street and sign up.  That way, I will have the availability of this gym until the gym at work opens up and I won't have the excuse of "Hey, the gym is still under construction", which is pretty dang convenient if you ask me!

After speaking with the gym crew, I will determine what I plan to do with this gym membership, how much, how often, (is a psychiatrist included?), things of that nature.  I will "end" this venture, because I am being told to set an end date, on the 98th day, which will be my birthday.   If I have turned some corner and am loving it, then we re-set, if not, I will find some other activity that will let me burn off more calories than I am consuming thereby completing this dietary circle I am being told is necessary to get rid of this poundage. 

So, in review, using the Winning Outcomes strategy, I say:

1.  I want to start including more activity in my weight loss plan.
2.  I will join the new neighborhood gym and explore the possibilities with the trainers and develop a
     workout schedule.
3. I can do this by myself and won't depend on anyone to help me accomplish this.
4. This is a good fit for my life.  I have time, I have the funds, I have the God given ability. 
    I just need to get motivated.

Ok, so that 3rd bullet there, here's where ya'll come in.  I will post my activity schedule as soon as its developed.  And then I will confirm that I worked out accordingly or not!!  And you are expected to daintily applaud (nice little golf claps will work) or boo me as is necessary (or bean me with a golf club).

Goal Set!!

Hmm...A Dilemma!

This coming year, I want to start working out in a gym.  So here is my dilemma.

We have a gym at work and the company is revamping it as we speak.  Its due to open in March (I think?) and will be state of the art with an indoor track and all modern equipment with room for Zumba and Aerobic Dancing and pretty much anything one could ask for.   And its free for me!  Negative side, its at work and the only time I would be able to use it would be after work.  There may be some early morning hours but I am not going to go in and get my sweat on and then try to freshen up for the job. 

In addition to this, a private company is opening a new gym right up the street from me!  $15 a month with no long term commitment!  And they are open nights and weekends and I could walk there from here.  And I don't have to get my sweat on with the cute engineer from the cubicle around the corner from mine!  I can come home and shower afterwards (not a public shower kinda gal!). 

So, what would you do?  If the cost is not the issue to you (which it isn't really to me), which would you choose?  Decisions, decisions?!

Snow?!

Today it's likely to snow here!  In Tucson!  Weird, but a perfect excuse to make a big pot of pinto beans and pork chops.  The smell is incredibly homey and earthy and carries so many wonderful memories of family gatherings where many mouths could be satisfied with a pot of beans.  My dad used salt pork to both add salt and fat to the beans.  I don't like salt pork and because I watch the amount of salt and fat that goes into my food, and because my husband insists that "beans are not a meal and need some meat" I usually add a couple of lean boneless pork chops or country style ribs to the beans while they are cooking.  Of course the beans are also spiced to the max!

I will also cook up some skillet corn bread because you have to when you make beans.  Thems the rules! 

Notice I haven't posted any pictures lately?  It cause I hate the new camera.  I am trying to figure out some creative way to break it or lose it so I can get a new one without hubby being any the wiser.  Why I think I have to do this is beyond me because he could care less.  But I (think) I have to justify this somehow or another.  Go figure!

Plan? What Plan?!

Ever feel like you are just being swept along by the tides of life?  Hanging on to some flotsam or jetsam that washed your way and grateful for it?!

Well, that's kind of where I am right now.  Still taking care of step-dad, spent the better part of today with him at various doctors appointments.  I have cooked the last couple of days, pretty healthy too, but certainly not staying within my Good Health Guidelines and will expect the appropriate results when I weigh in on Friday (I want to go to a meeting on Friday as my Saturday meeting will be pre-empted by New Years Day).

Tonight we had left overs.  I made a roast beast last night, bottom round, very lean, with potatoes, carrots, onions and turnips.  I won't ever miss the meat, but damn those veggies were really good.  I could have eaten the entire dutch oven full of veggies all by myself!  Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.  Of course, ya'll will be the first to know!

Welcome New Follower Christy!

I just happened to glance over and see that Christy has taken to following me around!  Hi, Christy, welcome.  Sometime ago, I started welcoming my followers because, well, I guess its only polite and I am nothing if not polite!  So join the group, we are not quite a crowd yet, and I hope you enjoy my musings. 

Now She's Cooking!

So I have had this butternut squash sitting around here for what seems like forever (are these things indestructible?) and decided I wanted some soup today.  This morning I got up early and halved the squash, sprayed it with some olive oil and popped it in a hot oven for about 45 minutes.  While it was cooling off, I sweated some onions in about a tablespoon of olive oil and  little bit of turbinado sugar, wanting to caramelize them.   Of course, I have the patience of a gnat, so we got them sweated down and called it good.  I poured in a box of chicken broth (low sodium, fat free) about 4 cups and then added my now cooled and peeled squash. I used my immersion blender to smooth it out nicely and then I headed for the spice cabinet. 

I will tell you something.  Once you discover how spices work with food, and I ain't talking just salt and pepper, you get really adventurous!! So into my soup went a couple of Bay Leaves, some Chinese Five Spice, some Red Chile, Sage, Celery Salt, I dont' know but I think that's all.  And then I simmered it and while it simmered I baked some bacon!  And tasted and tasted and tasted my soup until I gave up and made myself a bowl! With some crumbled bacon in it.  Incredibly good stuff!!  And 2 P+ Points for 2 cups, not including the bacon!

Then I went to the grocery store and bought 2 more butternut squash so I can do it all over again!!  Amen!

Weigh In and Happy Holidays

I haven't posted in a while.  No particular reason, just time and energy or, more succintly, the lack thereof.  Today is my usual Weigh In day, but WW is closed for the holiday (slackers!) so I just weighed in at home.  170.4 down 1.6 for the week.  I hope this is a trend I can keep up!!

I spent Thursday and most of yesterday at the hospital with my stepfather who underwent emergency angioplasty Thursday morning.  He was released late yesterday and is currently sleeping comfortably in my guest room.  I hate hospitals!  I don't use the word hate lightly, but it really fits the way I feel about hospitals!

So it is definately a low key holiday around here.  Hubby got me a new TV to replace the one that jumped off the dresser and attacked me (the kids took that one) and I managed to NOT get hubby anything because I procrastinated until the last minute and then spent the last minute pacing the floors at the hospital! 

But I truly hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and celebrate the New Year safely and responsibly with both food and drink.  Be kind to your bodies.  They will thank you for it later.

Is It Over Yet?!

I must admit to having the biggest case of the Grinches ever in the history of man!  I am not into these holidays and I am not into eating for the holidays either and, that my friends, is saying a whole bunch!

Today, we had our FINAL work related gathering and it was held at a really nice resort here in town.  We were served salads, rolls, and had a choice of, I think, 5 entrees.  1 was vegetarian and I chose that!  You know what, it was really good!  I did eat a whole grain roll, with 1 pat of butter, the salad was served dressing free with a really good raspberry vinaegrette on the side that I did use sparingly.  I won 2 prizes - a coffee mug full of chocolates and box of Belgium Chocolates that I promptly gave away!

I am gonna be so damned glad when this holiday season is over.  I don't know why, but I just am not in the mood this year at all.  Just call me Debbie, Debbie Downer!

Weigh In and Its All Good

Well, I was up 2.2, exactly the same amount I was down last week?!  Its all good though.  There are adjustments to be made and I am finding them and making them.  Also, this time of year, if I only gain 2 lbs I should be given some kind of reward for constraint. 

I am actually liking the new Plan and find I am not hungry.  Actually, I probably wasn't hungry before, but my mouth had my stomach convinced that we were going to starve to death unless I ate something precisely at 9 am.  Now I have my apple sitting there, big ol' Honeycrisp beauty, and most of the time, I don't really want it. 

I need to make sure I am following my Good Health Guidelines and getting all of those needs met first.  This takes a great deal of planning on my part.  I am a little more spontaneous than this but if I am going to make it work, I will have knuckle down and do it. 

I made Mushroom Soup from scratch yesterday.  Its really good and I can use it in lots of recipes.  I did not make CREAM of Mushroom Soup.  If a recipe calls for that,  I can work around it with FF Milk and/or Light Sour Cream.  But the soup is great all by itself too.

Thoughts on the New Plan

So far, so good.  I like having availability of the fruit!  I can't tell you when the last time I had eaten an orange was!  If you go out on the WW forum, you will see all kinds of messages about bananas!  To heck with bananas, I wanted an orange!!  I was eating bananas already.   I, like most people, are going to have to find my way around things and work it through.  Its kind of interesting.

I will be cutting a few things out of my menu, like the Bagel Slims.  I will actually keep buying them because my husband likes them, but I will rarely eat one myself.   I will start buying (did buy) the Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delightful (and Delicious by the way!) at 2 points for 2 slices.  This makes me very happy.

I think you can see all the stats on that picture?!

Anyway, yummy, good bread and I, for one am happy to change.  I am not a big bread eater so this one doesn't rile me too much.

Time will tell if this is a good thing or not.  (I am betting on the Good Thing!)

Weigh In and Firsts!

Well, though today was officially my first day on plan, I actually started counting PointsPlus on Monday! I was down 2.2 lbs!! Very rewarding!  So first weigh in on the new plan and its very, very positive. 

I have to really think this free fruit thing through and really limit myself because I love fruit and I will replace veggies with it.  Don't do that folks!  Follow the Guidelines.  Eat the things you are supposed to eat and the weight will fall away.  See, I am really good at telling others how to behave!

Tonight there were some other first in our dinner.  The menu had a couple of first on it.  A turkey tenderloin with a tarragon mushroom gravy that was exquisite with mock mashed potatoes (Thanks, Gina by way of TJ)and orange glazed carrots.  I made and ate this absolutely incredible dinner for a total of 10 points!  I have points left over for the day!  I will make this again soon and share with you both photos and recipes.  I am sorry I didn't tonite, but new recipes take 100% of my concentration (I damn near amputated the tip of my little finger!) and taking pictures is distracting.

I am content!  I like the new plan!

Wow, this is gonna be interesting!

Today, I had my usual Light English Muffin/ Egg/Bacon/Cheese Breakfast sandwich for 9 points.  Then later in the morning I ate some watermelon and an orange.

I had a company luncheon this afternoon and I am stuffed.  It was about a half cup of shredded beef (machaca), a cup of cowboy style beans about a cup of mashed potatoes and 2 small flour tortillas.  I almost, but didn't, lick the plate!  It was very good!  But, being that I had 20 points left after breakfast, I am most assuredly ok for today and I don't intend to eat another bite!  I might explode and my hubby is not good at cleaning up those types of messes! 

Our Anniversary and The Plan!

32 years ago today I said I DO!  Wow, been a while! So we are going to go out to dinner and I already have it all planned out. 

After expressing some initial concerns over the changes to the Program, I have to say, I think I am going to like it!  I have sat down and reconfigured a great deal of my Points to fit the Plan and while I was a little concerned about losing out on alot of my carb favorites, in retrospect, I don't really eat enough of them to make a really difference anyway! 

Here's what I have had and plan to have for the day:

1 egg
2 slices crisp bacon
1 Thomas's Light Bagel
8 Points

1 bowl of Quiznos Chile
about 1/4 baked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups FF Milk
11 Points

For Dinner I plan to have:
Shrimp Cocktail
Salad with popcorn Shrimp (my 1 Point Trader Joe's dressing)

1 lb Steamed Lobster in shell (about 3-4 oz shelled)
Asparagus
6 points

I have also eaten a banana, a cup of watermelon and an orange. I have an apple if I want something else.  I don't think I will!

That leaves me with 4 dailies and 42 weeklies to burn!  I will have a drink with dinner!