Food Experiment 2011 -- Day 4

Breakfast: (5 Momentum pts, 5 PointsPlus pts)

Thomas' Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thin (110 cals, 25g carbs, 1g fat, 4g protein, 4g fibre)
1 Tbsp Light Peanut Butter (90 cals, 6g carbs, 6g fat, 2g protein, 1g fibre)
1 Banana (125 cals, 32g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 3.2g fibre)


Lunch: (3 Momentum pts, 4 PointsPlus pts)

Multigrain Sandwich Thin (100 cals, 22g carbs, 1g fat, 5g protein, 5g fibre)

2 oz Smoked Turkey (35 cals, 0g carbs, 1g fat, 9g protein, 0g fibre)
1 Tbsp Light Mayonnaise (50 cals, 1g carbs, 5g fat, 0g protein, 0g fibre)


Dinner: (17 Momentum pts, 19 PointsPlus pts)

1.5 oz Whole Wheat Fettuccine (143 cals, 26g carbs, 1g fat, 7g protein, 4.5g fibre)
1/2 C Light Alfredo Sauce (100 cals, 6g carbs, 6g fat, 2g protein, 0g fibre)
2.5 oz Chicken Breast (78 cals, 0g carbs, 1g fat, 16g protein, 0g fibre)
2 Tbsp Light Cream Cheese (60 cals, 2g carbs, 5g fat, 3g protein, 0g fibre)

3/4 C Broccoli (41 cals, 8g carbs, 0g fat, 3g protein, 3.9g fibre)
1/4 C Onion (15 cals, 3g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, 0.7g fibre)
2 oz Breadstick (151 cals, 29g carbs, 2g fat, 4g protein, 0g fibre)
2 C Lettuce (16 cals, 3g carbs, 0g fat, 2g protein, 1.9g fibre)
1/4 C Tomatoes (8 cals, 2g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, 0.4g fibre)
1/4 C Cucumber (3 cals, 1g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, 0.2g fibre)
6 Lg Olives (40 cals, 3g carbs, 3g fat, 0g protein, 1.2g fibre)
1 oz Light Feta (60 cals, 0g carbs, 4g fat, 6g protein, 0g fibre)
2 Tbsp Renee's Greek Feta Light (100 cals, 2g carbs, 10g fat, 1g protein, 0.7g fibre)

Snack: (4 Momentum pts, 4 PointsPlus pts)

1 oz Potato Chips (152 cals, 15g carbs, 10g fat, 2g protein, 0g fibre)

Light Jello (10 cals, 0g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 0g fibre)




Daily Totals:

1487 calories (my range is 1200-1550 per day)
185 g carbohydrates (my range is 163-236 per day)
57 g fat (my range is 32-56 per day)
70 g protein (my range is 60-127 per day)
29 g fibre (my range is 25-35 per day)

29 Momentum pts Used, 32 PointsPlus pts Used




Weekly Totals:
Momentum Weekly Points: -1/35 Remaining, 6/7 APs earned
PointsPlus Weekly Points: 29/49 Remaining, 11 APs earned
Sparkpeople Calorie Differential: -1604 Calories

Food Experiment 2001 -- Day 3

Day 3... No good choices made after breakfast. It was a traveling day, so my meals were all eaten out (after breakfast).


Breakfast: (4 Momentum pts, 4 PointsPlus pts)

1/2 C Liberte FF Plain Greek Yogurt (79 cals, 4g carbs, 1g fat, 14g protein, 0g fibre)
1/2 C Liberte Mediterranee Lemon Yogurt (107 cals, 11g carbs, 6g fat, 3g protein, 0g fibre)
3/4 C Blueberries (61 cals, 15g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 2.9g fibre)
1/2 Tbsp Flax Meal (15 cals, 1g carbs, 1g fat, 1g protein, 1g fibre)


Lunch: (9 Momentum pts, 10 PointsPlus pts)

3/4 TH Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich (233 cals, 24g carbs, 10g fat, 12g protein, 0.8g fibre)

1.5 oz Jerky (120 cals, 6g carbs, 1g fat, 23g protein, 0g fibre)


Dinner: (20 Momentum pts, 23 PointsPlus pts)

Deep Fried Pickles (113 cals, 11g carbs, 8g fat, 0g protein, 0.8g fibre)
Fish Sandwich with Cheese (523 cals, 48g carbs, 29g fat, 21g protein, 3g fibre)

Sweet Potato Fries (206 cals, 29g carbs, 9g fat, 3g protein, 2.9g fibre)

French Fry Dip (130 cals, 3g carbs, 13g fat, 0g protein, 0g fibre)

Snack: (20 Momentum pts, 23 PointsPlus pts)

6 Potato Chips (yes, 6) (70 cals, 7g carbs, 5g fat, 1g protein, 0g fibre)

Hostess Strawberry Cupcakes (100 cals, 22g carbs, 3g fat, 2g protein, 4g fibre)




Daily Totals:

1755 calories (my range is 1200-1550 per day)
183 g carbohydrates (my range is 163-236 per day)
83 g fat (my range is 32-56 per day)
79 g protein (my range is 60-127 per day)
13 g fibre (my range is 25-35 per day)

35 Momentum pts Used, 42 PointsPlus pts Used




Weekly Totals:
Momentum Weekly Points: 4/35 Remaining, 7 APs earned
PointsPlus Weekly Points: 32/49 Remaining, 11 APs earned
Sparkpeople Calorie Differential: -683 Calories, -581 Calories, -36 Calories

Food Experiment 2011 -- Day 2

I'd just like to put it out there that y'all had better not be judging my food consumption. Yes, I can put back a foot long sub. I can put back a lot of things. I didn't get fat without eating a lot of food.

On to day 2...


Breakfast: (4 Momentum pts, 4 PointsPlus pts)

2/3 C Liberte FF Plain Greek Yogurt (110 cals, 6g carbs, 1g fat, 20g protein, 0g fibre)
1/8 C Liberte Mediterranee Lemon Yogurt (36 cals, 4g carbs, 2g fat, 1g protein, 0g fibre)
3/4 C Blueberries (61 cals, 15g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 2.9g fibre)
1/2 Tbsp Flax Meal (15 cals, 1g carbs, 1g fat, 1g protein, 1g fibre)


Lunch: (9 Momentum pts, 9 PointsPlus pts)

1 oz Roast Beef (57 cals, 0g carbs, 2g fat, 9g protein, 0g fibre)
2 oz White Bread (151 cals, 29g carbs, 2g fat, 4g protein, 1.4g fibre)
1/2 Tbsp Mayonnaise (45 cals, 0g carbs, 5g fat, 0g protein, 0g fibre)
1 oz Swiss Cheese (107 cals, 1g carbs, 8g fat, 8g protein, 0g fibre)
1 C Baby Carrots (52 cals, 12g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 3.6g fibre)


Dinner: (12 Momentum pts, 14 PointsPlus pts)

14 Tostitos Multigrain Chips (260 cals, 32g carbs, 12g fat, 3g protein, 3g fibre)
3 oz Chicken Breast (94 cals, 0g carbs, 1g fat, 20g protein, 0g fibre)
1/4 C Barbecue Sauce (47 cals, 8g carbs, 1g fat, 1g protein, 0g fibre)
1/4 C Yellow Corn (33 cals, 8g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 0.8g fibre)
1/4 C Light Sour Cream (70 cals, 6g carbs, 3g fat, 2g protein, 0g fibre)
1/2 C Chopped Green Peppers (19 cals, 5g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 0.8g fibre)
1/2 C Salsa (36 cals, 8g carbs, 0g fat, 2g protein, 2.1g fibre)
1/4 C Chopped Onions (15 cals, 3g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, 0.7g fibre)


Snack:


Activity:




Daily Totals:

1208 calories (my range is 1200-1550 per day)
138 g carbohydrates (my range is 163-236 per day)
39 g fat (my range is 32-56 per day)
74 g protein (my range is 60-127 per day)
17 g fibre (my range is 25-35 per day)

25 Momentum pts Used, 27 PointsPlus pts Used




Weekly Totals:
Momentum Weekly Points: 23/35 Remaining, 3 APs earned
PointsPlus Weekly Points: 45/49 Remaining, 4 APs earned
Sparkpeople Calorie Differential: -683 Calories, -581 Calories

This has gone on long enough

I am tired of the struggle, and making excuses. I'm tired of not wanting to put on my clothes in the morning, or adjusting them so they're comfortable all day. I'm tired of wavering between weight loss programs, so that I'm never sticking with one the way I should, so that none of them are working.

I'm dedicating myself right now to doing the following for at least the next 7 days:
- I'm going to post a daily menu for all to read.
- I'm going to re-live my food experiment of a couple of years ago, comparing WW PointsPlus point values to Sparkpeople nutritional values, to WW Momentum points values.

I'm going to see what's not working and why.

I need to get rid of my newest 20-pound monkey.

Food Experiment 2011 -- Day 1

Breakfast: (5 Momentum pts, 5 PointsPlus pts)

2/3 C Liberte FF Plain Greek Yogurt (110 cals, 6g carbs, 1g fat, 20g protein, 0g fibre)
1/3 C Liberte Mediterranee Lemon Yogurt (71 cals, 7g carbs, 4g fat, 2g protein, 0g fibre)
3/4 C Blueberries (61 cals, 15g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 2.9g fibre)
1 Tbsp Flax Meal (30 cals, 2g carbs, 2g fat, 2g protein, 2g fibre)


Lunch: (8 Momentum pts, 8 PointsPlus pts)

1 Personal Size Veggie Pizza (315 cals, 39g carbs, 12g fat, 13g protein, 2.4g fibre)
1 Cup Raw Carrots (52 cals, 12g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein, 3.6g fibre)


Dinner: (16 Momentum pts, 17 PointsPlus pts)

12" Subway Ham Sub with all veggies, mayo (685 cals, 99g carbs, 18g fat, 36g protein, 8g fibre)


Snack: (4 Momentum pts, 4 PointsPlus pts)

3C Orville Redenblahblah's Nacho Popcorn (180 cals, 15g carbs, 13g fat, 2g protein, 3g fibre)
1 Light Cheese String (60 cals, 0g carbs, 3g fat, 6g protein, 0g fibre)


Activity: (-3 Momentum pts, -4 PointsPlus pts)

Downhill skiing for 2+ hours (I'm estimating 1 hour): 360 calories burned



Daily Totals:

1533 calories (my range is 1200-1550 per day)
195 g carbohydrates (my range is 163-236 per day)
51 g fat (my range is 32-56 per day)
81 g protein (my range is 60-127 per day)
20 g fibre (my range is 25-35 per day)

33 Momentum pts Used, 34 PointsPlus pts Used




Weekly Totals:
Momentum Weekly Points: 31/35 Remaining
PointsPlus Weekly Points: 45/49 Remaining
Sparkpeople Calorie Differential: -683 Calories

Here comes the unconventional bride

Hello? Is this thing on?

Yeah, I haven't been around in a long time. Been busy.

Got engaged, and am planning a wedding. A nice, easy wedding. Let's talk about that for a minute.

If you don't know, my fiance and I are pretty low-key and easy to get along with people. I wish you all knew him - he's pretty fantastic. We live a pretty simple life. We have a normal home just outside a small city. We do normal things like sit on the couch and joke while watching TV. We go camping for vacation time away, we spend quality time together in the kitchen, and we get up early on the weekends. We budget, we grocery shop on the weekend, and we have a dog that's less than perfect and the love of our lives.

Not very glamorous, is it?

So how do you show people who don't see you every single day that this is who you are? Do people still have wedding expectations? Do they all have to be formal?

A wedding day is supposed to be a day when people see you both at your best. I like the idea of just being us at our best and at our happiest. We like being comfortable and we really want other people to be just as comfortable.

What are some wedding formalities you like at a wedding? What are some traditions you wouldn't miss?

Gratefulness

Is that a word?

For some reason, the word 'grateful' has come up a lot lately. I'm reading it and hearing about gratefulness all over the place. I always take these things as being some sort of sign, so I figured I should be thinking about and talking about gratefulness. This post is very much inspired by many happy posts I've read of late.

I'm grateful for so many things - let me share:

~ I live with the kindest, more tolerant, gentle, generous man I could ask to share my life with.
~ I have a wonderful family - we love each other more and more every day. Our newest little family member is really changing our lives for the better. We are so lucky to be blessed with her.
~ We are healthy, and happy, and very fortunate.
~ I have more people that I consider friends than I ever have before, no matter how far apart we are from each other physically.
~ My dog. I love that fuzzy little being. He's made me a better person.
~ My job. I may not always jump out of bed eager to go to work, but I have great co-workers and a very good job - certainly nothing I should be complaining much about.


So there you have it. What more can a person ask for?

Monday Menu - I know, another boring food list

I know it's Tuesday, but I want to talk about yesterday's food too. I'm looking for suggestions and critiques. I'm trying to eat "cleaner" and incorporate more whole foods and more protein.

Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: Oats with greek yogurt and raisins, coffee
Snack: none (still full)
Lunch: Salad (spinach, tomatoes, mixed beans, feta stuffed peppers, flax meal, vinaigrette)
Snack: 2 Turkey Bites
Dinner: Turkey Burger (whole wheat bun, cranberry chutney, and grainy mustard), sweet potato fries with herb mayo for dipping
Snack: 3 Clementines

Because I don't trust myself not to overeat, I'm still figuring out my nutritional totals:
1530 cals, 197 grams carbohydrates, 46 grams fat, 95 grams protein

I think the only thing I ate that wouldn't be considered "clean" was the mayo, and maybe the kaiser roll I had my burger on. It was from a local bakery, but it doesn't list ingredients.

Thoughts?

This Week's Grocery List

I've really been trying harder to focus on whole foods and shopping the perimeter of the store. Here are today's finds:

Light Eggnog

1% Milk

Light Cream (for a specific FFwD recipe)

Coffee Cream (for a specific FFwD recipe)

Fresh Salmon

Lean Ground Beef

Ground Turkey

Orange Juice

Sugar

Fat-Free Greek Yogurt - Plain

Fat-Free Greek Yogurt - Strawberry (!!!)

Low-Fat Olive Oil Mayonnaise

Canned Crushed Tomatoes

Swiss Cheese

Tassimo Lattes

Garlic

Old Dutch All-Dressed Potato Chips (I have no idea how they got in the cart - Steve?)

Clementines

Onions

Honeycrisp Apples

Green Peppers

Baby Spinach

Baby Lettuce

Portabella Mushrooms

Roast Beef

Whole Grain Artisan Bread

Coarse Salt

Smoked Tuna

Multigrain Hamburger Buns

Cranberry Orange Chutney

Chili Oil

Coke Zero

C-Plus Orange

I cannot wait to have turkey burgers for supper this week!

Take Some Time to Think

I went for a run today at lunch, all by my lonesome. It's been quite a while since I'd done that, come to think of it. I'm usually out with the tall geeks from the other side of my floor, one of whom is learning to run. Needless to say, I haven't been challenging myself as much as I should be.

Today I decided I'd go by myself - completely all alone, by myself. No distractions. This also means no music. I also made sure I wasn't wearing any gear that would drive me insane while I was on my solo journey. It was just me and my garmin.

It was great just listening to myself breathing. Nice rhythmic breathing. And I took time to think about my body - where my shoulders were, whether any part of me felt tighter than it should have, and whether my shoes were comfortable.

I also thought about which parts of my body were actually getting tired, and when I really analyzed the whole thing, I found that I could actually keep going longer. Can your legs handle a couple more minutes? Yup. Can your lungs handle a couple more minutes? Yup. Better keep going then.

It was great. I need to do that just a bit more often.