Well, here we are at the end of Week One. I've been following my program about 80% of the time, had a couple of PMS-related Oreo episodes and a glass too many of vino at a certain happy hour, but otherwise I've been doing pretty well.  I guess the scale agrees because I am down 1.8 pounds! Not bad, but I know I can do better. 

I've been thinking back to the last time I lost weight, when I was following Jenny, and pondering what it was about that program that worked so well for me.  Well, duh, it was a no-brainer: Go to meeting. Weigh-in. Buy food. Eat food. Repeat.  I had little to think about, I just heated up the meals, ate the food, and the weight came off.  Though I certainly don't want to go back to that way of eating, and honestly I missed my own cooking, I can't beat the convenience.  So, how to implement that into the way I live & eat now?

I started out by planning my weekly menu, as I've been doing, preparing my meals as usual.  Then, after dinner, I portion out the leftovers into individual containers and label them.  These become lunches for the next couple of days. If there's more left over than I can safely store in the fridge, or if I'm tired of a particular meal (that rarely happens, I don't mind repetition), I freeze those portions instead.  Same thing with breakfast, have a few containers of Tofu Scramble stacked in there.  I also have a big tub of Vegetable Soup to accompany meals or even as a mid-day snack.  Speaking of snacks, I took a cucumber & a head of broccoli,chopped & divided them up into little ziploc bags and labeled each one with the contents and weight so that logging into Sparkpeople would be a breeze.  These went into a handy-dandy Snaptight container (on sale this week at Publix, if you're in my neck of the woods), so easy to grab & go!




Lastly, I mixed up a batch of hummus and divided it into tiny tubs.  Now, when the snack attack hits, I can open my fridge, grab a bag of veggies and a pot of hummus, I'm good to go! You can see there's also a big bin of crunchy apples there, and a fruit bowl of bananas sits on the counter, nearby, perfectly portable health food.  I also have some cooked chickpeas and pink beans in there, easy to toss onto a salad or into a soup for added protein.





Also this week, I baked several sweet potatoes in the oven, used two of them for the Sweet Potato Beginnings breakfasts..



the other I mixed in with my Spicy Vegetarian Chili. So delicious, filled with fiber and nutrients. Dr. McDougall would be proud.




So, that just about wraps up Week One.  I have a simple pasta dish on the menu for tonight, will share that tomorrow so hope to see you then!

Have a beauty-full day,

Michele~

The Horrors!

Well, all good things must come to an end. Days of snacking on junk food to appease the PMS monster along with 4th of July feasting finally took their toll. I stepped on the scale this morning and shrieked in horror at the number displayed. I don't even want to reveal it here because I even though I "earned" it, I know that a couple pounds are due to *TOM* and water weight and won't be here for long. Irregardless, I'm definitely up a few pounds and need to take care of that, pronto.

So, yesterday I went back to Jenny Craig and purchased a week's worth of meals, made an appointment to meet with my counselor next Thursday. My budget couldn't really afford the full week of JC but it's the quickest way to get back on track; I'll figure it out somehow. Fortunately I have a full freezer and pantry so no one's going to starve if I don't do a big grocery trip this week.

It's interesting, after being away from Jenny for a little while, I actually appreciate "her" more. The food tastes fresh & tasty, and I'm enjoying the new meals they've introduced. I already had my "dessert" for today, Key Lime Pie. Heavenly, and guilt-free. Along with a cheese omelet for breakfast and mac & cheese for lunch, it was just what I needed today.

Tomorrow: back on the treadmill. Wish me luck!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Back to the Kitchen!

After much thought, and a quick glance at my checkbook balance, I've come to the realization that I need to wean myself away from the Jenny Craig food. As much as I appreciate the convenience, I just can't afford $130-$150 a week anymore. Now that Tax Season is over, my working hours have been decreased and I just don't have as much disposable income as I once did. Also, I'll be honest here, I'm bored to death eating out of boxes! I miss cooking. I miss my own fresh ingredients. I miss eating the same meal I'm feeding my family.

Now, I haven't discussed this with my JC Counselor yet, but what I plan to do is continue "using" Jenny for the weekly consultations/weigh-ins because I know that I need the accountability. I'll buy minimal amounts of food, just a few meals per week to keep on hand for busy days or when Beren's eating something I can't/shouldn't have. Otherwise, I'm on my own. Yikes! I'm a bit nervous but also excited and relieved at the same time.

So, I'm starting this new plan with a bang, can't wait to get back into my kitchen this evening and whip up this yummy dish!



Weight Watcher's Eggplant Parmigiana

PointsPlus™ Value: 3
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

We slimmed down this fattening favorite. Baking the eggplant gives the dish a crispy texture without the fat that comes from frying.

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1/3 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 medium raw eggplant
2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl; set aside. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once.

Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of prepared baking dish, then add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.

Enjoy, and have a Beauty-Full Day!

Cheers!

At last, the numbers on the scale are moving in the right direction. My weigh-in yesterday showed a tiny loss, I'm back down to 154.4. I still have a long way to go if I'm going to meet my goal by my birthday, but I'm relieved to see some progress after weeks of nothing.

Jenny introduced a couple of new meals this week, Mesquite Chicken and Beef & Cheese Slider.




I tried both of them, was thrilled with the Mesquite but not-so-much with the Slider. You know I'm not a big fan of beef anyway, would much prefer a Boca burger over the real deal any day. Since JC doesn't offer such things, I'll stick with the Turkey Burger for now.

In other news, I was forced to participate in the most-hated chore of the season: bathing suit shopping. *groan* Other than my beloved pin-up models, is it possible that any woman truly enjoys this task? No matter how accepting you are of your figure, once you get naked in front of those dressing room mirrors, any prior self-confidence you once had slips quickly away. Here's what I've learned: don't bother with the discount stores. The suits are poor quality, cheaply-made and do nothing for your figure. Head straight to a high-end department store, suck it up (along with your tummy) and pay the big bucks for a good bathing suit. I personally love Macy's and if you have a credit card they give you nice little discounts which help immensely. I personally paid about $100 per suit, and painful as it was, I've gotta admit that the end result was worth it. Bo Derek I'm not but I was able to purchase a smaller size than last year (yay!) and walked out with two figure-flattering suits that I'm comfortable wearing to the beach as well as around my own pool. If I get brave enough I may have Beren take a picture for you. *wink*

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend so far, have a beauty-full day!

Heavy

Have you all been watching the new A&E show, Heavy? I started tuning in last week and am hooked! So inspiring and encouraging, I like it much better than the super-competitive and sometimes-negative Greatest Loser. The only thing I'd like to see more of is their eating plans; other than an occasional dinner shot, we don't know much about how the participants fuel their bodies. The focus is more on exercise which is great but we all know there are several parts to this weight loss thing - food, body & mind.

Here's my food log for yesterday. Other than needing more veggies and increasing my water (not shown) I did ok.



Anyway, thanks to Heavy, I did two stints on the treadmill yesterday. The morning workout was fantastic, really energized me and put me in a great mood! I found myself driving along to work with the convertible top down, singing along to the radio. (I've mentioned that this is the busiest time of the year at work, right? The fact that I can walk into my office with a smile on my face is miraculous!) The second treadmill session was right before dinner - Beren was running late so I put his dinner on warm and hopped on for another 20 minutes, just long enough to finish last week's episode. Now, thanks to my DVR I have another episode waiting for me so guess where I'm headed in just a few?

Hope you all have a beauty-full day, and to my northern friends out there: please stay warm & safe!!

Slackin'

After small but steady losses, even through the holidays, this week's weigh-in was a disappointment: No change. Even though it's that time-of-the-month and I'm sure there was some water weight involved, I was disappointed. After all, I'm only 2 freakin' ounces away from my 20-pound-lost goal! Come on, already!

I know that I can't blame the scale, so I did some honest thinking about what went "wrong" this week and it didn't take long to figure it out: I slacked on my exercise, and wasn't drinking enough water. Oh, and I threw in a couple of extra 100-calorie snacks to feed the ferocious PMS monster, am sure that didn't help the situation. After a stressful day at work, it was much easier to come home, curl up with a book, and just relax. It may have felt good at the time, but it wasn't good for my weight loss or even my mental health in the long run.

So, this week I need to get my butt back on the treadmill, faithfully track all of my food on Sparkpeople, and stay 100% on program. I'm halfway to goal, now is not the time to start slacking!

Here's today's plan:



And in addition to Saturday house-cleaning and errand-running, I am going to log some exercise time on the treadmill. No excuses!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Well, cold by Florida standards anyway! *wink*

As anticipated, the past week was super-busy at work and then I started a couple of home improvement projects so things were shakin' around the Castle as well. I didn't have a whole lotta time to cook so this was one week I appreciated having those little boxes of Jenny Cuisine lining my freezer!

Today, however, I have the urge to spend some time in the kitchen. Since it's chilly outside, a nice pot of chili sounds just perfect. Beren will be having the Retro Recipe Redux version I posted here last year..

Chili Con Carne Redux

-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds red kidney beans, canned
1 large onion -- sliced
1 green pepper -- chopped
12 ounces morningstar Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles
1 pound canned tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne
pinch paprika

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 173 Calories; 1g Fat (5.2% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1410mg Sodium.


I'll be enjoying the Jenny recipe below:

Campout Chili Con Carne

1/2 cup canned tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup juice from canned tomatoes
1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
3-4 mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
Jenny's Cuisine Beef Chili with Beans (I'll be subbing JC Turkey Chili)
1 Tbl low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

In a small saucepan combine tomatoes, tomato juice, onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic powder and cayenne pepper, if desired.

Simmer 5-10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add Beef Chili with Beans and heat through.

Sprinkle with 1 Tbl shredded cheese before serving if desired.

Beef Chili with Beans (1/2 Vegetable, 1-1/2 Starch, 2-1/2 Meat, 1/2 Fat)
2 Vegetable
2 Free
1/2 Meat (Optional)


Have a Beauty-Full (& warm!) Day,

Soup's On!

After giving it some thought, I've decided to move the 30 Days of Photos game over to my other blog where it seems more appropriate. So, if you're interested, you can find it at Rapunzel's Castle.

Since it's still a bit chilly here (thank goodness!), I'm going to make another pot of soup. This one from Jenny Craig looks really tasty and can easily be made vegetarian by using Boca Italian Sausages and vegetable broth instead of the meaty ingredients.


Italian Sausage-Vegetable Soup

-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 ounces low-fat turkey Italian sausage link
2 cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes -- (14.5 ounces each), undrained
1 can no-salt-added beef broth -- (13 3/4-ounces)
1 package frozen mixed vegetables -- (10-ounce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup seashell macaroni, uncooked

Cook turkey sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain; wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.

Return sausage to pan, and add tomato and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5 minutes. Add macaroni; cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Source: Jenny Craig's No Diet Required cookbook, Copyright 1997

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : Makes 7 (1-cup) Servings. Per Serving: Calories 147; Carbohydrate 21.8g; Protein 8.2g; Fat 2.9g; Fiber 2.1g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 339mg; Calcium 46mg; Exchanges: 1 Grain, 1 Vegetable, 1 Lean Meat

P.S. As cute as the pin-up is, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor turtle up there!

Have a Beauty-Full Day!

Back to the Kitchen!!

As I'd hoped, I reached halfway-to-goal at my weigh-in yesterday, whoo-hoo! 19 (official) pounds down, 19 more to meet my original Jenny Craig goal (though I'm probably going to lose more, more about that later). Jenny rewarded me for reaching the halfway point by giving me $50 credit toward this week's food. Yay! Also, this milestone means that I will now start weaning off the Jenny Cuisine and onto my own food. I'll be eating JC five days a week, 2 days on my own. Double yay! Don't get me wrong, the food is really, really good, but 13 weeks of anything can get boring. And, you all know how much I love to cook so I am really looking forward to getting back into the kitchen, cooking and eating my own food.

Now, the way the diet works is by using Exchanges, similar to the old Weight Watchers system I used back in the 1990's. Honestly, I found that program much healthier and more effective and I'm familiar with it so this should be relatively easy. I'm on the 1,200 calorie plan and I get 5 Starches, unlimited (non-starchy)Vegetables, 2 Fruits, 5 Meat/Meat Substitutes, 3 Milks and 2 Fats. Of course there's an Exchange List in the JC literature which I'll be referring to frequently until I get the hang of this.

Since the weather here has turned chilly again, I think a nice pot of soup is in order, don't you? Beren found me an older Jenny Craig cookbook at the thrift store & I spent some time browsing through it this morning, found a yummy-sounding Vegetable-Beef Soup recipe that will be a perfect dinner tonight. I'm pleased to see that the recipe uses only 1/2 pound of meat for 10 cups of soup! I'm sure you could even eliminate the meat, making it vegetarian, which is what I'd do if I didn't intend to share this meal with my meat-lovin' man! *wink* I'll probably serve it with some type of whole-grain (80 calorie) bread and a big green salad.



Vegetable-Beef Soup

-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 pound top round steak -- boneless
vegetable cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups water
2 cans no-salt-added beef broth -- (14-1/4-ounce each)
1 can no-salt-added whole tomatoes -- (141/2-ounce) undrained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrot
1 medium yellow squash -- cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small zucchini -- cut into 1-inch chunks

Trim fat from steak; cut steak into 1-inch pieces. Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add steak; cook until browned on all sides, stirring often. Remove steak from Dutch oven and set aside.

Add oil to Dutch oven. Place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low; add sugar and salt. Cook 15 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

Add beef, water, and next 5 ingredients to onion mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add cabbage and remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Source:
"Jenny Craig's No Diet Required cookbook"
Copyright:
"1997"
Yield:
"10 cups" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : Makes 10 (1-cup) servings. Per Serving: 1 Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1 Free

Nutrition Info Per Serving:
Calories:79; Carbohydrate 9g; Protein 6.8g; Fat 1.6g; Cholesterol 13mg; Sodium 216mg

I'll be sure to share a review tomorrow. Until then, have a Beauty-Full Day! TGIF!

Welcome, 2011!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a festive (yet safe) New Year's Eve! Beren and I had planned to go out, wanted to attend a big Main Street party in Daytona. We'd already decided to take a cab to and fro, not taking any chances with drinking & driving, no matter how much (or little) we chose to imbibe. However, after a couple of drinks with friends early in the evening, we came home, ate dinner and got cuddled up on the couch..one thing led to another and we decided that staying home would be much more fun. *wink* So we lit the fire pit on the patio, donned our Snuggies and listened to the neighborhood fireworks. We were in bed before midnight, actually set the alarm so that I could wake up and call my kids to wish them a happy new year! I'm such a lightweight nowadays.

So, today's the day we start afresh, right? Put aside the holiday gluttony, get back on our diets or start new ones. We make our resolutions, dust off our sneakers, stock up on veggies and start the new year with renewed dedication. I saw evidence of this already; stopping by Wal-Mart on the way into town Thursday night, I witnessed a middle-aged couple near the exercise equipment. She, considerably overweight, was showing her average-sized mate some ankle weights she was considering. A quick glance at her shopping cart revealed running shoes, a food scale, bag of salad, etc., all telltale signs of a new dieter. Laughing and joking, she looked motivated and excited about her new plan, and I found myself smiling and rooting for her. I hope she meets her goal!

As for myself, I haven't stayed On Program 100% the past week, have nibbled a cookie here, sipped an extra glass of wine there..ate "normally" on Christmas Eve and Day..and though I haven't lost any weight, I haven't gained either. I'm really pleased about that, feel like I was able to enjoy the "feasting" part of the holidays without going overboard, and am ready to get back on track today. No guilt, no remorse, no squeezing into too-tight clothes thanks to overindulgences. (In fact, I bought a couple of new tops yesterday, both Medium, and Beren actually said one of them looks too big on me!) All in all, I think I did really well dieting during this time of year, am giving myself a little pat on the back. *smile*

Now, onward, as my friend Misunderstood would say! Not one to make resolutions per se, I do like to reflect on the past year, good and bad, and state my intentions for the coming year. Here are the things I intend to do in 2011, health-wise:

*Continue with Jenny Craig, reach my official goal weight (20 more pounds) and perhaps drop another 5 pounds below that. We'll see how I look & feel when I get there.

*Maintenance. This one's going to be tough, I know it, as I can't slip back into old habits and gain the weight back. I've worked too damned hard to lose it! No backsliding.

*Exercise more. I've been slacking on the treadmill the past couple of weeks and need to make that a regular routine again, at least 5 days a week. I started to up my time from 30 to 40 minutes, would like to increase that to 45 minutes this year.

*Cook more, and better. That's the one thing I've really missed about being on Jenny, the cooking. I miss the creative process as well as nourishing the people I love. Oh, I still prepare a meal here & there for Beren and the kids but not to the degree I used to. As much as I love cooking, I want to dedicate more time and energy to it this year. Beren bought me a JC cookbook for Yule and said that he'd like to start eating "that way" (ie; healthier) which pleases me to no end!

*Create more. By this I mean artsy/crafty things and while that may not see to be about my health, it is. Big time. I have started crocheting again, picking up a lifetime hobby that I'd abandoned years ago. It is not only therapeutic and creative which is good for my soul, if I've got a crochet needle in my hand I can't eat! So while Beren's watching football or we're enjoying a tv show together, I sit & crochet, keeping my hands active doing something other than shoving food into my face! I have some other art projects in the works and as Kali said when she presented me with a new craft book for Yule, I have a Mom Cave now, no excuse not to get crafting!

*Make long overdue medical appointments. I recently went for my "lady doctor" visit and mammogram, almost a year late, and now need to schedule the dentist and routine physical. I haven't had a physical in several years, honestly hadn't wanted to step on the scale! Well, before my 47th Birthday I will reach goal and will happily hop on that doctor's scale when I do so. No excuses, I've got to take better care of my insides as well as the outside!

I think that's it. Basically I just plan to continue what I've been doing the past three months, and rev it up a little bit! I don't know about you guys, but I am looking forward to 2011 and what the year will bring! It's going to be a fabulous year, I can feel it!

So, what about you. What are your resolutions/intentions? How do you plan to take care of yourself over the next 12 months?

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Post-Yule Blues

Feeling a bit blah today, guess it's the post-holiday blues setting in. Yeah, I know, it's still technically the "season" but once Christmas is over I'm pretty much done with the holidays. *shrug*

How was everyone's Christmas? We all had a fabulous day, filled with family, friends and, of course..presents! Santa brought my whole family Snuggies, now I'm just hoping the weather stays cool enough for us to use them!



After breakfast the kids went off to visit their respective dads and Chip and I headed to the beach. Nothing says Christmas like Mojitos oceanside!



Things have been so busy around here, I forgot to tell you that I lost almost 2 pounds again this past week! I'm less-than-one pound to halfway which means that JC starts weaning me off their food and onto my own. Yikes! I admit to being nervous about this but I'm sure I can handle it, especially since I have 100% support from Jenny through maintenance and beyond. I need the accountability, no doubt in my mind that's the main reason I'm succeeding this time!

I'm going to do some shopping this morning, maybe getting out and spending a few dollars on myself will restore my cheer, what do you think? *wink*

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Lucky Number! (Jenny: Day 6)

Yesterday I burned 941.3 calories by walking 16,464 steps! Since I'm 46 years old and my birth year is also '64, I'm thinking that must be a lucky number for me, right? Perhaps I should play the Lotto. *smile*

In addition to my normal morning walk with Loki, I also logged a bunch of steps walking the mall. Now, those who know me well are well aware of my loathing for the mall. I avoid that place at any cost, only go there when absolutely necessary. Yesterday was one of those days.

As I mentioned, Beren and I are going to New York this weekend. Since the weather is a bit cooler than here in Florida, I need a few articles of clothing. Long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, that sort of thing. And..jeans. Yes, I do have a pair of jeans already but none that fit well and are NY-worthy. I've been having a hard time finding jeans that fit in the waist/hips that don't gap in my legs/butt; Beren complains that they "sag in the ass" and we certainly don't want that! *wink* I did a bit of online research, googling the phrase "jeans for curvy women no muffin top." After much research, the same brand came up time & time again: Not Your Daughter's Jeans. They got rave reviews, look really stylish, where can I buy them and, of course, how much? Um...yikes...ranging from $89 to $120-ish, these are definitely the most expensive jeans I've ever purchased! I could get several pairs of the cheap brands for that price! However, since I was desperate and nothing else is fitting properly, I trudged off to the department store to try these babies on, fully expecting disappointment.



Got to Dillard's, found the ladies jeans, and several racks of NYDJ in every size, shape & color. Grabbed a couple pairs along with a couple of Levi's in the new "curvy" style. Braved the dressing room, eased myself into those $$$ pants and...lo, and behold, they fit! Beautifully! Soft, flexible, and no ass-sagging! Just to be sure I couldn't get away with the Levi's, I tried 'em. Ewww! I don't know what kind of "curves" they expect to fit into these things but it damn sure isn't mine!

Bottom line: I walked out with one $89 pair of NYDJ and could easily have bought another pair if my budget had allowed. In fact, I just might break the bank and go back for another pair today, they are seriously that nice!

I did very well Jenny-wise as well:

Breakfast: Jenny's Cranberry Almond Cereal, 8 oz fat-free milk, coffee, fruit (I actually saved the fruit for my morning snack), Jenny's multivitamin

Snack: Yogurt (80-100 calories) and mixed berries (saved from breakfast)

Lunch: Large green salad with Jenny's dressing, Jenny's Tuna Salad, Jenny's multivitamin

Snack: Jenny's White Cheddar Popcorn

Dinner: Jenny's Salisbury Steak, 1 cup of steamed green beans, Jenny's antioxidant

Snack: fruit (apple), herbal tea

2 Liters of water consumed over the span of the day

I wasn't fond of the Tuna, won't order that one again, nor the Salisbury Steak but that's just because I'm not a big meat-eater. Otherwise, everything was very tasty!

Off to work for me and then perhaps another trip to the mall? *wink* Gotta log those steps, you know!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Step Up! (Jenny: Day Five)

11,028, that's how many steps I walked yesterday. 601, that's how many calories I burned. Whoo-hoo! I gotta tell you, it took a conscious effort on my part to reach that 10,000 mark, and then once I got there it became a game to see how much farther I could go. I took a little neighborhood walk in the morning with Loki, then the rest of the day I just performed my normal weekend chores - housekeeping, laundry, cooking, etc. Oh, I also baked some cupcakes and am proud to say that I didn't take a single bite. That took some willpower, let me tell you!



Instead, here's what I ate:

Breakfast: Jenny's Breakfast Scramble, coffee, fruit (I actually saved the fruit for my morning snack & most of the milk for later), Jenny's multivitamin



Snack: Yogurt (80-100 calories) and mixed berries (saved from breakfast)

Lunch: Jenny's Beef Chow Mein, steamed vegetables, Jenny's multivitamin



Snack: Fruit (frozen mixed berries)with leftover milk from breakfast made into a smoothie

Dinner: Jenny's Macaroni & Cheese, 1 cup of green beans, Jenny's antioxidant



Snack: Apple with wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese, small glass of red wine, sipped in the hot tub with my sweetie. *wink*

2 Liters of water consumed over the span of the day

Now, back to the weekday grind, ugh! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend, Happy Monday!

Bittersweet Saturday (Jenny: Day 4)

I spent yesterday puttering around the house, logged 5,480 steps just doing chores, no formal exercise. I intend to ramp that up a bit today, really want to reach that 10,000 per day goal. Here's my food for the day:

Breakfast: Jenny's Mini Blueberry Loaf, 8 oz fat-free milk, coffee, fruit (I actually saved the fruit for my morning snack), Jenny's multivitamin



Snack: Yogurt (80-100 calories) and mixed berries (saved from breakfast)

Lunch: Jenny's Turkey Club Panini, steamed veggies, Jenny's multivitamin



Snack: Jenny's Bruschetta Veggie Chips



Dinner: Jenny's Fish & Chips, 1 cup of steamed veggies, Jenny's antioxidant (of all the entrees thus far, this is the only one I would probably not have again. It's impossible to make decent fish & chips without frying)



Snack: fruit (apple), herbal tea

2 Liters of water consumed over the span of the day

I did pretty well all day long, saving my "fat" serving because we had evening plans and I knew I'd want a glass of wine. We started out at the Peter Pan Diner, a South Florida icon, had a cocktail and then headed to a concert hosted by my friend Susan. It was such a treat seeing Dar Williams, an artist I have long-admired, but it was also bittersweet for various reasons. Listening to her singing brought back a lot of memories for me and I found myself in a very emotional place. Instead of just sitting with the feelings and dealing, I had more wine which of course did not help the situation. Sigh. It's ok, though, I am not going to ruminate over it, just got up this morning, chugged a bunch of water and already logged over 6,000 steps. Right back on program!

Sunny Skies

Had a fantastic Friday, how about you guys? The sun came back out in all it's glory, a beautiful day here in Florida!

I was feeling a little big sluggish thanks to some "girly issues" but I still managed to log about 2,000 steps on my new pedometer, burning 134 calories. Not a lot, but enough to justify a pleasant happy hour. *smile* According to my Jenny counselor, one glass of wine is "free," but if I have another I need to give up my "fat" for the day. So, that's just what I did. Instead of having salad with dressing for lunch, I chose steamed veggies instead. When happy hour rolled around, I was able to sit in the bar with my friends and enjoy two glasses of chardonnay, stretched out over the course of a a couple of hours by adding lots of ice. It worked perfectly! I had also planned my dinner accordingly. Knowing that I might be tempted by all of that greasy bar food, I had a Jenny Craig soup before leaving the house, saving my dinner for when we got home. It was great walking into the house knowing that I had spaghetti & meatballs and cheesecake waiting for me! Yes, cheesecake! (Images below courtesy of Jenny Craig, but I promise the actual food looks just like this!)





Now, about those gorgeous pin-up pictures above..grin...that, my dears, is what Beren's going to buy me when I reach goal weight! (the bathing suit, not the model). Isn't it gorgeous? In case you want to buy one for your own pin-up body, you can find it at one of my favorite spots, Pin-Up Girl Clothing. If this isn't incentive to stay on program, I don't know what is! And, hey, maybe it will even encourage Beren to take a little walk with me now & then, what do you think? *wink*

Have a Beauty-Full Day,