Day 47: Fiber One Fabulosity!

For a healthy diet, you need to consume anywhere from 20 to 35 grams of Fiber each day. So why not have a little fun with it?

These two recipes, both from Hungry Girl, are absolutely fantastic and fiber packed. I think you'll really enjoy them.

Note: It's important not to overdo it when you're eating fiber-filled foods. Eating too much fiber can result in a yucky tummy.

Fiber One Mozzarella Sticks

Makes 1 Serving

Ingredients:

2 pcs. light mozzarella string cheese

1/4c. Fiber One bran cereal (original)

2 Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)

Salt, black pepper, and Italian seasonings, to taste

Optional: low-fat marinara sauce (Great Value brand tastes fantastic)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

In a food processor, grind Fiber One to a crumbly consistency (like breadcrumbs). Place crumbs in a Ziploc baggie or Tupperware container. Add your seasonings to the Fiber One crumbs. Set the crumb mixture aside.

Cut both pieces of string cheese in half, giving you 4 sticks. Pour the Egg Beaters into a small bowl and dip the cheese sticks in. Remove cheese sticks from the egg and shake them to remove any excess egg substitute. Transfer sticks to the crumb mixture and seal the bag. Shake the bag to coat sticks in the seasoned crumbs.

Remove the cheese sticks from the crumbs and return them to the egg substitute to coat again. Then place them back in the baggie and cover with crumbs.

Place the sticks on a baking sheet covered with nonstick spray. Spritz the tops of the cheese sticks with the nonstick spray as well.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the first sign of cheese oozing out. Serve with marinara sauce.

Nutritional Info (for entire recipe):

155 Calories

5.5g Fat

500mg Sodium

13.5g Carbs

7g Fiber

0g Sugars

19g Protein

Points Value: 3!

Faux-Fried Zucchini

Makes 3 Servings

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, ends removed

3/4c. Fiber One bran cereal (original)

1/4c. fat-free liquid egg substitute

1 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix

1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash garlic powder

1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash onion powder

1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place Fiber One in a blender along with ranch mix and 1/4 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In another medium bowl, combine egg substitute with a dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly.

Cut zucchini into 1/2-inch wide circles. Blot away any excess moisture with a paper towel.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss zucchini in egg substitute until evenly covered. Remove them one by one, shaking off excess egg substitute. Coat the zucchini with the breadcrumbs and lay them on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the zucchini slices over. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the outsides are crispy and zucchini is cooked through.

Nutritional Info (per 1/3 of recipe):

Calories: 78

Fat: 0.5g

Sodium: 578mg

Carbs: 20g

Fiber: 9g

Sugars: 4g

Protein: 5g

Points Value: 1!!

Day 46: Ball Park Survival Strategies

Summer is just aroung the corner and that spells trouble for dieters who also happen to love going to sporting events.



Adam and I went to a Cubs game yesterday and I couldn't help but think of a few ways to prevent myself from getting out of control and stick with my plan for a healthier me.



I'm not saying I followed ALL of these pointers yesterday (more on that later), but I am saying that the next time I attend a sporting event, I hope I will follow them to help myself to be successful and still have a good time.

1. Allow yourself a little treat. You want to enjoy your time at the game, right? You should go in to the day planning to stray a little from your healthy eating regimen. If your'e like me, trying to completely restrict yourself from eating anything unhealthy while you're in that kind of atmosphere will just make you miserable. Eat a little lighter the day leading up to your event. Have a healthy breakfast. If you're doing Weight Watchers, save your weekly points allowance for the day. And give in to those favorite ball park foods of yours. It wouldn't be a ball game if you didn't get something from the conscession stand, right?


2. Don't buy from the walking vendors. Get up and make yourself take the steps to get to the conscession stand. Doing this will serve two purposes: you'll get good exercise by climbing the steps, and you're less likely to overeat if you actually have to physically walk a distance to get to the food.


3. Don't break the bank. Bring a limited amount of cash with you so you can't go overboard with the food. Or, set a spending limit for yourself for food items at the stadium. For instance, tell yourself that you'll only spend $15 on food at the ballgame. Yesterday at Wrigley one hot dog was $4.50, so $15 really couldn't buy too much.


4. Limit yourself. Do you really need peanuts AND Cracker Jacks? In strategy 1, I told you to expect to enjoy the food a little bit and don't limit yourself so much that you don't enjoy anything. But it is important to set some kind of a limit. It's hard to do when you get the stadium and everyone around you is eating some deliciously aromatic food. But figure out a couple of items that are your favorites, and get those. Save the others for another time.


5. Sharing is nice. Plan to share your food with the people you're with. You don't need an entire bag of peanuts or a whole large soda. Share it with the people who are with you to prevent yourself from hogging out and feeling guilty later.


6. Keep score. Do something to keep your attention on the game, and to take your mind off of all the food options available to you. Take a score sheet with you and write down what's happening in the game. Focus on what you're there to see and enjoy the actual ball game.

That's what I came up with. I hope these pointers come in handy the next time you go to a sporting event. Hopefully they'll help me.

Like I said yesterday, I feel like I did pretty well with my food at Wrigley yesterday. I had a plain hot dog and shared a Coke with Adam. And we also shared a bag of peanuts (I'm not sure he was planning on sharing them when he bought them)....I may have had a few more than him, though. I laughed when I looked down and saw all the shells on the ground at my feet. And just for clarification, the garbage you see at the top of the picture does not belong to me!

Day 45: Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

This is going to be an extremely short post today. Adam and I spent the day in Chicago and now, after 10:00 at night, we're just heading back to the ranch. We both got to experience Wrigley Field and The Cubs for the first time, and it was a great game...very exciting, AND John Cusak sang the 7th Inning Stretch. AND The Cubs won!

I managed to make fairly healthy decisions today, although I will admit that I didn't track my foods at all.

I may have gone a little overboard with the peanuts, though...Check out my facebook page for the picture. I can't post it on here from my phone, so come back tomorrow for that, as well as some sporting event survival strategies!

Day 44: from Decatur to Bloomington

I am loving this walking challenge we're doing, folks! So far in the month of April I've walked 102,604 steps, which loosely translates into about 51.3 miles! I have walked the length of Decatur to Bloomington!

This is a great accomplishment for me as I thought getting in 10,000 steps a day would be quite a feat. As it turns out, getting those steps in can be difficult, and there are some days where I haven't made it there, but it hasn't been quite as cumbersome as I thought it would be. I've enjoyed it more than I normally enjoy exercising, and I think it's due to the fact that I have a goal in mind that I'm working toward. Plus this weather has been so nice, and all the foliage is springing up, and it just makes you feel like life is perfect....

Is anyone else interested in training for a 5K walk, along with my mom and I? Remember, a 5K is 3.1 miles. At Weight Watchers this week they distributed information as to how to train yourself to walk a 5K. Even if you haven't been doing any walking at all, this training program is pretty simple. With the plan, you don't focus so much on distance as you do time endurance. You want to walk at a brisk pace for the amount of time indicated for each day.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Week 1	10 min	10 min	rest	12 min	12 min	rest	15 min
Week 2	15 min	18 min	rest	18 min	20 min	rest	20 min
Week 3	22 min	22 min	rest	24 min	24 min	rest	26 min
Week 4	26 min	28 min	rest	28 min	30 min	rest	30 min
Week 5	35 min	35 min	rest	35 min	40 min	rest	40 min
Week 6	40 min	45 min	rest	45 min	45 min	rest	5K

Of course you can switch your rest days if you need to, and if you're already at a point where you are able to walk for longer than 10 minutes at a time, feel free to skip ahead to the middle part of the plan.

I found a walking loop in my neighborhood that is 3.72 miles (half a mile LONGER than a 5K). I would love to invite anyone who wants to come out and walk this path with me sometime in late May. I haven't decided on a date just yet, but I figure that will give everyone enough time to train to be able to walk that distance. We'll meet at my house, do our walk, and then come back to my place for a healthy lunch. The walk will probably take an hour or so, so I figure if we meet at my house around 10:30 we'll be back at the perfect time for lunch. If you're interested, please let me know so I can know how many people to expect.

Day 43: Restaurant Round Table

Eating out is a normal part of life for most people. And with restaurant portions continually expanding along with our ever-growing waistlines, how do we avoid meals like this picture, and instead opt for healthier alternatives from the menu. Or perhaps even healthier alternatives that aren't on the menu.

I experienced this the other night when I was at Red Lobster. I thought I was ordering a reasonably healthy meal when I told the waitress I wanted blackened tilapia with New Orleans style cajun shrimp with a side of Asparagus and a house salad. After I ordered I felt pretty proud of myself for not getting my typical fried shrimp platter, and I gave myself a little pat on the back.

But when my food came the entire plate was swimming in butter! And my "New Orleans Style" shrimp was covered in a creamy sauce. I'm starting to learn that I'm going to have to specify exactly how I want my food prepared if I'm wanting to eat healthy at restaurants. I should have ordered my asparagus steamed, and emphasized that I did not want it prepared with butter. And I should have found out exactly what was meant by the term "New Orleans Style." Then I would have known to order it without the sauce.

So I wanted to start a discussion today about this topic. Please answer any or all of the following questions in the comments section below:

- How do you make healthier choices at restaurants?
- Do you find it difficult to eat healthy when you have a smorgasbord of fried, fatty foods that are so tempting?
- What are some of your favorite healthy hot spots when it comes to dining out?

I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say! If you want to receive follow-up comments on this post, go down to the comment box and below it you will find a link that says "Subscribe by Email" If you click that link, any contributions to this discussion will be sent directly to your email so you don't have to keep checking back.

Day 42: Weekly Weigh-In

I had a pretty successful week with Weight Watchers last week, and I attribute a lot of my success to my recent purchase of a scale.

I've always gone back and forth as to whether I actually want to own a scale and have it in my home. On the one hand, it can help to keep me accountable on a daily basis as to what I'm doing to my body. But on the other hand, it can be a great source of discouragement and disappointment when it doesn't read like I want it to.

But so far this $8 scale I bought last week has proven a useful tool in my journey. Since purchasing the scale, I have checked on my weight every morning. It even helped me this weekend to resist some of the junk food I would have normally given in to had I not been anticipating seeing the number drop when I stepped on the scale.

This week: -2.2lbs (this is actually over the past two weeks since I didn't go to last week's meeting)
Total: -8.6lbs.

I'm feeling pretty good about the changes I've made in my lifestyle, and I'm looking forward to reaching that 10lb. landmark. Not only will I get another sticker at my Weight Watchers meeting (yippee!), but it will also be a major accomplishment for myself that I can celebrate!

How's everyone else doing?

Day 41: Champion Chow

A lot of people have a negative reaction to the idea of fiber. They think it tastes like cardboard or dirt....or it's a supplement that old people have to take.

But fiber is a necessary and beneficial component to any healthy eating plan, my friends. So let's talk about it.

Everyone knows that fiber makes you poop. There, I said it. Fiber absorbs water in your bowels and can help to soften your stools and keep you more regular. More pooping means the food is working its way through your system more quickly and you're getting the nutrients you need while getting rid of the stuff you don't. Fiber helps to prevent constipation so all that waste isn't getting stuck and causing a back-up inside of you. It's gross. But it's important.

Did you know that fiber can also lower your cholesterol, control your blood sugar, aid in weight loss, and possibly even help to prevent certain types of cancer?

If you want more information on the benefits of fiber, check out THIS LINK from the Mayo Clinic. It has literally oodles* of information on fiber!

My preferred source of fiber is Fiber One cereal. I love this stuff. I'm not much of a cereal eater at all, so I can't comment on how wonderful a start to your day it is to grab a bowlful of Fiber One with some skim milk.

But I will tell you that Fiber One has a lot of non-cereal uses. Fiber One helps to make you fuller faster, but it doesn't have a gross, grainy taste you might think. Fiber One is actually sweet, but not overpoweringly so. It has a very mild flavor in my opinion, which makes it versatile to use in many different ways.

I love putting this stuff on top of a salad as a healthier alternative to fatty croutons. It adds just enough crunch to enhance your salad experience.

I will also regularly add a few sprinkles of Fiber One to my yogurt. It adds a little bit of a sweet crunch when you're in a yogurt funk and you're bored of eating the same old thing every day.

Believe it or not, Fiber One also makes a great breading to put on meat or other items for a wonderful faux-fried taste without all the grease and fat. Check back Sunday for a couple of my favorite Fiber One recipes.

If you're STILL not convinced of the wonder of Fiber One cereal, at least entertain the idea of picking up some other Fiber One products. Their muffins (found in the bakery section), for one, are delicious and so filling. And they also make a variety of granola bars, yogurt, baking mixes, toaster pastries (like Pop-Tarts), breads, cottage cheese, and even shakes.

I've only tried the cereal, muffins, and bars, so I'd love to hear what you all think of their other products.

Yes, their television commercials are horrifyingly stupid....but their products are worth a shot.

If you want a coupon for Fiber One products, head over to their website www.FiberOne.com.

*An oodle is a term of measurement equivalent to a gob, a bunch, a ton, or a crapload.

Day 40: Chunky, Nutty Frozen Peanut Butter Cups

This is another recipe straight from the amazing Hungry Girl. I've said it a thousand times, but I would highly recommend any of her cookbooks as they provide guilt-free indulgences that satisfy whatever craving you may be facing.

These Peanut Butter cups can be found in the book Hungry Girl 200 Under 200. It's a cookbook featuring 200 recipes under 200 calories. She has appetizers, desserts, and even some entrees, along with some frozen drinks and smoothie options as well. With this cookbook I've never made a recipe that tasted bad. Well, except for that one time when I botched the ingredients and my brownies came out like rubber. That was weird. But I blame myself, not Hungry Girl.

You can check out a few of her recipes and articles at http://www.hungry-girl.com/. And follow the link above to check out this cookbook on Amazon.

These little ice cream-like cups make a wonderful evening snack and they help to satiate your appetite for fatty peanut butter and ice cream....trust me.

Ingredients:
1 small (4-serving) pkg. sugar-free, fat-free chocolate instant pudding mix
1 8oz. container Cool Whip Free, thawed
2 oz. (about 1/2c.) dry-roasted soy nuts (I've used peanuts when I've made them)
1 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature

Directions:
Place pudding mix in a medium bowl. Add 3oz. (1/4c plus 2 Tbsp.) warm water. Stir until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. Cool Whip with peanut butter until mixed well. Stir into the pudding mixture.

Stir in half of the nuts and all of the chocolate chips. Fold in remaining Cool Whip. Stir a little.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute pudding mixture among the cups. Sprinkle the tops of the cups with remaining nuts.

Freeze until solid, about 1 hr. Stor in the freezer until ready to serve.
Makes 12 servings

Nutritional Info (per 1 PB Cup)
78 Calories, 2g Fat, 123mg Sodium, 11.5g Carbs, 0.5g Fiber, 2.5g Sugars, 2g Protein

Points Value: 2

Day 39: Week in Review

I feel like I had a pretty good week this week. I weighed myself this morning and I was down about 2.6lbs from my last Weight Watchers weigh-in, but at Weight Watchers I have to weigh with clothes on, so I'm assuming I'm probably pretty close to the same.

Over the next couple of days I would like to lose a little bit of weight so I can boast a loss at my Monday weigh-in. We'll see, though. I said I would be satisfied if I managed to stay the same over vacation, but I'm not convinced of that now.

Staying on track over the weekend has always proven challenging for me, but I hope this will be added motivation for me to really work hard at it.

I've done pretty well with exercising. I've worked out 4 days so far, and I already have my workouts scheduled in for today and tomorrow.

Last night I didn't do too well with my food as it was date night and I just really didn't want to worry about it. But I did have my extra points available to me, so I still don't think I went off my plan or anything.

Overall it was a pretty good week considering the travel and all that. So hopefully I'll gain some momentum and keep going with this. We have already been working at this for about 6 weeks believe it or not!

Day 38: Survival Strategies...Vacation Vexation

So you're going on a trip. You want to enjoy your time away, have some fun in the sun, relax and take a break. But you're afraid of being away from your routine and eating a week's worth of junk food, fried food, and any kind of food that isn't good for you.

Vacation should be a time where your worries go away, but if you're a dieter, you know that trying to stay on plan during vacation can be a cumbersome task, and one that causes a great deal of stress and can potentially ruin what is supposed to be a wonderful experience.

After coming home from a successful vacation getaway, here are some of the strategies I employed to help me make it through:

1. Ease up a little. Be realistic in your expectations. Chances are you are not going to be able to eat as healthy or be as active as you are in your everyday life. Go into your vacation knowing that you're going to try your best, but you are not going to be your own drill sergeant. You're going to have a crumby vacation if you make yourself miserable about every little thing you do.
2. Follow the One-Treat-A-Day Rule. In the spirit of easing up on the diet plan, go into each day knowing that you will allow yourself one special treat. Maybe you want a doughnut for breakfast. That's fine. Enjoy that doughnut, but then try to be reasonable in your food choices for the rest of the day. Or if you know you're going to a fish fry for dinner, eat light for breakfast and lunch and then really allow yourself to enjoy your special treat for that day. If you allow yourself a little extra, you will be able to enjoy yourself without giving up on your goal entirely and then paying for it on the scale.
3. Don't impose on others. Maybe your travel companion doesn't care if that cheeseburger he just ordered has 17,000 calories. It makes a vacation miserable for everyone involved if you're constantly scrutinizing everything that everyone is eating. Stick to your own foods and activities and let everyone else enjoy their food. This also goes for choosing restaurants. Don't make it a requirement to eat at a health-food place every time you go out. You can find something reasonable on any restaurant menu. Your travel buddies want to enjoy their vacation, too. And you'll start to feel guilty if you're constantly making everyone heed to you and your diet rules.
4. Remember portion control. No matter what you've been told in the past, vacation calories still count. If you don't believe me, your scale will be honest with you when you return. Portion control is particularly important when you're loosening up the diet reins and allowing yourself to eat things you wouldn't normally have. Remember that restaurant portions are usually more than double what you need. So don't strive for the Clean Plate Award. Try to slow down, enjoy each bite, and eat only a small amount of each item you order.
5. Get back on track ASAP! It's easy to continue with the vacation laziness when you get back to the daily grind. Remember that it's important to reestablish your routine so you can get back on track with your eating and exercise. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the lethargy of returning home and going back to work. Get up and go! You've had your vacation, and now it's time to invite that drill sergeant back into your life.

Those are a few of the tips I picked up while I was away last week. What strategies do you use when you're away from home?

Day 37: Walk-It Challenge

If you remember, my goal for this month is to walk 200,000 steps. My total so far is 41,808, as of yesterday. That means I need to kick it into high gear if I want to achieve my goal. April started while I was on vacation, so I wasn't as active as I normally would be. I know I can push myself and reach my goal, though.

I've actually been doing pretty well with my challenges. Yesterday I exercised for over an hour's worth of TV watching.

And I went grocery shopping and parked in the very last spot of the Wal-Mart parking lot. I assumed I would get a lot of steps walking in to the store, then back out of the store with my cart and groceries, and then even more steps when I had to take the cart back to the cart return. But as I was unloading the cart full of groceries into my car, a Wal-Mart employee walked all the way out to me and offered to take the cart for me. So I got cheated out of about 100 steps or so, in my estimation. Go figure the one time Wal-Mart decides to employ their customer service is the time when I don't need them to. I'm still grateful to the cart guy, though. It was a nice gesture, and if I had really wanted those 100 steps, I could have walked to the cart return and back without the cart. All together my grocery shopping experience bought me about 2,000 steps, which is really pretty good.

I ended up weighing myself last night, too, and it turns out that I lost 1.6 lbs. from my last weigh-in (if my scale is synchronized with the Weight Watchers scale, that is). So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

My mom and I have decided to abandon our jogging plan. We just aren't ready for it yet, and we need to build up some more endurance before we're ready to actually jog. I was a little disappointed about this at first, knowing that I had failed at one of my challenges. But then I realized that this is just a part of my journey and one day I will be able to run. Right now I have to build up to that, and I'm working hard.

So overall I'm happy to report that I'm on track this week with my fitness. Wouldn't you know that on the day I'm blogging about my walking I forgot my stinking pedometer!

How's everyone else doing with their fitness goals?

Weight Watchers launched a new Walk-It Challenge that I'm hoping to get some information on when I go to my meeting on Monday. It's a challenge to walk a 5k (about 3.1 miles) sometime in early June. I would love to join in this challenge and push myself to be able to walk 3.1 miles by the time June rolls around. I figure I don't have to participate in an official 5k...I can just do my own some place. Who wants to join me and we'll all get together in June and walk our own 5k?!

Day 36: Confession

Now that I'm back to the daily grind, I need to be straight with you. It's not something I like talking about, and I feel like a horrible example when I bring this up, but.......

I ate like a hog yesterday.

There, I said it. Yesterday was a travel day, and Adam and I spent 6 hours in the car (he spent more than that since he had another hour and a half to drive after he dropped me off). I actually did okay with the travel part. We did eat fast food for lunch, which didn't concern me too much since I didn't blow my entire points allowance on one meal. But I did really well with resisting one of my vices along the journey: Gas station snacks. I don't know what it is, but there's something about walking into a convenience store and choosing a couple of shiny packaged delicacies that makes traveling just a little more tolerable. I love pringles and candy bars and chips and those little mini donuts....all of it. But yesterday I was able to avoid them like the plague....even during my potty break stop when the Gardettos were screaming my name.

So that's a small victory.

But then we got home. Adam dropped me off at my parents' house and the plan was for us to eat dinner there and then Adam would leave and head back to the ranch. Well, the dinner that had been prepared was a broccoli dish and I hate broccoli. It smells like rotten feet to me. I tried to be good, I really did. I tried to pick around the broccoli and just enjoy the rest of the dish, but it was impossible. So I made myself a bowl of cereal....which wouldn't have been that bad if the cereal I chose hadn't been Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. As a chaser after my cereal I had a bowl of various kinds of potato chips, which I followed up with a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich and some various Easter candies.

It's all a blur to me now and I can't remember if I ate anything other than those items or not, but I didn't not feel well after my binge. It was almost instantaneous that I became groggy and sluggish. I just wanted to go to sleep.

But, alas, today is a new day. I'm back in the swing of things and I'm starting over. I've been tracking my points today and I'm planning on going grocery shopping and getting in some exercise, so it will be a good day.

I'm learning that it's okay to have those occasional slip-ups as long as I pick myself back up and get right back on track. Obviously I could have and should have stopped myself from eating so munch junk yesterday, but I didn't. If I spend my time focusing on my mistakes I'm never going to have enough energy left to work toward my goals.

Day 35: In a Hurry!

We're getting ready to leave Tennessee right now so this is going to be a short post. Obviously I didn't make it to my Weight Watchers meeting this week, so I don't have a Weekly Weigh-In to report.

I feel like I've done alright with my eating while I've been on vacation. I wish I would have concerned myself a little more with my exercise, but I'm not going to stress out about it.

Like I said a couple days ago, I'll be happy if I've maintained my weight without gaining while I've been away. If I've lost that will be an extra bonus.

I'm hoping to get in a good number of steps today if we stop in Metropolis for all of the Superman sights. If we don't stop I'm going to be in trouble with the step count. But what can you do when you're in a car for 6 hours of the day?

That's about it....we'll be home sometime this evening and the blogs will be back to normal beginning tomorrow.

Day 34: Whew! What a Day!

Today is typically the day where I talk about great foods I've found that make their way into my kitchen. But I really just want to give a brief little review of the day today and get back on track tomorrow or Wednesday with my schedule. Things have been a little chaotic for me today and I really haven't had time to think through what I would like to write for my Champion Chow day...so that will have to wait until next week.

Our time in Tennessee has just about come to a close and we wanted to make the most of our last full day here. So Adam and I loaded up the car and took his niece to the Nashville Zoo. My friend Misti had given us two free tickets, so we only had to buy a $9 child's ticket. That made it the perfect day to go.

We had such a good time. Isabelle had fun talking to the animals. She would make the animal sounds at the animals and wait for them to make the sounds back at her. She loved it. It was so sunny, though. And for some reason in my 27 years of life I've never been able to get it in my head that I'm a fair-skinned person and I need to wear sunscreen.

My arms and neck and back are all sunburned, and we had to make a special trip to Walgreens for some Aloe Vera tonight. But it's okay. I never blister, and hopefully the burn will fade into a tan over the next couple of days. And maybe, just maybe, the pain from the sunburn will help me to remember the importance of sunscreen the next time I find myself outside.

I brought my pedometer along with me to the zoo, and I was shocked to find out that we did an astonishing 9,000 steps while we were there! That's 4.5 miles! I was tired, but I felt great when I saw how far I had walked, and even better when I thought about the fact that I pushed the stroller with Isabelle in it the entire time we were there, which adds some extra oomph to my workout!

I had just enough time to get home and shower before I met up with one of my best friends Misti for dinner and a movie. We had Mexican food for dinner, and it was delicious! I had chicken fajitas which were about 12 points, and so satisfying.

What a wonderful end to our time in Tennessee! Today was the first day I was able to log over 10,000 steps and I feel so proud of myself for what I was able to do.

Tomorrow we're going to Metropolis to explore the Superman sights for awhile, so hopefully I'll be able to get in a good number of steps despite the 6 hour car ride.

I hope everyone had a great Easter....and I hope you're all getting out to enjoy the gorgeous weather we're having. Just remember the Coppertone!

Day 33: Light and Fruity Angel Food Cake

I found this recipe a long time ago and I'm not quite sure of the measurements because I memorized it and just kind of make it as I go typically. But the cake is delicious and a satisfying sweet treat that's not too bad for you. I know that today is Easter and a lot of us will probably be gathering with family and not necessarily worrying too much about what we're eating. So I thought this recipe might be a nice way to start out the week next week as you begin to readjust to your normal routine.

Note: This is Kraft's official picture of the cake, but mine always looks slightly different since I add more strawberries and cover the entire cake with frosting.

Ingredients:

1 pre-made angel food cake from the bakery section of the grocery store

1 cored pineapple, juice reserved, chopped into tiny cubes

10 medium strawberries, sliced thin

1 8oz. tub of light Cool-Whip (store brand works fine)

Directions:

Remove angel food cake from container and, using a large bread knife, slice it into 3 layers that stack on top of one another.

Mix pineapple and reserved juice in with cool whip and stir well.

Using a rubber spatula, spread the cool whip and pineapple mixture on the bottom layer of the cake, then top with some of the sliced strawberries.

Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer, top with Cool Whip mixture, and place strawberries on top.

Place the top layer on top of the cake and repeat.

Use the rubber spatula to spread the remaining Cool Whip mixture over the outer surface of the cake until the entire outside of the cake is covered with the Cool Whip frosting.

Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour.

The cake should make 8-10 slices at least and a small slice has approximately 5 points.

Day 32: Week in Review

I'm sorry for the disconnected blogging this week. I'm out of town and I'm just writing on here as time becomes available.

Despite my weight gain this week, I think I've done fairly well on my eating and exercise. It was a little discouraging and I will freely admit I had a rough day on Tuesday with it, but I got myself back on track and I have really been trying to stay within my points allotment for each day.

Unfortunately I've only been able to exercise one day while I've been here in Tennessee, but I'm on vacation so I'm not going to worry too much about it. I just want to enjoy my time with Adam's family and friends and relax a little bit. I don't need to be my own drill sergeant while I'm on vacation. If there's an opportunity to get in a workout I will, but I won't get upset about it if I'm not able to.

I'm still trying to make responsible choices with my food, though. Yesterday for example, we got together with some of Adam's friends from high school. I had eaten pretty light throughout the day so I could relax a little bit when we got together with them, and not have to monitor myself so closely. I probably ate a little more than I needed to, but I don't think I did any long term damage because I had prepared myself by eating light beforehand.

I feel pretty good about my week and the choices I've made even while I've been on vacation. I'll be satisfied if I go back to my meeting and haven't gained....even if I stay the same. Hopefully I'll still lose, though.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter. I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe to share!

Day 31: Portion Control

I've been on vacation in Tennessee for the past couple of days and vacation time usually means a lot of eating out which can spell diet disaster!
I've been trying really hard to make good choices when I eat out...choices such as ordering healthier options from the menu (rice instead of fries), splitting my meal in half and taking home the rest, and ordering water instead of soda.

All of these techniques help, but sometimes we just have to realize that restaurant portions are so huge. The typical restaurant meal is probably enough for two, so I always like to save at least half of my meal for the next day.

But how do we know exactly how much we're getting? Sometimes I'm lazy and I try to just eyeball it. I think that has probably caused me to eat more than I actually should because I can't trust my eyes to tell me what 1/2 cup of something looks like. I think I know, but I'm probably way off. And I think the more I try to eyeball things, over time my portions gradually increase until they're huge or I just stop worrying about portions all together.

As a guide, my Weight Watcher's book provided some basic ideas on what actual portion sizes should be. If you're out and about and you don't have measuring cups or a scale with you, use these simple guidelines to determine how much you should be eating.

A fist is equal to about 1 cup.
Your entire thumb is about the size of 1 ounce of meat or cheese.
The tip of your thumb (from the tip to your first knuckle) is about 1 Tablespoon.
The tip of your index finger is about 1 teaspoon.
The middle part of your index finger (from the first to the second joint) is about 1 inch.
A cupped hand will hold about 1 to 2 ounces of nuts or pretzels.
Your palm is about the size of 3 ounces of meat, fish or poultry.

I have some more visual tricks for determining the correct portion size of some common foods. But I'll save those for another day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Good Friday!

Day 30: Happy April!

Well, my new April challenges start today and I'm feeling excited and motivated to get to work! I'm in Tennessee for the next 5 days and I'm enjoying the sunshine and the nice weather. I think it's about the same as Illinois...maybe a few degrees warmer.

I just wanted to take today to remind everyone (including myself) of what my fitness challenges are for this month, and how I plan to execute them.

Great Outdoors Challenge - I will spend at least 3 days per week outside for as many minutes as the high temperature is that day. This will require a little preparation on my part as April is a notoriously rainy month. I'll have to look at the forecasts well in advance and determine which days I will be able to spend outside. Today Adam and I are going to spend 72 minutes outside.

Conquer the Couch Potato Challenge - This has proven to be the most difficult challenge for me. I just can't remember to get up and move during commercial breaks. So I'm going to imprint this in my brain by setting an alarm on my phone for 6:00 every single evening this month. That way I will have it fresh in my mind as I sit down to watch TV.

Walk to Jog Challenge - I haven't had much of a chance to workout this week so far, but my mom and I are supposed to begin adding jogging to our routine. I'm not entirely convinced that we're ready for this step yet because last week we attempted fast walking for 45 minutes, and it took nearly everything we had. We'll see, though. We may need to put this challenge on the back burner for awhile. I'm going to try a little jogging with Adam today and I'll determine where to go after that.

Park and Walk Challenge - This challenge may be difficult to get used to as well, since I'm accustomed to driving through the parking lot and trying to find a good spot. However, I already have a plan to keep myself mindful of this challenge. I am going to put a post-it note on my dashboard so I can see it every time I go somewhere, to remind myself to park farther away so I can get some additional exercise.

100 Miles Challenge - This challenge is going to require a great deal of dedication for me. I have to keep track of my steps each day and really strive to hit 10,000 as often as possible so I can achieve my 100 mile mark for the month. I bought a pedometer and I'm wearing it every day from the moment I get dressed until I put my pj's on at night.

How are you challenging yourself this month? And don't forget to be thinking about the 5 changes you're going to make to help you achieve your goals!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and an incredible April. I feel so revived and energetic now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is shining so brightly.

Day 29: Ruby

One of my favorite shows on TV is called Ruby. The show is on Style Network on Sunday nights and it chronicles the weight loss journey of Ruby Gettinger. Ruby started out weighing over 700 pounds, and the show has documented the last couple of years of her life as she has dropped approximately 400 pounds.

Each season depicts Ruby's triumphs and struggles as she deals with what caused her to balloon to her original weight and figures out strategies for taking off those pounds. Ruby seems to live life a little more with each pound she loses.

Her vibrant personality and hilarious sayings combine with her charismatic charm make the show a joy to watch. And Ruby also has a strong support group of friends who help her stay motivated on her journey.

Last week's episode involved a therapy session. Ruby's therapist encouraged her to think of 5 changes she could make in her life to boost her weight loss and live healthier.

Ruby did things like getting rid of diet sodas, changing out the big chair she sat in for a smaller one, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

I was so inspired by that idea of getting rid of 5 hindrances, that I thought it would be nice to bring that challenge to the blog.

So over the next week I am going to be thinking of 5 changes I can make to help me live healthier. And I want all of you to do the same. And next Wednesday we'll discuss what changes we're going to make to enhance our weight loss.

If you want to learn more about Ruby, CLICK HERE.

Day 28: Weekly Weigh-In

What a day! As a child did you ever read that book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Well today I would like to inform you that you can officially call me Alexander.

I just want to go back home and crawl into bed and pretend today never happened. In order to prevent myself from writing a novel about my day so far (it's only 1:30pm, by the way), I will provide you with a bullet list of several of the items that have happened so far today.

• migraine
• no migraine medicine
• new migraine prescription is not covered by insurance
• new migraine prescription costs $333.17
• no migraine medicine
• IRS
• trying to send a fax to the IRS
• busy signal when faxing the IRS
• approximately 25 failed attempts to fax the IRS
• paper jam
• cannot locate paper jam
• still cannot locate paper jam
• paper jam never existed in the first place.
• rock in my shoe
• auditor
• work computer freaked out and closed the program I was working in, subsequently deleting the invoice I was creating.
  

Things have gotten a little brighter since then. I managed to get some samples from the doctor while they work out the mess with my insurance. I assume my fax finally went through to the IRS so my tax return can be processed correctly now. We powered off the printer and turned it back on and now it's printing fine. The auditor came and did what he needed to do with no problems. And I retyped the invoice.

But geesh! What a crazy day so far! I'm trying to be more positive. A lot of the mishaps from today have already taken care of themselves. I just need to push through it and wait for tomorrow.

On top of all of that, the thing that I have been fearing the most from my Weight Watchers experience finally happened: I gained!

This Week: +1.8lbs.
Total: -6.4lbs.

I can't really explain the weight gain. I wasn't able to workout as much or as strenuously as I normally do. But I still worked out a little. I didn't eat horribly, except for Sunday night (less than 24 hours before my weigh-in). I had to weigh with shoes on because I wasn't wearing socks and they don't allow you to weigh in barefoot. I was wearing layers during my weigh-in. There are a lot of contributing factors here, and I'm not really sure what to blame the gain on.

I know I stuck to my plan pretty well and tried pretty hard this week, so I'll just chalk it up to my body changing and adapting a little bit. I can't let it discourage me. If I continue to gain, though, I may need to think about adjusting my foods or changing up my workout routine.

It's a little scary to have gained weight this week since I'm getting ready to go on a week-long vacation tomorrow. But that gives me all the more motivation to not slack off while I'm traveling.

I have to continue to track my points and get my exercise in. That way I can stay on plan and not have another weight gain when I go back to my meeting.

That's about all I have in me today. I'm not feeling particularly inspirational or whimsical about life at this moment.

But tomorrow is a new day, Adam and I are going to Tennessee to spend some time with his family. And I'm getting to meet some of his high school friends. I'm really looking forward to getting away for awhile. I know it's going to be a great trip!

And please come back tomorrow because I have a really good discussion topic/assignment to share with everyone!

Hope you're all having a better day than I.....

Day 27: Champion Chow

I love popcorn. This is obvious given the fact that in 27 days this is my second blog on the subject.

To me, it is the perfect snack. It's salty and filling and easy to munch on as you watch TV or a movie or whatever else you happen to be doing while you're snacking.

I consider myself a little bit of a popcorn snob, though. I do not like most microwave popcorn. Occasionally I'll have a little of the microwave stuff if I'm craving popcorn and I don't have another option, but to me it just tastes stale and fake. This is a direct result of growing up in my father's household. We were always taught that nothing is better than stove-top popcorn. All popcorn is great, but any old popcorn does not compare to the wonder of popcorn prepared on a stove. And I'm not talking Jiffy Pop, people!

I mean putting oil and seeds in pan and turning the burner on high as you stand by and listen to the chorus of kernels serenading you with their "pop.......pop....poppoppoppoppop....pop..pop" song. Stove top popcorn is a beautiful thing, indeed.

Unfortunately, stove top popcorn is not the healthiest option when it comes to losing weight. Although, I have made it with olive oil before, which made it a little more nutritious (and it tasted great!).

Yesterday I bought an air popper (at the suggestion of my wonderful role model, Aunt Janine). I bought one called a PopLite. It's just a generic Wal-Mart one that cost about $20.

I tried it out last night and it made really good popcorn. It was a little dry, but I imagine I can figure out a way to spruce it up a little...maybe adding some light butter or margarine to it (that would NOT be at the suggestion of my Aunt Janine since she hates that stuff).

The problem I ran into last night was that my popper's instruction manual said that you should place 1/2 cup of kernels into the machine. You're not supposed to over fill it, and you're not supposed to under fill it, or you may end up with a lot of unpopped kernels. So I popped the half cup of seeds and wound up eating the entire batch of popcorn! Woops.

I just need to remember to portion it out. Maybe I can eat half of the popcorn as my evening snack and then take the rest of it to work the next day to eat with my lunch.

I like the popper, though. I think it will be a welcome new addition to my kitchen, and I'm looking forward to many more evening time popcorn snacks!

I love mixing it up and adding different flavors to my popcorn, too. I'll just go for regular margarine and salt sometimes. Other times I'll put a little seasoned salt instead of the regular salt. I've used garlic powder and Parmesan cheese before. And I've even used brown sugar and cinnamon for a little bit of a sweet and salty flavor. And I've recently discovered the wonder of spray margarine. You use a lot less and it sticks to the popcorn really well.

Day 26: White Chili

I used to have a membership at Curves gym. I never really benefitted from their workout program, though, because it's way too low-impact for a young person who needs to lose a considerable amount of weight. One thing I did gain, though, was I was able to attend a weight loss class there led by an instructor. I learned a lot of information about foods and I picked up the habit of journaling my foods and exercise each day. I have found that when I journal my foods I'm much more accountable to myself and more successful with my eating.

As a part of the weight loss class I was given a Curves guidebook that had our food journaling pages in it, as well as some eating plans and a comprehensive view of their Curves diet. I'm not doing that plan anymore, but I still consult the book regularly because it has a few delicious recipes.

This white chili is a great treat, and I wanted to make sure to share it before the weather got too warm out. It is so flavorful and just a little spicy. And it's savory and fulfilling. You won't be hungry after you eat it. I hate beans, so I leave them out and add a little more chicken, but you can change it up however you want.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4 oz. chopped green chiles, drained
1 tsp. powdered cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth
2/3 c. cooked white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz. cooked chicken breast, cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add Jalapeno, chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt, and saute another minute. Stir in chicken broth, beans, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro and cheese and serve.

Makes 3 (1 1/3 cup) servings.

Per Serving: Calories: 300, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Protein: 25g, Carbohydrates: 19g, Fiber: 4g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 647mg

Points Value: 6

Day 25: Zumbalicious!

Today a bunch of the ladies in my family got together to participate in a Zumba class and enjoy a healthy meal. It was so much fun!

Our Zumba instructor was an incredible ball of energy. She made the class a lot of fun, and I surprised myself with how well I was able to keep up. I think the hard work I've been doing as far as my exercise has really paid off! It was really encouraging to me as we approached the end of the class that I was still alive. The class kicked my butt, but I wasn't as tired and as out of breath as I thought I would be.

I'm looking forward to many more Zumba classes in the future.

Then we all went over to Aunt Cindy's house for a delicious and healthy meal. I got to try the Weight Watchers lemon cakes, which are really good! I'm going to have to try some of those.

I feel like I had a pretty good week...I didn't really blow it with my food at all. I used some of my extra weekly points, but not all of them. And I kept pretty good track of my eating.

The one thing I wish I had more time for this week was exercise. I wasn't able to get as much in as I had planned, but that's okay. I still worked out 3 times this week. Next week I'll step it up a little since I'll be out of town and my eating probably won't be as nutritious as it normally would when I'm in control of everything.

I hope everyone else had a good week, and I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone about the progress they're making!

Day 24: Questions

I'm drawing a little bit of a blank today as I think about what I want to write. Some days the daily blog thing is a little difficult. There's only so much I can write on health and this lifestyle change I'm going through right now. I don't want to bore anyone (including myself).

So I wanted to see if any of my readers out there have suggestions about topics they'd like me to cover.

It doesn't necessarily have to be about weight loss or health....just anything in general. I'm open to suggestions and recommendations. I'm just getting a little bored with the daily grind, I think.

Right now, in the daily blogs my week looks like this:

Monday - Champion Chow (healthy and delicious foods I find and eat regularly)

Tuesday - Weekly Weigh-In (where I discuss my weigh-in results and the progress I've made so far)

Wednesday - Discussion Topic (I start the conversation on a certain topic and everyone else shares their thoughts)

Thursday - Fitness (what I'm doing as far as challenging myself and my readers)

Friday - Survival Strategies (how you can survive some of the more difficult obstacles with healthy living)

Saturday - My Week in Review (where I discuss how I've done over the past week and how I can improve for the future)

Sunday - A healthy, favorite recipe of mine.

I don't have to stick with these particular themes, though. And I'd love to spice it up a little by adding in some of the things my readers want to hear about and discuss.

Like I said, maybe every single day doesn't need to be about weight loss and fitness...maybe you'd like to hear about the latest hair styles or how to build a replica of the New York City skyline out of used staples and gum wrappers. I don't know. That's the problem, you see. I'm getting bored so I know my readers must be getting bored, too.

Please chime in and let me know what you want to hear and I'll try and figure out a way to make it happen.

I can't say enough how much I appreciate all of you taking the time to come and visit this site whenever you can. Knowing that people are reading about my progress has really helped me to stay on track with what I'm trying to accomplish.

Day 23: New Challenges

Believe it or not, April is almost here. And with the new month come some new fitness challenges.

I hope anybody and everybody will join me in as many of these challenges as they can, so we can help motivate and share our successes with each other.

My challenges in March helped me to stick with my exercise regimen because I knew I was pushing toward a goal, so hopefully that same stickwithitness* will apply as I continue to challenge myself to go above and beyond what I've done in the past.

ONGOING CHALLENGES

There are a couple of challenges I started this month that will continue into April. The Great Outdoors Challenge was intended to last for the entire spring. The Conquer the Couch Potato Challenge on the other hand, was supposed to only last through March, but I have failed royally at it. So I would like to extend this challenge into April and see if I can actually do it.

The Great Outdoors Challenge
Spring is here and I am sick of being in the house! I think I need to spend some time being active outside. With this 3 day per week challenge for the entire Spring, I want to look at the weather forecast, make note of the predicted High for that day, and spend that many minutes outside, doing something active. This may be going for a walk with a friend, riding a bike (which may be difficult considering that I don't have one), or taking my iPod as my companion and enjoying the scenery in my neighborhood. This outside time may or may not coincide with my daily workout routine. I just want to get more fresh air.

The Conquer the Couch Potato Challenge
Nobody enjoys commercial breaks unless it's the Super Bowl, right? So why not make the most out of those 3 minute breaks between segments of your favorite show and incorporate some movement? I want to challenge myself, and whoever else wants to participate, to get up and move during commercial breaks. This challenge was supposed to last through the month of March, but since I didn't succeed at it, I am extending it to April...with a little bit of a modification. I started out wanting to get up and move any time a commercial came on, any time I was watching TV, but I think that's an unrealistic goal to expect myself to get up for every single commercial break as I'm watching TV throughout the evening, especially considering that most days I've already gotten in my workout for the day before I ever sit down to watch TV in the evening. I would like to modify this challenge to say that for 1 hour of TV watching every day, I will get up and exercise during the commercial breaks. If I'm watching an hour long television show, I will get about 20 minutes of commercial break exercise time in. I am going to get up and do something to get my heart rate going. It may be that I do some jumping jacks, or take a flight of stairs a couple of times...or even go downstairs and get the laundry. I'm going to get up and make use of those couple of minutes of commercials.

Walk to Jog Challenge
My mom and I are still following our walk-to-jog plan we started over 3 weeks ago. It's a 12-week program to transition from walking to jogging. Next week is the week we begin to incorporate a little bit of light jogging into our workouts. It's not to late to join us! If you're interested in participating or you want to see the plan we're doing, just let me know and I'll direct you to the information. Note: it may take us more than 12 weeks to complete this plan as this week is totally kicking our butts! Next week Weight Watchers is supposed to be launching a Walking Challenge, too, so we may participate in that along with our walk to jog program! I'll pass along that information as soon as I get it.

NEW CHALLENGES

The Park and Walk Challenge
For the month of April, I would like to incorporate some more walking to my normal routine. So I plan to park at the BACK of the parking lot and walk to the door as often as possible. This does not mean I'm going to park at the back every single time. If it's raining, for example, or if I'm running late, I'm going to make an exception for myself. But as a general rule, I will use the month of April to park far away from my destination and walk. Yes, even in the huge parking lots like Wal-Mart. I can't wait to see how much additional distance I track during the month just by enforcing a little bit of a good habit every day.

100 miles Challenge
Because I'll be getting so much additional distance with my Park and Walk Challenge, I would like to also challenge myself to walk a total of 100 miles for the month of April. That sounds like a lot, but let me explain: the average sedentary person takes about 1,000-3,000 steps in a day. For most people a mile is right around 2,000 steps, which means a sedentary person (a desk worker like most of us) walks only about half a mile to a mile and a half every day. I want to strive for more, though. It seems that most health guidelines recommend walking 10,000 steps per day. So I want to reach at least 10,000 steps a day for most days in April...which is 5 miles. I've figured that if I can log 10,000 steps (5 miles) a day for 20 days in April, I will have easily reached the 100 mile marker for the month!

So will you join me in one or more of these challenges? It would be great to get a bunch of people on board to share our struggles and successes! Comment below to let me know which challenges you're going to participate in for April!



*Yes, I did make up this word. And I'm proud of it!

Day 22: The Travel Bug

Last night Adam and I took a little trip to Chicago. We were transporting my brother and his girlfriend to a concert, so we just decided to make the most out of the trip and have a little fun.

We started out at Navy Pier and took advantage of Ben & Jerry's customer appreciation day. We got a free (small) ice cream cone to enjoy. We were going to spend some time at Navy Pier, but it was virtually empty. I guess things don't start to liven up around there until sometime in April. It was a ghost town.

So we decided to leave Navy Pier and head toward Michigan Avenue to walk to our dinner destination. From Navy Pier to Giordano's it was a good 1.5 mile walk each way, so we got in some good exercise.

It was pretty cold out, so I think we were moving a little faster than we might have otherwise.

We arrived at Giordano's Pizza, which I had never had the pleasure of enjoying before. It. Was. Delicious. I could not believe how tasty this pizza was. From the gooey cheese, to the savory sausage, to the crust which had an uncanny flavor resemblance to chicken pot pie...I was in heaven. I ate my one slice and that was plenty (more on that later). The best part about the pizza was that I didn't feel a single ounce of guilt or shame as I enjoyed my slice. I knew we were going there, and I planned accordingly with my points. I used a few of my weekly points allowance, but that's okay. It was a special trip, and I'm not going to do that every day. I was happy that I was able to enjoy the slice I had prepared for, and then stop. I felt like I could have eaten more, but I was satisfied.

I'm trying really hard to learn the difference between being full and being satisfied. It's a difficult one to learn if you've spent your whole life thinking that those two terms are synonymous. I consider it a small achievement to have recognized that signal that I had enough and to stop.

After dinner, we completed our walk and returned to the car to pick up the kids at the concert.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening. The pizza gave me some serious stomach cramps on the drive home, though. For some reason I've been having issues with bread products lately. I don't know if my body is not used to it anymore, so it explodes in my stomach, or if, like my mother, insists, I have a gluten allergy like she does. Only time will tell, I guess. I'm not ready to completely give up on gluten yet, but I may have to give it a try for a while and see if it helps with the bloating I experience when I eat breads and pasta.

I would consider our trip last night a food success! I planned ahead, knew what I was going to get, and then we got in a nice, long walk on top of everything else.

I'm a little nervous, though, because Adam and I are leaving for a week-long trip to Tennessee next week and I am afraid I might not be able to stay on plan.

I would love to open up the discussion today for everyone to share their troubles and triumphs with traveling.

What slip-ups do you find you commit while you're on a vacation?
What do you do to help maintain your goals and stay on mission?

Please share in the comments below! I need some advice and a reality check!

Day 21: Weekly Weigh-In

My third week on Weight Watchers was kind of a bad one. I just got lazy toward the end of the week, and even lazier during the weekend.

I have trouble tracking my foods if I know I'm making poor choices, and so it's easier for me to stay off track if I'm not writing it down.

I think keeping track of my foods helps me to stay accountable to myself, and to my iPhone, as far as what I'm consuming in a typical day.

But I'm back with the program now. This is a new week. I'm going to make myself track everything I'm eating. That way if I do eat something bad, I'll be able to make up for it by making better choices with my other foods and exercise.

This Week's Results: -1.4lbs.
Total Weight Loss: -8.2lbs.

If I can manage to lose another 1.8lbs by next week, I'll get another sticker! Yippee!

I'm glad I didn't gain this week; I was afraid I might. But I think all of the exercise I did earlier in the week helped to compensate a little for all the eating I did on Friday and Saturday.

I went to the grocery store last night to pick up some healthy foods so I can stay on plan. As I wandered over to the bread aisle, though, the aroma of the bakery really got me.

I've never been too crazy about baked goods. I enjoy breads and cakes just like any other person, but when it comes to cravings, I tend to crave fried things.

But as I was walking through the bakery section of the store, the allure of that sweet fragrance in the air was calling me. I really thought I might rip open a box of donuts and start shoving them in my mouth!

I had to hurry up and make my selections quickly so I could get away from those smells because they were making me crazy.

I've never really experienced that before with breads, but I just thought it was funny. It did cause me to make an unexpected purchase, though. I bought a package of Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Bun Muffins (4 points each), so I'll let you know how those are.

Do you have any similar grocery store experiences? How do you curb those cravings when they come?

Day 20: Champion Chow

Have you tried Kraft Light salad dressings? They taste great and contain about half the calories and fat of their "normal" counterparts.

I live by Kraft Light Toasted Asian Sesame. The flavor is divine. It's a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, sesame, teriyaki...basically all of the Asian flavors you love in one convenient bottle.

Of course I love to use it on salads, but this dressing is so versatile that it has many other uses as well.

I always use it as a dip for veggies like carrots, celery or chopped bell peppers. A two-tablespoon serving of the dressing only has 1 point.

I've also been known to use it as a flavoring agent in stir-fry. Cook some shrimp in a skillet, then add some frozen vegetables and a couple tablespoons of the dressing and you've got a delicious stir fry to go on top of a little brown rice.

Or if you want to try something new and different, CLICK HERE for a chicken recipe that uses this dressing.

If I still haven't sold you on Light Asian Toasted Sesame, fear not. Kraft offers plenty of other options in their Light or Free products. Just browse the shelves of your grocery store to find a flavor you like and then search around online for some recipes to make with it, or get creative and make your own recipe (then post it on this site to share with everyone!).

Day 19: Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

They may sound a little strange, but these little gems are absolutely delicious. This recipe comes straight from Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 (200 Recipes Under 200 Calories). I've mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating: I would highly recommend all of the Hungry Girl cookbooks. There is a new one coming out late this month as well. The recipes are delicious and guilt-free. You won't be disappointed.

I made these cupcakes for my family and they ate them up...even the people who weren't trying to watch their weight. One word of caution, though, the frosting tends to harden a little after one or two days, so you may not want to make a huge batch, because they probably won't last longer than 48 hours or so.

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

2c. Moist-Style Yellow Cake Mix (half of an 18.25 oz. box)

1 large Banana, mashed

1/2 c. Baby Food Pureed Bananas (yes, seriously)

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Ingredients for Frosting:

3/4 c. Cool Whip Free, thawed

1/4 c. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter, room temperature

Optional Topping:

12 Slices Banana

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a small mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and Cool Whip Free, stirring until mixed well. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix with baking powder and 1 cup water until mixed well. Add baby food and stir thoroughly. Mix in mashed bananas.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute cake mixture among the cups.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Once cupcakes have cooled completely, spread frosting evenly over the cupcake tops. Top each cupcake with a slice of banana, if you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information:

143 Calories, 3.75g Fat, 193mg Sodium, 25g Carbs, 0.5g Fiber, 13g Sugars, 2g Protein

Points Value: 3