T - 4 sleeps...

... until my first turkey dinner of the season. The GREAT thing about Thanksgiving is Stacey hosts it... and since she is a WW leader she makes low point whipped potatoes and even makes the stuffing out of WW bread! She is also making the ever wonderful 'crustless pumpkin pie' (who remembers that recipe??) Crustless Pumpkin Pie!

I just took a minute to look over my posts from a year ago... I went on a serious baking spree around this time and baked Tara's 1pt chocolate banana muffins, crustless pumpkin pie... cooking soup... making guacamole... making hummus. I have got to find a weekend to do all of that again. October 19th I am free... hopefully I can accomplish a lot!!

The good news is my treadmill is fixed and back in daily rotation (well... define "daily"... the PLAN is it will be back in daily rotation after a few days of use). it's quiet, it's great... i love it.

Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: oatmeal (2), 100 calorie pack almonds (2), 2 ff cheese slices (1)
Lunch: salad with tuna (1), cheese (2), ff italian (0) and veggies (0)... 100 cal pretzels (2)... nectarine (1), apple (1)... yogurt (1)
Dinner: egg beaters (1), egg whites (0), 2 cheese slices (1)... dessert without carbs was 3 tbsp light PB (6) with a drizzle of honey (0) - yes, I am odd
Total: 21
Water: 3L

Time for BED... getting up in 7 hours may be difficult now... wish me luck!

So long, farewell dear weekend...

Another weekend has come and gone... but at least Monday is over with now as well!

Would you like the good news or bad first?

I can give you the bad news in one photo:

That would be my cake truffle tower. I ate about half of those. Okay, not really... but I ate far too many. I hosted a bridal shower at mom and dad's yesterday and while I didn't eat any square meals the whole day... I snack (which, as we all know, can be twice as deadly as eating big meals).

The good news is my TREADMILL IS FIXED! I have a bit of an aggravating cough happening but I'm still hoping to give it a try (the treadmill) in the morning!

Because of my cough I've had a headache and lack of appetite today. This is (sadly) all I've eaten:
Breakfast: nothing
Lunch: cup a soup (1), tuna (2)
Dinner: tuna (2)
Water: 5L (I am seeking relief for my dry throat through crystal light)

Back to the 4&7 plan this week!

Hmmm... maybe I should start coming up with a solid PLAN this week for surviving Thanksgiving dinners next weekend!

RIP Monday... Happy Tuesday to all!

Sleepless in Toronto

I'm still working on fighting off this cold... my throat is sore and I've taken tylenol night time stuff for cold and flu... yet, here I am WIDE awake. Alex has gone home where he can get some sleep... and then I have to get up early and do running around and head to Pontypool to prepare for bride #3's shower!

So much for the 4&7 today... but I knew that would happen on Fridays. After all, I have to LIVE a little!

A quick run down on what I had today:
Breakfast: weight control oatmeal (2)
Lunch: ww tortilla (2), tuna (1), cheese (2), salsa (0), grapefruit (2), apple (1), yogurt (1)
Dinner AT RED LOBSTER, YAY: grilled salmon (4), 6 grilled shrimp (2), broccoli (0), salad withOUT croutons and with balsamic (2), TWO biscuits (7)
Total: 26
OH WAIT... that's not all. I gave in to my ice cream craving later (my sore throat NEEDED it) and went for a small mcflurry on the way home (12)
Thank you flex points. Now to behave the rest of the week!!

Tomorrow's plan is to get to Costco and bath and body works first thing in the morning and then head to Pontypool and start on the baking/making food for Sunday.

I think I'm finally ready for sleep. I will try to update this weekend.

One last note... the treadmill repair guy is coming Monday morning! YAY! I'm his first service call that day... I can't WAIT to have a quiet treadmill again!!!

Good luck today! (plus results)

Good luck to all weighing in today. I'm not sure if Tara is back... I trust I would hear from her if she was (right, TARA!!?!).

I stayed firm with my new trend that I now like to call "4 & 7" (no carbs after 4pm, no eating after 7pm). I think cutting out eating after 7 is cutting out a lot of mindless snacking that can be non-stop until I go to bed (at 10, 11... or later on weekends). I was down another 1.6lbs this morning... My morning weight is a little lower than it was last Thursday morning... but I have learned that means NOTHING when it comes to weighing in on that dreaded WW scale at the end of the day.

I'll be back for a quick update later regarding my progress (or lack thereof)... but I guarantee dinner will be a SUB!

Here's my meal plan for the day actually:
Breakfast: egg (2), egg whites (1), cheese (2), ketchup (0)
Lunch: skipped it (bad, i know)
Dinner: 12" turkey sub on whole wheat (12), 2 subway cookies (8)
Total: 24


I'm back!
I'm down 3lbs!!! YAY! Not bad for PMS/bloated week!! The 4&7 may be something to stick with for now. Just imagine what possibilities lie before me when I get my treadmill up and running again!!!

I got my sub and rewarded myself with 2 subway cookies... my points for today have been updated to reflect the change. Don't you love how WW members reward themselves with bad food? yeah... me too.

Hump Day (aka day before weigh in!)

There isn't much going on today... nothing exciting to write. I am fighting off a cold and my energy is less than desirable today. I just hope I hear from my treadmill fixing man on Friday to confirm they will come fix it for me Monday morning. I should have done my biggest loser workout but i didn't. i could make excuses, but I'm too tired... I just didn't do any exercise yet again today.

As a side note, I read something interesting in this month's SHAPE magazine. They said if you keep a more positive attitude you are less likely to get sick. So... they recommend you see yourself as always being healthy (rather than those annoying folks who just seem to complain all the time that they're sick)... and instead of saying 'i'm coming down with a cold'... say 'i'm fighting off a cold'. I'm always looking to be more positive (and i thrive on the fact that i don't often get sick)... so this will be my approach to the upcoming cold and flu season.

I stuck with my plan du jour and didn't eat carbs after 4pm and didn't eat after 7pm again today. The scale thanked me today for yesterday's efforts... i was down 4lbs from yesterday morning! This does NOT mean I'll be down at weigh in this week... since my week goes in a definite scale pattern. I go up on the weekends and each day go down a bit until Thursdays... and Thursdays tends to be my lowest weight of the week (so I can only gauge how I'm doing at my weight loss efforts based on where I was on the same day last week... and how the WW scale feels about me!).

Before I get into my food for the day... welcome Toni! I have no idea why you find my dull little blog interesting, but I'm glad you do! I hope you found your meetings you're looking for. I know in Fenelon the meetings used to be held at the high school but I think they've moved to a church now... but don't quote me.

Here's what I ate today!
Breakfast: banana strawberry smoothie soy milk 1c (2), unsweetened applesauce (1)
Lunch: flatout wrap (1) with chicken breast (2), skim milk cheese (2), 3 tbsp ff italian (0), veggies (0)... 16 strawberries (2)... nectarine (1)... source exotik yogurt (1)
Dinner: egg (2), 3 egg whites (1), 60g low fat cheddar (4), blue menu ketchup (0)... spoonful of light garden cream cheese while cooking dinner (1)... SF jello with 3 strawberries (0)
Snack: attempting to forgo carbs... I had a spoonful of light PB with a squirt of honey on top (2)
Total points = 22
Water = 3L (and maybe one more before bed... trying to stay hydrated while FIGHTING this cold).

Have a great Thursday. Good luck to all weighing in!!

Another day... without the treadmill.

Okay, to give credit where it's due... I did make the EFFORT to get on the treadmill this morning. I don't know what it was, but I woke up at 6am ready to go! The problem? My treadmill isn't getting any better... it's getting worse. It sounds like an old creaky mattress now. I had to stop jogging before the neighbours complain about me. I bit the bullet today and called the treadmill fix-it man. It'll cost $115 but they figure they'll be able to fix it. They fixed the motor for me a year or so ago and I know they're good. The good news in it all is Alex is helping me fund the treadmill repairs. I did actually think about jogging outside. The problem is that no matter when it is (before or after work) it would now be in the dark and I'm not entirely comfortable jogging by myself in the dark around here. I'm sure it would be fine... but I'm also sure I'd hear about it from my mom and alex later (they would disapprove no doubt).

I did vow to do the biggest loser workout tonight... but that didn't happen. I'm just too exhausted after work. I think sitting at a desk all day makes me feel MORE tired sometimes.

I managed to stick to my new rule today. No carbs after 4pm and no eating after 7pm. We'll see how long that kick lasts (precautionary addendum: this rule does not apply on Thursday or Fridays and sometimes Saturdays and Sundays! haha!).

Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: slim fast shake in 1c skim milk (4)
Lunch: salad with 2oz chicken breast (2), skim milk mozzarella (2), veggies (0), 3 tbsp ff italian (0)... 7 strawberries (1)... source exotik yogurt (1)
Dinner concoction: 4oz chicken breast (4), tomato (0), red and yellow peppers (0), part skim mozzarella (2), 2 egg whites (0)... SF jello made with 3 sliced strawberries (0), 1/2c source dessert selections lemon meringue yogurt (2)
Total points: 18 (less today since I ate too many yesterday)
Water: 1.5L (going to get 1L more in tonight!)

So, my dinner started out with just throwing some chicken, tomato and peppers in the frying pan with some PAM... once that was cooked up I decided to do like the Chinese often do and add egg (but decided 2 egg whites was much healthier) and then some cheese (because cheese makes everything better).

Here's a photo before the egg and cheese:


And here's one post egg and cheese:


And just for fun... my SF black cherry jello (from the states) with sliced strawberries:


happy hump day to all!

The good (and the bad. Why must there be bad?)

Today started out well (aside from having to go to a funeral visitation... my poor friend lost her grandmother on Friday. Breaks my heart. I remember so vividly that time of hell for my family and I just hate seeing people I care about going through it. It sucks).

I don't mean for this post to be a downer. Let's stay focused on what this blog is about... FOOD... oh rather, WEIGHT LOSS!!

I didn't get on the treadmill today. I vow, tomorrow I will. Even if it's just for a half an hour to get back into the swing... I have GOT to get under control. I need to be back in routine and STRONG because christmas will be here before we know it (see that countdown above?? Only 87 days away!).

Yesterday I tried something I found at shoppers. It's called the slimquick energy something or other and MAN it gave me energy. In fact, it gave me the jitters... but I was raring to go all day. I may try the 2nd one (they come in a package of 2) tomorrow being my first day back at the treadmill... I'll need all the boost I can get.

Today I tried the sweet and sour chicken smart ones... LOVED IT! I also learned smart ones now has a canadian website at http://www.eatyourbest.ca - you can find out all of the products in canada and what's new!


Okay, so here's what i ate today (brace yourself, the end is scary).
Breakfast: egg beaters (1) with 2 egg whites (0), ff cheese slice (1), whole red grapefruit (2)
Lunch: sweet and sour chicken smart ones (4), ocean's tuna chili flavour (2), nectarine (1)
Snack offered by a coworker: small hello dolly square (maybe 4?)
Dinner: salad with 2oz chicken breast (2), 30g light old cheddar (2), 3tbsp ff italian (0), veggies and lettuce (0), apple (1)
THEN... i broke open the new chocolate bars I had stashed in my desk. BAD JEN.
HS Snack: 4 singles chocolate bars (8)
Total Points: 28
Water: 2L (going to drink 1 more before bed)

I'm off to watch Jon and Kate plus 8 and then THE HILLS... then off to bed.

Happy Monday. It's GREAT to be back to posting!!

PS - See my ticker? I have updated it to reflect my weight gain over the last little while. Quite depressing. I'm going to update it now to reflect a new goal that I will aim to achieve by Christmas!

Home again, home again.. jiggidy jig

Okay, first off... my camera is MIA. Actually, it's not missing. It's broken. Not broken really.. just feeling under the weather. Luckily it's under warranty and it's been sent back to Nikon to be fixed. It's just the spring that's broke where the memory card sits... no biggie, however now I am without camera for at least 6 weeks!!! At least I'll get it back in plenty of time for Christmas (and hopefully wedding #3!).

Tara... I'm not sure when you return... but WELCOME BACK!! I didn't even bother posting while you were gone because I knew I didn't have a reader (unless Alex happened to tune in).

Now my dear Mrs... I shall update you on what you've missed.

First and foremost - BATH AND BODY WORKS IS NOW OPEN AT YORKDALE! I have been... everything is the same as the US! The soaps are 3 for $12 instead of 3 for $10. Wallflowers and refills are 2 for $20. I have soooo much soap already so I just got a couple for my mom and sister (warm vanilla) AND I got kitchen lemon!! They look the exact same except for the french on the label along with the english.

Now, there are a few new food items I have found whilst you were away.

Pringles stix (pizza, honey, vanilla and wheat flavours - 2pts each and yummy!)


Second... new singles chocolate bars in the flavours of caramel aero and after eight!



And... there's 7 new smart ones dinners! Unfortunately about 6 of them are all chicken or turkey... BUT there is a tuna au gratin one that I have tried and LOVED (if you like a tuna casserole dish you may like it). BUT there's also a new smart ones dessert... the strawberry shortcake one!!

Now, after the weddings (and eating a LOT and not going to WW or near a scale for THREE WEEKS) I was up 6lbs last week... this week I was down 1lb. Now it's time to get BACK to the downwards spiral I had once before.

Today was spent running errands and cleaning and putting together a pantry. In all the bustle I actually didn't really eat.

I will go back to recording my intake here (hopefully) tomorrow... if not, then tuesday!!

Welcome back newlyweds!

It's been a whirlwind, but I'm back!

I survived being in 2 weddings 2 weekends in a row. The fun is over and it's back to reality... Which also means back to the old routine of losing weight. The good news is that I ate like a crazy fat woman all weekend but am only up 1lb from Thursday. HOWEVER, I had been up a few pounds from my last weigh in... so, this week will be spent trying to recover.

I think at some point over the past couple of months I realized I wasn't going to be at the weight I wanted to for the weddings and I gave up. Now I feel like I'm back to just doing it for me... without the pressure of a time line. I did have every intention of getting on the treadmill today (had the running gear on and all)... but kept unpacking and organizing and cleaning and the morning escaped me. At least my place has some sort of order back to it (it has been lacking this for a good few weeks now it seems). An organized house means feeling more relaxed and ready to tackle weight watchers.

Here's how today went:
Breakfast - slimfast shake (2) in 1c skim milk (2)
lunch - smart ones spicy szechuan frozen dinner (3)
PM snack - apple (1)
Dinner - salad with tuna (2) and allegro cheese (1) and ff italian 3tbsp (0), blood orange (1), nectarine (1)
HS snack - 15 baked tostito scoops (2), salsa (0), cake batter (2?)
Total points = 17 (should be more, but I'm still trying to recover from the weekend)
Water = 3L

Now, some photos of Alex and I at the weddings:

I'm still here

I didn't go weigh in last week and I'm not going this week...

I'll be back in full force next week and back to being on my way to goal weight!!