Shame on you Ruby Tuesday

That's right, I'm shaking my finger at you. My head is going back and forth and there are even a few tsk tsk's too.

I debated writing this as of course, it's only my opinion, then I read this gal's blog and decided, oh ya, I can write it as, to steal her idea, IT'S MY OWN DAMN BLOG!

So, why is Ruby Tuesday getting my tsk of shame? Because they feed us crap that's why! A large percentage of the things they have are fat laden. There is no need for that. I'm not a fat snob, oh no no no, I love my fat. On the occasions that I wish to avoid it, however, I should be able to!

Now, it's not just the obviously fatty things they have....

Chicken & broccoli pasta = 96g fat
Lobster Carbonara = 95g fat
Fresh guacamole = 96g fat
California club sunrise quesidilla = 177g of fat
Spinach & mushroom omelet = 59g fat

You get the drift there...

I don't have a problem with high fat things on the menu. For the love of all that is holy not all of us want to consume that kind of fat! Hell, my arteries clogged up just reading their nutritional data site!!!

A spinach and mushroom omelet for goodness sakes! That could be so low in fat...so low.

So, they have healthy options you say? Nope, they've managed to fat those up too!!!

Steamed broccoli...fresh mind you...6 grams of fat! What the fuck to you do to steamed broccoli to add 6g fat???? Moreover, WHY would you do it? I mean really, who orders steamed broccoli wanting something fatty???

Fresh grilled asparagus, 5g fat
Fresh grilled green beans, 2g fat
Sugar snap peas, 6g fat
Petite zucchini cakes, 22g fat. I'd hate like hell to see the 'regular' sized ones!

If I can get plain grilled chicken there for 4g fat, and a petite sirloin steak for 6g, why can't I get some veg that isn't a heart attack on a plate????

There are a few choices, very few that are a bit healthier. The problem is making sure they prepare it the way you ask. If you order it steamed, no fat, how come it still glistens? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm????

I'm not ordering mashed cauliflower because I like it better than mashed potatoes, I'm ordering it because it's better for me. Why is there butter floating in it?

What meal did we choose last night? Why a Triple Prime Bacon Cheeseburger of course. We had a coupon for a free burger. This one weighed in at 1144 calories and 88 grams of fat. That would be 33 Points Plus in case you wondered. I don't get that many for a whole day, never mind one component of a meal. I've been so hungry for this, or so I thought.

We planned. We decided to share the burger. I'd get the cauliflower, he'd get the fries. My dinner would be roughly 20 Points Plus. I saved my weeklies and off we went. Like I said, I don't have a problem with fatty food, when it's fatty food I want!

Let me tell you, it wasn't worth it. Or, maybe it was. I learned I won't be back! I won't be craving that burger ever again!

The grease dripped down my arm.

The cauliflower, with greasy little craters, left a film on my tongue. I didn't eat it.

I woke up with horrid acid at 4AM.

I've been queasy all day.

My body revolted from the grease. Guess that's a good thing.

Will I go again when I get a coupon for a free burger?

Ah no.

I'll stick with the pot stickers and salad. I'll bring my own dressing also!!!

Feel free to check out their nutritional site yourself! Oh, you may be shocked by their "Smart Eating Choices"!!! Smart for who? Sure the hell not me!!!

Peace be the journey

:-)

Thinking outside the box

That's what working this new WW program is doing for me. I must say, so far I'm loving it.

I had another loss this week. That's right boys and girls, that would be 4 in a row! I can't remember the last time I had a loss 4 weeks in a row. It doesn't need a number to make me happy anymore. A loss is a loss. That's new for me.

I wanted to blog about last weeks feelings, and what I did to overcome them, but I'm not in the mood for that right now!

Right now, I want to pay tribute to my girl TJ, and maybe help some other veggie haters out there.

TJ fixes what she calls 'crazy salads'. They're not so crazy to me anymore.

Let me begin by saying I don't like salad. Yes, that was a revelation to me a few weeks ago after beginning the SFT. I realized that I only like salad as a vessel to get oceans of blue cheese dressing and buttery croutons into my body. I don't like the salad itself at all. We all know iceberg lettuce doesn't do anything for us anyway, cucumbers and celery are about as useless, but I'd choke that down and say I was eating veg. I didn't even like it for goodness sakes! When I eat something I don't like, it actually makes my tum roll. Not a nice feeling at all. So, if I'm going to eat something I don't like, I might as well pick more nutritious choices!

TJ would put pictures of her salads up and I realized they really didn't look like salad at all. Hmmm what a concept eh???? Maybe I could try that...so I did.

Cottage cheese went onto the plate first, fat free as that's a power food.

Now, carrots. OK, for all you veggie haters out there, try something. It may not be the taste of the veg you don't like, it may be the texture. THAT is my problem in a nutshell & it is something else I've learned recently. Carrots don't really suck ass, but I don't really like them much...unless they're matchstick. They seem sweeter that way to me, moister, not as bitter. Just cutting them different makes all the difference in the world to my taste buds. If I take a bite out of a carrot, I don't like it. If I take the time to cut them into tiny matchstick pieces, I love them. Who knew? They add lovely crunch to the salad. Today I got carried away and after cutting them into matchstick pieces, I cut those smaller even. I enjoy chopping and dicing, what can I say???

Beets. They're a lovely color, but they're kind of bland unless roasted. I love pickled beets. So I opened up a few cans and pickled them using Splenda. They're fabulous. I matchstick those too for my salad, cuz that's how I roll. They add some sweetness and tanginess to the mix.

Spinach. We all know that's a pretty good dark green thing to choke down. I'll let you in on a little secret. If you chiffonade it and then turn that around and cross cut it so you have tiny little squares, you won't taste it. The pieces are so small the texture isn't a problem. Wow, a dark green thing on my plate and I'm loving it! I just learned that today.

Some days I add a tablespoon of sunflower seeds for 1 PP, some days I don't.

You can chop and dice and add things to your little hearts content. Make it as big or as small as you want. With the SFT, I've been going small. I know that I can eat again later if I'm hungry.

This was today's salad.



I try to think rainbow when fixing these salads. Today it looked so pretty with the spinach. I felt so good about myself finally figuring something green to add that was good for me. I want more ideas now. More colors. I think that bowl is just begging for something red....

Thank you TJ. I love your crazy salad idea.


Peace be the journey

:-)

It's a new day

Caution, this is a cathartic post and not an inspiring one. I need to sort my mind out. Doing it here!

Last weeks experiment was a success. I had a loss. I was excited to begin a new week.

It's really an interesting program. It gives me the 'freedom' I need right now with crazy work hours, but also the structure. I learned a lot. I continue to do so.

I'm having crazy mind wars that I've never had before. I've read over and over about people eating something and feeling guilty. I've never done that...never felt guilt. Never. If I ate something, I wanted it and that was good enough for me. Moved on from there. This is pre coffee this morning boys and girls, I hope I can explain how I'm feeling. It's going to be long, but I must get it out there...for me.

Here's the scenario. WI was awesome. Over 2 pounds. That is huge for me. I always use WI day for treat day. Always. It's always been a day of an eating frenzy. Buy a big bag of chips and must eat them all before bed. Can't have them around the next day now can I? Bake a cake...well you get the drift. So, I still want to keep treats in the picture, but this week I decided to use the 'only when hungry' and 'only until satisfied' rules. That was actually awesome. I had my usual McD's sausage McMuffin on the way home from the meeting. I LOVE those stupid things! I went into work and there were donuts. In the past I'd have had one as of course it's treat day. I stopped, knowing that I could, but I thought first. No, I wasn't hungry. Damn. I passed the donut. Lunch time rolled around and now I was hungry. Well to be fair, it was 2PM. I wanted Panera Bread mac and cheese. Off I took myself. I've always ordered the large in the past, with a pastry and of course you get a crusty roll and butter. This time I ordered a small, and got the pastry to go. I told myself that I'd quit eating when I wasn't hungry anymore. Now, when you're eating something you love, that really isn't easy! I kept hoping I wouldn't feel not hungry until after the mac and cheese was gone! It was really funny. I actually left a bit of bread. TBM wanted pizza for dinner. I had 1 slice. So, all in all, for me, it was a great treat day. Easily half the amount I'd have eaten previously. So yay me!

Now the rub.

Wednesday is my day off so I can play Mah Jongg. I love that stupid game! I've had a FABULOUS week at work. I showed houses on Tuesday that looked like they might lead to a sale. I put an application for residency in for a guy that wants to buy a home. He can't start the process until he's approved. SO, Wednesday I went in to work ONLY to check my computer to see if he was approved yet and then to email him to let him know. I had my oatmeal before I went and I was going to plan my food when I got back home. I knew I'd be at work 10 minutes max. That was at 9AM. I didn't get home from work until 6:30! He was approved AND I sold 2 homes that day, so it was worth it. Here is the blow by blow.

1.)Flew home around 2 to grab something for lunch and take it back to the office. I hadn't cooked the meat for a sandwich yet. I didn't have time to cook an egg. I didn't have any fat free cheese. I didn't have any fruit. I grabbed a yogurt, but I was really hungry. I saw the left over pizza from the previous night. I talked to myself out loud. I took it out. I put it back. I shut the fridge door and leaned on the kitchen sink and talked to myself. I left with the piece of pizza hanging out of my mouth! I figured I'd just count the points for it as I do have 49 extra to work with. No problem.

2.) I sold a house and was on a high! Called TBM and said 'we're going out for Mexican tonight, Mama just sold a house!'. He was of course thrilled...about both!

3.) There's where the nagging began. My mind, the bitch, was giving me grief. You don't need 3 margaritas. You know you'll have 3 because you're a margarita whore and they're only 99 cents tonight. You'll eat a whole basket of chips. Do you REALLY think that's good for you? Will you stop when you're satisfied? No, the alcohol will dull your senses and you'll eat like a pig. Oink oink baby!

4.) I called TBM and told him that no matter how I begged, don't give in and take me to Mexican tonight. We had left overs. He was good with that. He wouldn't have followed through though. If I'd come home and demanded to go, we'd have gone. LeSigh.

5.) I called TBM later and said 'I sold ANOTHER house!'. He was pumped! I said 'We're definitely going to Mexican now!'. He said OK! Asshat.

6.) Doing paperwork, the nagging began again. How am I ever going to learn anything if the very first time I want to eat, I do. I was happy and I eat when I'm happy. I need to quit associating food with emotion. That's what this new program is all about. SOOOOOO I called TBM AGAIN.

7.) He cooked up the ground turkey in the fridge and seasoned it up taco like. He chopped lettuce and diced onions. (not an asshat anymore)I got home and opened the wine bottle and had 1 glass. We had taco salads at home. Yes, I used tortilla chips. Yes, I had real cheese. Yes, I used guac. I did pay attention and I did quit when I wasn't hungry anymore and I didn't have anything else later. I counted the points for ALL of it.

The pizza, the chips, the guac, you name it, I counted all the points. NOW here's the problem. See, I told you this was long. Sorry, it's helping me.

Problem. I get 49 extra points a week...that breaks down to 7 a day. Staying on the SFT program I need to know I have those 7 a day as so many things aren't covered. That one day, THE FIRST DAY OF THE PROGRAM WEEK MIND YOU!!! I used 20 points plus! When the hell did a slice of pizza become 10 points??? Holy crap my glass of wine was 5...glad I didn't have 2!!! That was 3 days of points. THREE DAYS IN ONE DAY!!!

So, Thursday rolled around and holy shit it was hard to stay good. My mind is in a whirl. You can't use points. You need to save them for later in the week. Blah blah blah. It was another long day at work. I ate breakfast before I went and planned my lunch. Of course when I popped home to get my lunch, TBM had eaten it already! It ended up being an on program day but not without a lot of mind games and I didn't like that.

I've learned a lesson from this. I will think long and hard in the future before just grabbing food.

I will be prepared always. Even if it's something in the freezer I can grab and pop in the micro at work.

Yes, I might be old, but I've learned. I had feelings this week I've never had and I don't like them.

I'm trying to do what I tell others all the time. Put it in the past and move on.

It's not easy for sure.

TODAY I'M NOT WORKING! I'M GOING TO GET MY MIND TOGETHER!

Breathing

Peace be the journey

:-)

Excited

In about an hour I'll be stepping on the scale at my WW meeting.

I'm excited, and nervous.

This week using the Simply Filling Technique has been really awesome. It really got me more in touch with my body and mind.

Why am I nervous? I did so well this week I really want to show a loss. BUT. I didn't begin the program until Thursday so it hasn't had a full week to really compare apples to apples. AND. Before Thursday, I was eating out of control. Wednesday nights dinner was Mexican with mucho margaritas and basket after basket of chips and lots of ooey gooey cheesy food to follow. I do love my Mexican!!!

My mind is all over the place right now. I became a new grandma again last night. My newest angel is named Bree. She was 6 weeks early, but still weighed in at a bit over 5 pounds. I'm praying she thrives.

So, let's just go to bullets and I'll follow up tomorrow with a real blog!

Random thoughts

* I'm going to do this another week

* I didn't eat at night just because I wanted to eat. If I was truly hungry, I had something. I love popcorn. I wanted popcorn. I wasn't hungry so I told myself no.

* The one night I was really hungry, I had popcorn and it was amazing.

* I had to learn new things this week. That was good for me.

* I usually take my weigh in day as a free day. I eat whatever (and usually everything in mass quantities) I want. IF I choose to do this today, I think I will be able to use the 'only eat until satisfied' trick I learned this week.

* Only eating when hungry, and then only eating until satisfied and not full has been amazing.

* I am worried I didn't get all my nutrition in. I will pay more attention this week.

* I didn't eat any junk or processed foods. That's gotta be good!

* If we go to the movie, we go on Tuesday as they have $1 movie popcorn. I won't pay $5.40 for a small popcorn EVER. So, this is huge, from now on, if we go to a movie, it will NOT be on a Tuesday. I will take my own popcorn on another day. You have no idea how big that really is. I'm telling you peeps...that is big!

* I created a lot of new recipes last week. Some of them were really good!!

I'm off to shower and get ready for my meeting. I need to gear myself up for a gain and tell myself it was from what I did BEFORE Thursday and not after. Next week will be a true test of the SFT plan. I want it to work. I like the freedom and the strictness all at the same time. It's what I need in my life right now so I'm really hoping I can make it fly.

Wish me luck!

Peace be the journey

:-)

Weekend Yummies

I fixed 2 new recipes today.

I don't want to go to jail, so you can get the first recipe here. Hungry Girl...some of her recipes rock, some suck. This one was a winner. It was easy to fix and TBM loved it. I will fix it different next time. Yes, there will be a next time. Here's my take on it. Oh wait, first, I actually took a picture of it simmering in the pot!



OK, my opinion of the recipe. The broth was actually very good. I didn't expect that from canned chicken broth, packaged broccoli slaw, and no veg sweating or anything. I followed the recipe (well mostly) so I'd know if it needed tweaking. It didn't. Changes I made....it called for bamboo shoots. Gag me. I used water chestnuts, that I slivered instead. Awesome choice. Added crunch and loved it. I couldn't find straw mushrooms, so I substituted canned shitake. I won't use schrooms at all next time. They were rubbery and the texture was wrong for the rest of the soup. Also, next time, I won't use won ton wrappers. I'll make tiny meatballs instead. I liked the meat mix, but I didn't like the won ton packages. They were cute and all, but I thought they had a slimy texture that I didn't like.

So, next time it will be Asian meatball soup. Less points too. A win win for me!

I'll tell you about the fruity and tangy meatballs another time.

Peace be the journey

:-)

Good little thinky girl

We have a dog. OK, technically she's a dog, but I think she thinks she's a cat. She lays on her pillow all day long and only moves to eat and go potty. Much like her owner actually! Ahem. Anyway, she's an old girl, again much like her owner! Years ago, when she'd do something cute or good, TBM would say 'good little (insert task here) girl. If she went potty, she'd be 'good little potty girl', if she took her medicine good, she'd be 'good little medicine girl', etc. It's become a joke with us to apply that term to ourselves. I'll get home from work and TBM will say 'oh you were a good little workey girl'. Ya, we're lame, what can I say!

So, I put my thinking cap on this week, hence the title, 'Good little thinky girl'...bet you thought I'd never get to the tie in eh????

Yesterday was a revelation for me. I've been following the WW program off and on since 1977. Yesterday was the first truly free day I've really ever felt being on program. Wow...that's really saying a lot isn't it??

I'm following what WW calls the Simply Filling Technique...SFT from here on in! It boils down to you eat from a list of power foods. You can have any of it, whenever you are hungry and eat until you are satisfied. Simple? Ahhh, not so fast Jack.

Do you know when you are hungry? Oh sure, sometimes we all do. Sometimes we'll be doing something and our stomach growls, we might even be light headed...in fact, I am both of those right now. BRB I'm going to go eat breakfast! Ahh, much better. Secondly, do you know when you are satisfied? It's not as easy as it sounds.

I spent a lot of time yesterday asking myself if I was hungry. It was lunch time and there I was. Self? Are you hungry? Heavy thinking commenced. OK people, here's my first clue. If I have to stop and ask myself if I'm hungry, I probably am not. That was a bit easier than the satisfied thing.

Dinner time rolled around. I was hungry. I fixed a beautiful meal. I portioned it out on my plate and I couldn't wait to eat it. All of it. It wasn't a big serving and I'd have eaten all that and more on the Points Plus program. I was really enjoying my meal. I stopped half way through and sat there for a minute or two. Made myself really think...am I still hungry? OR, am I satisfied? We all know it takes longer for our brain to register full and we really should quit eating before we get full. So, I think satisfied is the key to the SFT plan. I decided I wasn't still hungry, so that meant I was satisfied. I quit eating. I knew that if I was hungry later, I could have more. I didn't get hungry later.

I wanted to eat when watching TV and several times I had to ask myself, are you hungry? Hmmmm as much as I wanted to feel my tummy rumble because I wanted to eat something, it didn't. Bastard. For the first night in many, many, many nights, I didn't eat anything after dinner.

I don't know if I'll lose anything this week, but it sure is making me think. It's going to help me get in touch with my body, my thoughts, and my feelings. I have to think that's a good thing.

If I go back to Points Plus, and keep implementing the 'eat when hungry and ONLY until satisfied' way of life, I have to think that's a win win!

So far I'm pleased with what I'm learning and how I'm feeling and the freedom it's giving me.

Peace be the journey

:-)

S-U-C-C-E-S-S

THAT'S THE WAY WE SPELL SUCCESS! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TEAM!

Don't suppose any of you remember that cheer from school days? Hrumph, well I do! Yes, tongue is extended here.

As I've gotten older, I may have got a wee bit set in my ways. I know, gasp right? Sitting here this morning, in the quiet, reading and drinking coffee, I read this. OK, here's the 'give credit part'. I was reading my daily email from 'managing menopause'. I think I clicked on the wrong part of it, as this is a series by Jillian Michaels. I do love her. It was a series of questions asking me if I was proactive, or reactive. OK, up to speed now? Here's the meat.

"To succeed in life, you have to be open to changing, learning, and growing. Makes sense, right?"

Well, it does to me. If we want to change our fitness level, or diminish some of our fat stores, we need to make changes. How open are you to change though? Really. Are you a talker about it, or a doer? I don't like change. I like getting up in the morning, drinking coffee, reading emails, blogs, etc. I like to spend 2-3 hours doing this. Then I go to work. I tell myself I should get up and exercise, but I'll do it after work as I like my morning routine. Do I do it after work? Ah no. It's that set in my ways thing. That's gotta change.

"And to change, learn, and grow, you need to have the proper tools. That way, when the opportunities to show your stuff arise, you're ready to take them on and embrace the challenges."

As you know, I follow Weight Watchers. They give me the tools. Do I use them to their fullest? Nope. Damn stubborn woman! This week, I'm changing things up. I'm going to follow their 'Simply Filling Technique'. Scary? You bet your ass. All kinds of windows for a weight gain this week. It will keep me thinking though. Keep me on my toes. The main tool we use in the SFT is our own body to gague hunger. We can eat any of the power foods when we're hungry. Truly hungry. I think a lot of us eat just because it's a meal time. We've been taught to not let ourselves get too hungry or we'll binge. I understand that, but I also think we need to not fear hunger. I feel the slightest tinge of hunger and I think if I don't eat right away I'm going to die. "I'm starving to death" is a favorite phrase of mine. At night, I eat when I'm not hungry. I don't over eat, but I eat. There is no reason, in my humble opinion, to eat if you're not hungry. This week, I'm going to try to let my body be the guide. It's very scary as I have never tried to learn the different phases of hunger. Old dog, new trick. Look at me go!

Tummy, commence rumbling sequence!

Peace be the journey

:-)