A recipe from Put Down the Donut:
Baked Apple Streusel
Ingredients:
4 medium apple(s), peeled, cored and thinly sliced (use firm apples)
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg*
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1
/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
3 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice; pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Cut flour, oatmeal, remaining brown sugar and margarine together with a pastry blender or fork in a medium bowl; sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake until apples are tender and top is browned, about 45 minutes.
Yields about 1/2 cup per serving. WW Points: 2 pts per serving. Suggestion... top with a dollop of frozen fat free cool whip. It's 0 points for the cool whip which is a bonus.
That sounds tasty. I wonder how many servings it makes--I wouldn't want a lot leftover, for me to gorge on.
1.14.2005
1.13.2005
I didn't go to the gym last night. I was very tired by 5:00, so I just went home and crashed. I went to bed last night with a headache, and I still have it, so it doesn't look good for the gym today either. I'll go this weekend for sure, though. It will be less crowded. Perhaps that's why I'm feeling bad--it's psychosomatic. I don't want to put on my non-flattering gym clothes and struggle on the cardio machines amidst a sea of 19-year old bodies in spandex. I'm usually not that self-conscious at the gym, but it's hard to go back that first time.
1.12.2005
Yet another weight-loss self-motivator:
After I spend eight weeks straight on the program, I get to buy new sneakers. The shoes I currently wear to work out in are worn out. I have another pair, but they don't fit as well as my older ones. And both of those pairs came from Payless. If I can stick to this for two months, I'll but myself a pair of New Balance sneaks--which makes their sneakers primarly in the US, not in Asian sweatshops.
March 1st, I've got you circled on my calendar.
After I spend eight weeks straight on the program, I get to buy new sneakers. The shoes I currently wear to work out in are worn out. I have another pair, but they don't fit as well as my older ones. And both of those pairs came from Payless. If I can stick to this for two months, I'll but myself a pair of New Balance sneaks--which makes their sneakers primarly in the US, not in Asian sweatshops.
March 1st, I've got you circled on my calendar.
Random things I'm thinking about:
1) I brought my gym clothes to work today, so I can go to the gym straight after work. There, I've written about it on the Internet, so I have to do it.
2) It's already become easy for me to drink my 6 glasses of water at work. I have a little teal bottle that holds two cups of water, and I sit at my desk and sip through it in no time. I have to refill it three times a day, so the walk back and forth to the water cooler, and then back and forth to the bathroom is a little more exercise than I would normally get, so, woo!
3) At my last meeting, I bought a slim black folder to put my little WW food journal in. They have a bigger bound journal that I actually might like a little better, so I can see what I ate the week before, but this thing was cheaper and it will suit my needs for now. I need to put some reflective tape or stickers or something on it, though, so I can see it in the bottom of my bag.
1) I brought my gym clothes to work today, so I can go to the gym straight after work. There, I've written about it on the Internet, so I have to do it.
2) It's already become easy for me to drink my 6 glasses of water at work. I have a little teal bottle that holds two cups of water, and I sit at my desk and sip through it in no time. I have to refill it three times a day, so the walk back and forth to the water cooler, and then back and forth to the bathroom is a little more exercise than I would normally get, so, woo!
3) At my last meeting, I bought a slim black folder to put my little WW food journal in. They have a bigger bound journal that I actually might like a little better, so I can see what I ate the week before, but this thing was cheaper and it will suit my needs for now. I need to put some reflective tape or stickers or something on it, though, so I can see it in the bottom of my bag.
I've heard talk on the WW message boards (or maybe it was on Mr. Ointy) about so-called "trigger foods." From what I can tell from context clues, these are foods that trigger over-eating. Foods that once you start eating them, you tend to not stop. I'm proud of myself, because last night, I let myself eat on of my trigger foods, DoubleDave's Peproni rolls, and I managed to control myself.
One of my rituals over the last year has been Tuesday night Peproni rolls. On Tuesdays, DoubleDave's has their rolls on sale two-for-the-price-of-one, which is a very cheap dinner. Because I used to live in a delivery dead-zone, I would call in an order for eight or ten or twelve rolls (thinking that I would have leftovers for lunches) at 6:25 precisely, the jump in my car and drive maniacally to the DoubleDave's on Duval and 31st (because they had more accessible parking than the slightly closer DoubleDave's on 24th and San Antonio), pick up my rolls, grab some cups of ranch dressing from the salad bar, and then try to make it home at 7:00 precisely, just in time for Gilmore Girls. The rolls are perfection when eaten still hot from the oven, so if I got home too early, I had to choose between eating cold rolls during the show, or eating hot rolls with nothing on TV. Such is the dilemma of the obese. When I moved to my current apartment, which is within the DD delivery area, I started ordering in--I could get rolls during Gilmore Girls or The Amazing Race, without endanger my life or others! But, once I got a big pizza box full of yummy Peproni rolls in front of two hours of my favorite TV shows, I wouldn't stop eating at two rolls or five. I would eat rolls until I was absolutely stuffed and felt slightly sick, then put the rest of the box in the fridge, to be eaten a few at a time over the next day or so. It's a digusting ritual, but for real, I did this every week for a good seven or eight months. It's no wonder my gall bladder gave out.
Last week, my first day on WW, I didn't dare order the rolls, because I didn't want to start the program off on a bad foot. Last night, however, I braved the roll--partially because I've been eating grilled chicken strips for the last week and I'm already getting tired of that, and partially because, well, the rolls are good. And I had 19 points left for the day, so I figured that I had some room to indulge a little. Thankfully, the DoubleDave's website has the nutritional info on the rolls (6.6 points each), or else I might have had to leave them alone entirely, because I'm not that good at estimating points yet.
So, I ordered a conservative four rolls (you have to order them in twos to get the discount, and four rolls is only $3. I would be too embarrassed to only order two, and walk in there with my $1.50. Something for me to think about later--how much of my bad eating habits are dictated by possible embarrassment?), thinking that I would eat two with a salad for dinner last night, and then have two left over for dinner or lunches or whatever. I went to pick them up before TAR (there was not a new GG last night), and even got some ranch dressing, figuring that I could dip lightly and count it as one point. The rolls were so good. I couldn't stop at two, though, and I ate three, which put me a little over points for yesterday, which is fine, because that's what Flex points are there for. And I have one left over for lunch today. I'm so proud of myself for exercising the constraint that I did--I didn't overeat, and I didn't go to bed feeling hungry. If this WW can really teach me how to eat in moderation, and to trade off nights of indulgence with nights of really big salads, it will be well worth it.
One of my coworkers thinks that the rolls would freeze well, so that's something to remember in the future.
(In the back of my mind, I'm a little scared that the fact that I ate Peproni rolls last night at all, and especially the fact that I had third roll was a sign of weakness. I mean, I ate out on Monday night, so I need to be cutting back already. I can't lose control of this in the second week, I just can't. It's really hard.)
One of my rituals over the last year has been Tuesday night Peproni rolls. On Tuesdays, DoubleDave's has their rolls on sale two-for-the-price-of-one, which is a very cheap dinner. Because I used to live in a delivery dead-zone, I would call in an order for eight or ten or twelve rolls (thinking that I would have leftovers for lunches) at 6:25 precisely, the jump in my car and drive maniacally to the DoubleDave's on Duval and 31st (because they had more accessible parking than the slightly closer DoubleDave's on 24th and San Antonio), pick up my rolls, grab some cups of ranch dressing from the salad bar, and then try to make it home at 7:00 precisely, just in time for Gilmore Girls. The rolls are perfection when eaten still hot from the oven, so if I got home too early, I had to choose between eating cold rolls during the show, or eating hot rolls with nothing on TV. Such is the dilemma of the obese. When I moved to my current apartment, which is within the DD delivery area, I started ordering in--I could get rolls during Gilmore Girls or The Amazing Race, without endanger my life or others! But, once I got a big pizza box full of yummy Peproni rolls in front of two hours of my favorite TV shows, I wouldn't stop eating at two rolls or five. I would eat rolls until I was absolutely stuffed and felt slightly sick, then put the rest of the box in the fridge, to be eaten a few at a time over the next day or so. It's a digusting ritual, but for real, I did this every week for a good seven or eight months. It's no wonder my gall bladder gave out.
Last week, my first day on WW, I didn't dare order the rolls, because I didn't want to start the program off on a bad foot. Last night, however, I braved the roll--partially because I've been eating grilled chicken strips for the last week and I'm already getting tired of that, and partially because, well, the rolls are good. And I had 19 points left for the day, so I figured that I had some room to indulge a little. Thankfully, the DoubleDave's website has the nutritional info on the rolls (6.6 points each), or else I might have had to leave them alone entirely, because I'm not that good at estimating points yet.
So, I ordered a conservative four rolls (you have to order them in twos to get the discount, and four rolls is only $3. I would be too embarrassed to only order two, and walk in there with my $1.50. Something for me to think about later--how much of my bad eating habits are dictated by possible embarrassment?), thinking that I would eat two with a salad for dinner last night, and then have two left over for dinner or lunches or whatever. I went to pick them up before TAR (there was not a new GG last night), and even got some ranch dressing, figuring that I could dip lightly and count it as one point. The rolls were so good. I couldn't stop at two, though, and I ate three, which put me a little over points for yesterday, which is fine, because that's what Flex points are there for. And I have one left over for lunch today. I'm so proud of myself for exercising the constraint that I did--I didn't overeat, and I didn't go to bed feeling hungry. If this WW can really teach me how to eat in moderation, and to trade off nights of indulgence with nights of really big salads, it will be well worth it.
One of my coworkers thinks that the rolls would freeze well, so that's something to remember in the future.
(In the back of my mind, I'm a little scared that the fact that I ate Peproni rolls last night at all, and especially the fact that I had third roll was a sign of weakness. I mean, I ate out on Monday night, so I need to be cutting back already. I can't lose control of this in the second week, I just can't. It's really hard.)
Last night, my friend M. gave me a good idea for another self-motivating tactic--everytime I go to the gym, I can put a dollar into a jar. Then, at the end of the month (when I always seem to be flat-broke), I can treat myself to the movies or something with the cash I've accumulated.
Thanks for the great idea, M.!
Thanks for the great idea, M.!
1.11.2005
Okay, so I'm supposed to be setting weight-loss goals. My WW leader, J., takes a very sensible approach to this (imho) and doesn't want us to set a pie-in-the-sky Lifetime goal weight at the start. Because, you know, who wants to think about losing 110 pounds, when you're supposed to be losing an average of 2 lbs a week. She doesn't want to set us up for failure, so we get to set smaller, much more attainable goals. The WW programs gives you stickers and pins and key chains and magnets and shit like that when you hit 5 lb markers, and I think J. gives her members extra prizes, like a plant or something when they hit big markers. That's all well and good, but I think I want to set up my own incentives to match my own personal weight-loss goals. Here's what I've come up with so far:
- 10% weight-loss, 28 lbs: a new work-out outfit. 10% is a big thing in WW, because studies have shown that a weight loss of only 10% reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer and a lot of bad stuff. I'm picking it because it's a nice round number, and it seems pretty attainable. Also, Target has some really cute workout clothes, but I can't really justify spending the money on those right now, because I'm broke, and if I stick to this for a while, I'll be needing to buy smaller clothes anyway.
- 15% weight-loss, 43.2 lbs: a Choose Carbs t-shirt. I love that shirt, but I would feel too self-conscious to wear it now. But, if I can lose 43.2 lbs, I think I will have earned the right to wear it with pride.
I'll try to think of some more, but right now, it's time for lunch.
So I weighed in last night and...I lost 3.5 pounds. Pessimist Dona says: Inconclusive. That 3.5 pounds could be due to the cold I had last week, and so yesterday I had 3.5 pounds less phlegm than I did the previous Monday. Optimist Dona says: Woo! 3.5 pounds is like, totally 1.2% of my body weight! This rawks!
Really, 3.5 pounds is nothin'. Even the receptionist lady who weighed me in was all, "So, you've been doing the program?" And I was like, "More or less," because I couldn't say, "No, bitch, I've been eating pie with every meal for the last week, except the pie tasted exactly like baby carrots! Can you believe that!?" And then during the meeting, the leader was all talking about how even once you reach your goal weight and start maintaining, your weight can fluctuate 5-7 pounds in the course of a week. It can even fluctuate 3 pounds in the course of a day. The point of this was to show us the the goals we set should be loose enough to accomodate fluctuation, and you know, you shouldn't necessarily set your sights on fitting back into your prom dress because that might not be reasonable. But for me, the whole talk just emphasized that my small weight loss could be one of these weekly fluctuations, and isn't necessarily a result of all of the baby carrots and baby spinach I've eaten in the last week. I'm sure some of the other women there had smaller changes than I, so I wonder if they felt the same way--like any loss under 5 pounds was inconsequential. And since WW is designed to help you lose 2 pounds or less a week, I guess I'll have to stick with the program for another while and see what happens. Evil corporate bastards, that's just what they want me to do.
The leader also announce that "The Duchess" will be in town today, and she (the leader, J.) had been invited to a luncheon in her honor. A lot of women there gasped when she said "The Duchess" but it took me a minute to figure out that she was talking about Fergie. I didn't realize that Fergie was still a WW spokesperson. J. is going to report back next week what Fergie is up to, and what she ate for lunch today. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care.
I celebrated my first weigh-in (and loss, woo!) by eating out. I went to EZs and got the Alamo Bowl, one of my favorite restaurant meals. It's a big bowl of rice, refried black beans and grilled chicken, garnished with goat cheese and some kind of tasty secret-ingredient salsa (which prevents me from making this at home--I can't figure out what makes it so tasty). It was good. I couldn't count the points exactly because I'm not yet familiar enough with portion sizes to tell the difference between 1/2 a cup of beans and a cup of beans, but it really didn't matter. My Flex points started over today, and I came no where near to eating them all last week. I finished the night off with a slice of devil's food cake from Central Market, which was good too. And it was nice to go to bed feeling really satisfied.
288/284.5/260
Really, 3.5 pounds is nothin'. Even the receptionist lady who weighed me in was all, "So, you've been doing the program?" And I was like, "More or less," because I couldn't say, "No, bitch, I've been eating pie with every meal for the last week, except the pie tasted exactly like baby carrots! Can you believe that!?" And then during the meeting, the leader was all talking about how even once you reach your goal weight and start maintaining, your weight can fluctuate 5-7 pounds in the course of a week. It can even fluctuate 3 pounds in the course of a day. The point of this was to show us the the goals we set should be loose enough to accomodate fluctuation, and you know, you shouldn't necessarily set your sights on fitting back into your prom dress because that might not be reasonable. But for me, the whole talk just emphasized that my small weight loss could be one of these weekly fluctuations, and isn't necessarily a result of all of the baby carrots and baby spinach I've eaten in the last week. I'm sure some of the other women there had smaller changes than I, so I wonder if they felt the same way--like any loss under 5 pounds was inconsequential. And since WW is designed to help you lose 2 pounds or less a week, I guess I'll have to stick with the program for another while and see what happens. Evil corporate bastards, that's just what they want me to do.
The leader also announce that "The Duchess" will be in town today, and she (the leader, J.) had been invited to a luncheon in her honor. A lot of women there gasped when she said "The Duchess" but it took me a minute to figure out that she was talking about Fergie. I didn't realize that Fergie was still a WW spokesperson. J. is going to report back next week what Fergie is up to, and what she ate for lunch today. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care.
I celebrated my first weigh-in (and loss, woo!) by eating out. I went to EZs and got the Alamo Bowl, one of my favorite restaurant meals. It's a big bowl of rice, refried black beans and grilled chicken, garnished with goat cheese and some kind of tasty secret-ingredient salsa (which prevents me from making this at home--I can't figure out what makes it so tasty). It was good. I couldn't count the points exactly because I'm not yet familiar enough with portion sizes to tell the difference between 1/2 a cup of beans and a cup of beans, but it really didn't matter. My Flex points started over today, and I came no where near to eating them all last week. I finished the night off with a slice of devil's food cake from Central Market, which was good too. And it was nice to go to bed feeling really satisfied.
288/284.5/260
1.10.2005
Yep, I'm definitely not as enthused this week about the diet as I was last week. I broke down and ate two mini-Snickers with my lunch, even though I brought apples and oranges to work for me to snack on.
Tonight is my first weigh-in, so we'll see if this is going to be worth $12 a week. I'd like to think that the number on the scale doesn't matter, and on one level, it doesn't. I don't hate myself because I'm fat. I don't look in the mirror and grimace 95% of the time. I don't like the way I photograph, but I never did, even when I was a lot thinner. The number on the scale only matters because it's the only imperical evidence I have that I'm smaller than I was last week, because I don't feel any skinnier and my clothes aren't looser.
I don't want this diet to turn into an obession with the scale, so I'm not weighing myself in-between meetings. I don't want to be celebrating the -.5s and getting depressed over the +.4s. I want the change to be in how I feel--I want to feel healthier and have more energy. I want to feel better about myself not just because I'm skinny, but because I've conquered something, some unnamed demon that made me this way, over 100 lbs. overweight. I want to learn how to eat properly. Last summer, when I had my gall bladder attacks and I wasn't planning on having the surgery right away, I tried to eat less fat so as not to anger my diseased gall bladder, and I realized that I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what a low-fat diet was. That's just sad. It's also sad that it took me some six months or so to make a change, but now I'm doing it. So that's something. We'll see tonight if it's working.
Tonight is my first weigh-in, so we'll see if this is going to be worth $12 a week. I'd like to think that the number on the scale doesn't matter, and on one level, it doesn't. I don't hate myself because I'm fat. I don't look in the mirror and grimace 95% of the time. I don't like the way I photograph, but I never did, even when I was a lot thinner. The number on the scale only matters because it's the only imperical evidence I have that I'm smaller than I was last week, because I don't feel any skinnier and my clothes aren't looser.
I don't want this diet to turn into an obession with the scale, so I'm not weighing myself in-between meetings. I don't want to be celebrating the -.5s and getting depressed over the +.4s. I want the change to be in how I feel--I want to feel healthier and have more energy. I want to feel better about myself not just because I'm skinny, but because I've conquered something, some unnamed demon that made me this way, over 100 lbs. overweight. I want to learn how to eat properly. Last summer, when I had my gall bladder attacks and I wasn't planning on having the surgery right away, I tried to eat less fat so as not to anger my diseased gall bladder, and I realized that I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what a low-fat diet was. That's just sad. It's also sad that it took me some six months or so to make a change, but now I'm doing it. So that's something. We'll see tonight if it's working.
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