On the Menu This Week

Greek Style Cheeseburgers
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Roasted Cornish Hens with Quinoa and Broccoli

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Weekly Round up 8/22-8/28

I got in 0 workouts this week.

OK so down to the nitty gritty of the week.
Summary I used 35/35 Weekly Points and I earned 0 Activity Points.

Saturday I was out of town and not counting

Sunday I was out of town and not counting

Monday Honestly not sure why I wasn't tracking properly but here goes from memory :P
26 of 26 points, had latte for breakfast, chicken teriyaki for lunch and chicken soba salad for dinner, wait I didn't track cuz it was a crazy day, first day back out running errands all day.

Tuesday 26 of 26 points and earned 0 activity points, had clam chowder and steamed clams for lunch at pike's place market, that place has become WAY too touristy! Dinner was sloppy joe's. Still can't workout...

Wednesday 24.5 of 26 points. leftover sloppy joe's for lunch, succotash with seared scallops for dinner.

Thursday 22 of 26 points way too many sloppy joes...

Friday 24 of 26 points leftover night.

I earned no activity this week, my knee is pretty much in constant pain, need to get health insurance soon...
I was happy with my small gain. I had given myself a not more than 5 pounds goal since well we went to vegas and went to some amazing restaurants, then were at a convention that only had really lousy junk food, and we had no car. However I only gained 1.4 which when you take out the fact that I put jeans back on for weigh-ins, had to at some point, and they weigh 1.1 pounds i really actually maintained, not bad at all. This week is hard

Next Week's Menu
Saturday- Going out for dinner
Sunday- Steak, Baked Potato and Green Beans
Monday-Feta Chicken pasta
Tuesday-Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, stir fry and rice
Wednesday-leftovers
Thursday-Baked Shrimp with tomatoes and Feta
Friday- leftovers

August 29th Food Diary

Ate 44.5 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(3)- fiberone yogurt (0), nectarine (1) WW 2 point bar (2)
Lunch(7)-Sandwich Thin (1), Cheese (3), Laughing cow (1), ham (2)
Dinner (34.5)-Shrimp and Mushrooms, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, tortilla, tortilla Chips and Salsa, Beer

Mexican Restaurant for dinner, yummy

Running Weekly totals used 18.5 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

Friday, August 28, 2009

August 28th Food Diary

Ate 24 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Brunch(9)- eggs (6), Parmesan (1), tomato, onion, zucchini (0), sandwich thin (1), laughing cow (1)
Dinner (14)-Succotash (11), ice cream (3)
Snack (1)-Vitatop muffin

Running Weekly totals used 35 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

August 27th Food Diary

Ate 22 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(5)- sandwich thin(1), peanut butter (2), banana (2)
Lunch(6)- Sloppy Joes (5), fiberone yogurt (0), carrots (0), nectarine (1)
Dinner (8)-Sloppy Joes (5), Salad with vinagrette (1), wine (2)
Snack (3)-WW icecream bar


Running Weekly totals used 35 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

August 26th Food Diary

Ate 24.5 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(5.5)- Latte (2.5), fiberone yogurt (0), 1 nectarine (1), sandwich thin (1), laughing cow (1)
Lunch(6)-Sloppy Joe (5), salad with vinagrette (1)
Dinner (14)-Succotash with Seared Scallops and Parsley Drizzle (11), wine (3)
Snack (0)-

The Succotash with scallops was good, didn't get as good a sear as I wanted (overcrowded the pan in an attempt to finish faster...)

Running Weekly totals used 35 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

Recipe of the Week 8/22/09

Sloppy Joes

Serves 8
Cooking time 20 minutes
5 points each (including bun)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 can small red beans or pinto beans, low sodium drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 whole-wheat burger buns

Directions

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.


Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis per Serving (approximate)
Serving Size 1/2 cup sloppy joe mixture and one bun
Calories 248
Total fat 4 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Protein 18 g
Carbohydrates 37 g
Fiber 7g

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

August 25th Food Diary

Ate 26 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(1)- fiberone yogurt (0), 1/2 nectarine
Lunch(12)-Clam Chowder (7), clams in garlic broth (3), Bread (2)
Dinner (10)-Sloppy Joes (5), Salad with vinagrette (2), wine (3)
Snack (3)-Popcorn (3)

The sloppy joes are a favourite for Ben and myself and will be this week's featured recipe, yummm.

Running Weekly totals used 35 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

I'm Back

I'm back from my vacation, marriage, convention etc!

I'm glad that I didn't pretend that I would blog while away because I forgot my computer. For those who know me, I know I know, shocking! I was in such a hurry the morning I left that I forgot the computer, the computer sitting out ready to go...

So the vacation was great, ate amazing food in vegas Mesa Grill was one of the best meals of my life, at too much at all 3 Vegas dinners, but hey its 3 days right?

My knee got worse and worse as the vacation went on, probably the extra walking, but yesterday it was better most of the day and so far so good today, if this keeps up I'll hop on the treadmill again Thursday or Friday.

I'm sort of dreading the weigh-in on Saturday but I did give myself permission to gain up to 5 pounds while I was gone so I'm not dreading it that much as I'm sure I didn't do that much.
Food Journals to follow soon.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Away on vacation

I'll be away from my blog until August 23rd. I'm off to get married and see family and go to a convention!

Recipe of the week 8/8/09

Sausage, Bulgur and Kale

6 points per serving

Ingredients

  • 12 oz Chicken Italian Sausage
  • 8 cups Kale, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 cup Bulgur
  • 1 1/2 cups Cherry Tomatoes
  • 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Heat a pan over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray. Crumble sausage and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove sausage to a plate. Add the kale and the garlic, cook until the kale is wilted, about one minute. Add the chicken broth, bulgur, and sausage, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes covered. Remove from heat stir in tomatoes and parmesan, cover for 5 minutes, serve.

Yield: 4 servings


Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis per Serving (approximate)
Calories 336
Total fat 6.5 g
Saturated fat 2 g
Protein 29 g
Carbohydrates 44 g
Fiber 10 g

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

August 11th Food Diary

Ate 24 of 26 points earned 5 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-Sandwich Thin (1), Laughing Cow (1), fiberone yogurt (0)
Workout (5)-Bowflex and Treadmill
Second Breakfast(1)- non-fat greek yogurt with fruit spread (1), kiwi (1)
Lunch(3)-Gazpacho (2), salad with vinagrette (1)
Dinner (14)-hamburger on sandwich thin (6), tomato, mozzarella and basil salad (7), green beans with butter (1)
Snack (1)-Skinny cow ice cream sandwich.

The hamburgers were excellent the beef is really tasty.
Running Weekly totals used 29 of 35 weekly points earned 5 activity points.

Monday, August 10, 2009

August 10th Food Diary

Ate 24 of 26 points earned 5 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-Sandwich Thin (1), Laughing Cow (1), fiberone yogurt (0)
Workout (5)-Bowflex and Treadmill
Second Breakfast(1)- non-fat greek yogurt with fruit spread (1), kiwi (1)
Lunch(3)-Gazpacho (2), salad with vinagrette (1)
Dinner (14)-hamburger on sandwich thin (6), tomato, mozzarella and basil salad (7), green beans with butter (1)
Snack (1)-Skinny cow ice cream sandwich.

The hamburgers were excellent the beef is really tasty.
Running Weekly totals used 29 of 35 weekly points earned 5 activity points.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

August 9th Food Diary

Ate 32 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Brunch(23.5)-Maggie's Mess (Hashbrowns, Gravy, Egg, Toast)
Dinner (8.5)-Fish tacos (7.5) with green salad with vinagrette (1)


Found a new place for brunch it was yummy, the perfect dive breakfast place.

Running Weekly totals used 29 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

August 8th Food Diary

Ate 49 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-WW Apple Cinnamon Bar(2) and Fiberone Yogurt (0)
Lunch(12)-Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Sandwich with pesto(11), olive oil (1)
Dinner (31.5)-Carne Asada with Chips, Nachos etc (31.5)
Snack (3.5)-Wine

Woot almost 2 pounds. Had dinner out with Ben and a friend then she came over for wine.

Running Weekly totals used 23 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Lighter Pesto

Lighter Pesto

2 points for 2 Tbsp

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Basil
  • 1 oz Pine Nuts
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup fresh Lemon Juice
  • 3-6 Garlic cloves (based on personal taste and potency of the garlic
  • 2 Tbsp Olive oil

Directions

Combine the garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and basil in a food processor. Drizzle in the lemon juice and olive oil through the feeder tube, combine well.

You can also omit the olive oil and the result is 1 point per 2 tbsp.

Yield: 1 cup (serving size is 2 tablespoons or 1/8 cup), 8 servings


Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis per Serving (approximate)
Calories 89
Total fat 7.5 g
Saturated fat 1.5 g
Protein 3.5 g
Carbohydrates 3.6 g
Fiber 1g
Non olive oil version
Calories 59
Total fat 4.3 g
Saturated fat 1.2 g
Protein 3.5 g
Carbohydrates 3.6 g
Fiber 1g

The Weekly Round up 8/1-8/7

I got in 6 workouts this week. I did the bowflex 3 days and a mix of cardio on all 6 and I earned 31 Activity Points 3 more than I plan

OK so down to the nitty gritty of the week.
Summary I used 34/35 Weekly Points and I earned 31 Activity Points.

Saturday I ate 60 of 26 points, went to Family Reunion BBQ and Italian for dinner.

Sunday I ate 26 of 26 points. We had a big brunch and simple grilled chicken for dinner. I earned 4 activity points

Monday I ate 25.5 of 26 points, Yum Yum Crabcakes with smarter tartar and tomato mozzarella salad. Earned 5 Activity points doing the bowflex and treadmill.

Tuesday 25.5 of 26 points and earned 6 activity points on the treadmill, Chicken Souvlaki Sandwiches another Ben favourite, he just wants more feta...

Wednesday 26 of 26 points and earned 5 activity points on the bowflex and treadmill. I had gazpacho for lunch it turned out great, nothing like a cold vegetable soup to fill you up and taste great. Dinner was Chicken Pesto Pasta with zucchini, made it up off the cuff and the light pesto was good.

Thursday 23.5 of 26 points and earned 6 activity points on the treadmill. Had leftovers for dinner and had gazpacho

Friday 24 of 26 points and earned 5 activity points doing the bike and bowflex. Leftovers again.

I earned more than my 28 activity point goal, 31 hooray! Was a serious chicken week, next week we need to shake things up a bit more but have to not have too many leftovers since we will be gone friday for 10 days.

Next Week's Menu
Saturday- Going out for dinner
Sunday- Fish Tacos
Monday-Hamburgers and Caprese salad
Tuesday- Sausage with Bulgar and Kale
Wednesday-Leftovers
Thursday-Grilled Chicken Sausage, green beans
Friday-out of town

Friday, August 7, 2009

Recipe of the Week 8/1/09

Crab Cakes with Smarter Tartar

From The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

5 points for 2 crabcakes and 2 Tbsp Tartar

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay
  • Dash hot sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch black pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 scallion, including green top, finely chopped
  • 1 pound lump crab, meat picked over
  • 3/4 cup dry whole wheat bread crumbs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Smarter Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, crab boil seasoning, and hot sauce. Stir in the bell pepper and scallion. Gently fold in the crab, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Put the remaining bread crumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 mounds. Shape each mound into a round and coat in bread crumbs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and flatten the crab cake to form a patty about 1-inch high. Repeat to form the remaining crab cakes.

Bake until golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Gently flip the crab cakes and cook until the second side is golden, 5 to10 minutes longer.

Serve crab cakes with tartar sauce alongside.

Smarter Tarter Sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 scallion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped sour pickles
  • 1 tablespoon chopped capers

Spoon yogurt into a small bowl lined with paper towels. Place in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour until some of the liquid from the yogurt is released. Scoop thickend yogurt into a small bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Yield: 3/4 cup (serving size is 2 tablespoons), 6 servings


Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis per Serving (approximate)
Serving Size 2 crab cakes with 2 tablespoons Smarter Tartar
Calories 255
Total fat 8 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Protein 26 g
Carbohydrates 18 g
Fiber 1g

August 7th Food Diary

Ate 24 of 26 points earned 5 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-Sandwich Thin (1), Laughing Cow (1)
Workout (5)-Bowflex and Bike
Second Breakfast(4.5)- Sandwich Thin (1), Peanut butter (2), small banana (1.5)
Lunch(4)-Gazpacho (2), Fruit2day (2)
Dinner (10.5)-chicken pesto pasta with zucchini (7.5), skim milk (2), mixed veggies with parmesan (1)
Snack (3)-Skinny cow ice cream sandwich.

Weigh in tomorrow hoping for a big number.

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 31 activity points.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Where I get my nutritional information

So with most recipes I try to put in the approximate nutritional information so people not following WeightWatchers can adapt the meals to their diets and or nutritional needs. Someone asked me the other day where I got that information so here is the requested info.

I use Calorie King for my calorie and nutritional counting needs. This handy website includes the calorie, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar, calcium and potassium of most foods.

That's alot of information and they have a handy drop down for you to enter the quantity that you are using.

I then enter this information into a spreadsheet that I made in excel, which adds up each column and then divides it by serving size and gives me a count for each of those values and the WW points value as well.

So why you ask is this information labeled approximate everywhere? Well it's not exact. I have no idea how much of a marinade is absorbed versus thrown out, how much fat this particular piece of beef lets out and how good i was at pouring off the fat. Sometimes they only have a weight measure when I used a dry measure so I have to approximate or go into the kitchen and pour that dry measure then dump it on the scale. I am however trying to switch entirely to weighing my food, it's more accurate and since my scale can be zeroed between additions I use less dishes!

I hope this helps people know where my information comes from and helps them with creating their own recipes.

August 6th Food Diary

Ate 23.5 of 26 points earned 6 activity points.
Breakfast(1)-nectarine and fiberone yogurt
Workout (6)-Treadmill
Second Breakfast(4)- Sandwich Thin (1), Laughing Cow (1), Fruit2day (2)
Lunch(4)-Gazpacho (2), yogurt (2)
Snack (1)- WW Cookies and Cream 1 point bar
Dinner (10.5)-Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich (6) feta (1.5), greek salad (1), skim milk (2)
Snack (3)-WW ice cream bar

I picked up the beef today, the delivery guy was friendly. The beef looks great and its conveniently vacuum packed in small portions. The ground is in 1 pound chubs, 2 ribeyes, 2 T-bones etc. I'm going to have to figure out what to do with all my pot roasts, any ideas? I also have no solid plans for the boneless leg of lamb that I got but I will probably butterfly it and do it on the grill some how.

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 26 activity points.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

August 5th Food Diary

Ate 26 of 26 points earned 5 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-Sandwich Thin and laughing cow (2)
Workout (5)-Treadmill and Bowflex
Second Breakfast(1)-Nectarine and Chobani Greek Yogurt (2)
Lunch(6)-Gazpacho (2), Sourdough (2), Bummel and Brown (1)
Dinner (11.5)-Chicken Pesto Pasta with zucchini (7.5), Wine (2), Snap peas with sesame oil (2)
Snack (4)-Slow churned Chocolate fudge chunk low fat ice cream

I made a light pesto with almost no oil and lemon juice instead of most of the oil. It tastes light and the basil really shines (so does the garlic if you use to much of it.) All in all a fast satisfying dinner.

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 20 activity points.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

August 4th Food Diary

Ate 25.5 of 26 points earned 6 activity points.
Breakfast(2)-Sandwich Thin and laughing cow (2)
Workout (6)-Treadmill
Second Breakfast(1)-Nectarine and Chobani Greek Yogurt (2)
Lunch(6)-Egg (4) Sandwich thin and laughing cow (2)
Dinner (13.5)-Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich (6), Gazpacho (1), Greek Salad (1), feta (1.5), wine (2), tapioca pudding(2)
Snack (1)-Vita muffin

The Gazpacho turned out soooo good, I used 1 TBSP oil for the entire 4 quart batch, the veggies just had so much flavour and melded together so well. I love gazpacho in the summer but I really can't wait until MY veggies are ready for gazpacho! They are coming along nicely but knowing my luck everything will be ready to pick the 10 days I'm gone :( The chicken souvlaki sandwich is a favourite of Ben's so it went into the rotation this week with a very lightened up greek salad.

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 15 activity points.

August 3rd Food Diary

Ate 25.5 of 26 points earned 5 activity points.
Breakfast(1)-Nectarine (1), FiberOne peach yogurt (0)
Workout (5)-Bowflex and Treadmill
Second Breakfast(1)-Sandwich Thin (1), Banana (2), Peanut Butter (2)
Lunch(5.5)-Chicken Breast (2.5), Two Bean Salad (3)
Dinner (10.5)- whole milk mozzarella (3), Tomato (0), olive oil and vinegar (1.5), Salad with lettuce, celery, carrots, red pepper, mushrooms and homemade vinagrette (1), Crab cakes with Smarter Tartar (5)
Snack (4)-Gelato

The crabcakes were fantastic, as was the Tartar, I'll be posting that recipe soon, definitely a keeper. Had a small caprese and green salad to go with it. I upped some weights bit sore from it but getting stronger. And if you read yesterday's post I ordered a big old portion of grass fed beef to put into the freezer. The benefits of grass fed beef are awesome and in that quantitiy its as cheap as regular beef. I also hit PCC market. I had gone to the one in Kirkland when I first moved up to the Seattle area but it was small and didn't really have the selection I was looking for. The one in Issaquah however is excellent, I got everything on my list except tomato juice and that's because I forgot to look. It's also near a Trader Joe's for those handful of items I like from TJ. Everything I got was organic and the grocery bill was not gross compared to TOP so I'm happy.

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 9 activity points.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Recipe of the Week 7/25/09

Orange-Chipotle BBQ Pork Chops with Grilled Onions

Serves 4
Points 5 per serving

Ingredients

  • 3 sprays cooking spray
  • 9 Tbsp chipotle barbeque sauce
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped, plus more for garnish
  • zest of one orange
  • 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 1 pound lean pork loin (four 4 oz boneless chops, 3/4 inch thick)
  • Medium Vidalia (or other sweet onion) cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

Directions

Off heat, coat grill rack or a large grill pan with cooking spray; heat grill or set pan over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, combine barbecue sauce, cilantro and orange zest. Remove 5 tablespoons of sauce to a small bowl and stir in orange juice; set aside. Add chops to medium bowl; toss to coat with sauce.

Coat onions with cooking spray. Add onions and pork to grill or grill pan. Grill over medium-high heat, turning once or as needed, until onions are lightly charred and tender and pork is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer pork to serving plates; separate onions into rings and scatter around pork. Drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons of reserved barbecue sauce mixture; sprinkle with extra chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Facts

Nutritional Analysis per Serving (approximate) (will vary with BBQ sauce used)
Serving Size 1 pork chop and 1/4 of onions.
Calories 190
Total fat 6g
Saturated fat 1g
Protein 26.5g
Carbohydrates 10.5g
Fiber 1g

A Quarter of a cow oh my!

So today I decided to buy a big chunk of cow as in almost a quarter of a cow. I went to http://eatwild.com/ which linked to local grass fed beef providers. So given how much better grass fed is for us I decided to invest in some beef so I don't have to run all over looking for it every time I plan beef in the menu. They also have lamb and pork, yummy. The place I decided to go with does delivery runs to the Seattle area and you go pick up your goodies there. I'm excited to get my beef and some lamb this Thursday. They even have heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving time.
The best part about grass fed beef is that it is naturally leaner than corn or grain fed beef. Sounds good to me!

Happy Food News

The makers of my favourite low calorie butter alternative have decided to remove ALL partially hydrogenated oils from their tubbed butterery spreads by this time next year.
"After an extensive three-year research and development effort, Unilever has begun removing the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, Brummel & Brown®, Shedd’s Spread Country Crock® and Imperial® soft spread products sold in tub formats, thereby eliminating the artificial trans fats in these products. The company committed to doing so while ensuring that the saturated fat content of these spreads remains as low as possible (2 grams or less per serving), consistent with dietary guidance to limit saturated fat intake. Product taste and performance will not change."

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090727006031&newsLang=en

Great news for me as I struggle with the do I or don't I eat it. At 45 calories a Tbsp and 2 g of saturated fat its hard to pass up, but I really am trying to remove all Frankenfoods from my diet so this is one more step in the right direction.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

August 2nd Food Diary

Ate 26 of 26 points earned 4 activity points.
Brunch(16)-Sandwich Thin (1), Cheesy Scramble (4), Hashbrowns (5), Milk (2), Cherries (1), Turkey Breakfast Sausage (2), Brummel and Brown Spread (1)
Workout (4)-Bike
Dinner (9)- Chicken(3.5), Two Bean Salad (3), Low Fat Potato Salad (2.5)
Snack (1)-Vitalicious muffin

Had a great filling Brunch and a dinner of leftovers

Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 4 activity points.

August 1st Food Diary

Ate 60 of 26 points earned 0 activity points.
Breakfast(3)-WW Apple Cinnamon Bar (2), Nectarine (1)
Workout (0)-
Lunch (30.5)-Much overindulgence at BBQ
Dinner (26.5)- Spinach Salad, 1/2 Filet of Beef with Gorgonzola Sauce and 1/2 Veal with Scampi with potatoes, and desert plate

Went to Ben's Family reunion then we went out to dinner to a new Italian place.
Running Weekly totals used 34 of 35 weekly points earned 0 activity points

The Weekly Round up 7/25-7/31

I got in 6 workouts this week. I did the bowflex 3 days and a mix of cardio on all 6.

OK so down to the nitty gritty of the week.
Summary I used 31.5/35 Weekly Points and I earned 28 Activity Points.

Saturday I ate 57.5 of 26 points, went for Buffalo wings, Burgers and Beer.

Sunday I ate 25 of 26 points. Had Chicken Enchilada Casserole which was quite good, earned 4 activity points on the bike and walking the dogs.

Monday I ate 25.5 of 26 points, Had Orange-Chipotle BBQ Pork Chops with grilled onions for dinner, really simple and fast recipe. Earned 5 Activity points doing the bowflex and treadmill.

Tuesday 23.5 of 26 points and earned 6 activity points on the treadmill, Made a chicken and Vegetable Tikka Masala with a prepared sauce.

Wednesday 26 of 26 points and earned 2 activity points on the bowflex.

Thursday 25 of 26 points and earned 6 activity points on the treadmill

Friday 23.5 of 26 points and earned 5 activity points doing the bike and bowflex. Had grilled chicken and green bean salad.

I got fully back into working out. Hit the 28 activity points a week that I wanted. Tried and succeeded working some fish into our diets, now we just need to try to include a vegetarian and a fish in as much as possible.

Next Week's Menu
Saturday- Going out for dinner
Sunday- Grilled Chicken and vegetables.
Monday-Crab Cakes with Smarter Tartar Sauce and salad
Tuesday- Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich
Wednesday-Pesto Chicken Pasta
Thursday-Leftovers
Friday-Leftovers
Plan to make a big bowl of gazpacho for lunches.
My Plan

I did WeightWatchers once before in 2004-2005. I lost 50 pounds. I gained some back going through my divorce but the good news is I kept off 20 of them until I restarted WeightWatchers in January 2009.

For the first time, I have found a plan that was easy to stick to. Something just felt right this time. Before embarking on WeightWatchers I re-read some books I had found helpful in the middle of my last journey. The books are listed under "Weight Loss" Books on the side bar, and a blog post about them will follow soon. These books helped get me mentally prepared to lose weight and they are the reason I think I am finding losing to be less of a struggle. I am not letting myself get discouraged by small gains and I am seeing far more consistent results.

WeightWatchers gives you a points target based on weight and basic daily activity level. Every food has a points value based on calories, fiber and fat. Then its like a checkbook you start with your daily balance, subtract for foods eaten and add for activity done which can earn you points. Exercise=More Food. Each food point is roughly 50 calories and each activity point is worth roughly 100, I use a heart-rate monitor to calculate my activity points earned.

You also get 35 weekly points to use as you want anytime during the week. For me the most successful both mentally and on the scale is to use most of those points on Saturday night for a splurge and to then stick to my daily points fairly closely the rest of the week. It helps me to know my favourite foods are only a week away if I want them. People can manage the plan however they want but for me this is the most successful. When I'm working out a lot I try to eat some of those activity points as well. Ironically I get much smaller losses the weeks I don't eat those points on Saturday, maybe it shakes up my metabolism, who knows I just know it works

Finally my last key to my plan is attending meetings. It helps keep me accountable and on track.

Weight Loss Slideshow