3/1/12 247.2
Pounds lost in 2012: 68
Pounds lost in 2013: 2
Pounds lost in January: gained .8
2/1 178.0
2/8 177.4
2/22 178.0
3/1 178.0
I'm pretty disappointed, because I stuck to it like a champ! I found out at my meeting last week that I can still enjoy my Eat All the Things Day- IF I refrain from using the 7 budgeted daily "use-these-so-your-life-doesn't-suck" points. Totally worth it. So I ate exclusively from my list of healthy foods. Nothing passed my lips this week that was not a whole grain, lean protein, fruit, veggie or otherwise approved snack (fat free yogurt, 98% fat free popcorn, that kind of thing). No ice cream, no cookies, no margarine, no chips. I ate a heck of a lot of meals that were completely fat free. I also drank all my water every day but Thursday, and did a couple of Wii workouts as well as my Stretch and Grow sessions with the kids. So this result is a little mystifying to me.
You know what I think the problem was? I ate the right things, but too much of them. My issue is this: I only have so much discipline to go around. This is exactly why I was an obese vegan several years ago. If I'm spending my discipline by ruling out certain foods, I'll get very lax about portions. In my vegan days, if I was at a party and feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't have the cheese and crackers, I would go crazy on the potato chips.
For instance, this week, we went to Golden Corral, figuring that a buffet would actually contain a wide variety of things I could have. And I was right! I had a huge salad with fat free dressing to start, and then a big plate of steamed veggies, and then a fruit plate to finish. By the end of the meal, I was stuffed- but not satisfied. While there was no doubt that physically, I was full, mentally, I wasn't satiated because frankly nothing tasted that great. So I kept on eating, hoping that quantity over quality would win the day and push that "happy button".
Same thing with my evening snacks. I have never loved light popcorn, unless I could pour butter and salt all over it. But hey, it was on the list of things I could eat, so I popped and ate a full bag every night (none of those little snack bags for me). All in all, I would've been better off enjoying my half cup of Ben and Jerry's.
1. You know what's extremely simple and tasty? A handful of frozen blueberries, a cup of skim milk and a tablespoon of Splenda thrown in the blender. Thick and frothy and not too sweet. I've never gotten into smoothies before because I don't like to drink my points, but doing Simple Start has opened up the smoothie door, as it were, so I bought some plastic straws and started experimenting. Overall, thumbs up!
2. I do not hate fat free American cheese slices like I thought I would. They melt! I would not have guessed! And the nice oozy texture makes up for the slightly funky aftertaste. I used these in an omelet (eggs are on the approved list!), heated up in a warm turkey sandwich and on top of a whole wheat bagel thin with marinara sauce.
3. Speaking of bagel thins, they rock! I've never even given them a try before and I have no idea why. Regular bagels are a ton of points, definitely not worth it, but these will definitely find their way into my regular rotation.
So stay tuned for hopefully a better weigh in as a result of a more controlled week, where I promise to ask more questions like "Do I really need a fifth helping of tofu stir fry?"