Order Up. . . Today's Special!

Tonight's post may lean a little towards the bootleg side.

Definition:
Bootleg: Although the real word means pirated music/software and illegal alcohol, anything that is "bootleg" is fake, unfashionable, or lacking in any way.

Used in a sentence:
" Lisa told me to see that movie, but the bootleg special effects left little to be desired."

Yesterday my internet gave me the blues, and tonight I mismanaged my time. So, this post may lack my usual je ne sais quoi (French for...I don't know what) that keeps some of you coming back for more.

Just a little preview of the goodies nestled in my jazzy lunch tote:

Breakfast: Eggsters

85 g of Potatoes O'Brien
3 egg whites

Directions: Mix together egg whites and potatoes O'Brien. Season to taste and then pour into your Redi-Set-Go! Wait 7 minutes and BAM...EGGSTERS!

Lunch: Chicken Charm-esan

And of course a salad...

Snacks and Back-Up Snacks
Since I eat lunch at 10:15, yes 10:15, snacks are essential to my survival for the rest of the day.

Fresh Berries courtesy of price matching at Wal-Mart. I paid $2 bucks for these blueberries originally priced at $3.48!

An orange and 2 Clementines

I love the new Weight Watchers Roasted Almond Sensation bars...on sale this week for $3.50! When times get hard and my tummy starts talking, I bust out the PB and 1/2 a sandwich thin. I keep a measuring spoon in my bag as well. Also pictured my 0 point salad dressing which also comes in Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Tonight I intended on writing a post reflecting last weeks hits and misses. Tune in for tomorrows post...Glows and Grows.

Lessons Learned?

This healthy eating/weight loss thing reminds of relationships.

In relationships, when people get bored...they stray.

I think my recent attempts to stray from my newly acquired healthy lifestyle changes result from the lack of excitement with my recent boring meals. Lately, I seem to eat the same fruits, vegetable, and meals over and over and over again. The reason for the redundant, unimaginative food choices, a lack of planning.

Our WW meeting leader always says members must learn from their experiences. So, from my experiences I learned, if you FAIL to PLAN, you PLAN to FAIL! When I choose to wing it, I usually find myself standing in front of the fridge, freezer door wide opened with a container of Cool Whip stuck to my face as I lick the remaining contents from the deep recesses of the Cool Whip container.

My lack of planning not only results in food boredom, but also in 2 of my enemies rearing their ugly head:

1. Enemy #1: OVER EATING-Unplanned eating means walking into the kitchen and just standing there wondering what I want to eat. The longer I stand there, the hungrier I get, and the hungrier I get the more likely I will eat the first thing I see, GOOD or BAD. 9 times out of 1o I choose the BAD.
   
   
2. Enemy #2: UNPLANNED EATING- When I PLAN, I usually prepare my meals and snacks ahead of time and I then divvy my "culinary masterpieces" into containers so I can grab and go. So, that means I already know what's on the menu AND I can track and log my meals in advance in order to keep track of my daily points allowance.
   
   When I choose not to plan, I tend to follow the "Seefood Diet", any food I SEE I eat. If I see a bag of chips or cookies, it's on!

As I enter into 2010, PLANNING must remain as one of the weapons I use in this weight loss tug-o-war. In addition, to keep things exciting I PLAN to try at least 3 new recipes weekly. The other day, I tried this Mexican Stacked Pizza:

As usual I used my Xpress Redi Set Go. I love this thing!

I placed one corn tortilla in the RSG. I then mashed 1/2 cup of black beans and spread the beans on the tortilla.

Next I placed another corn tortilla on top of the black beans. I topped the tortilla with 2.5 oz of ground turkey and 14 oz of 2% Mexican cheese. Cook for 5 minutes...

Top with lettuce and tomatoes and...

BAM!...Mexican Stuffed Pizza!! Olé!!!

Well my friends, I must go and shed my pajama cocoon and venture out (and back before the loonies hit the streets) into the world with my boys to celebrate this new year knocking at our door. Happy New Years Eve!!! And here's to bringing SEXY BACK in 2010!!!

Ain't No Stopping Me Now!

As my one year anniversary with Weight Watchers nears, I feel a little unsatisfied with my 39 pound weight loss. But, then the thought occurred to me. I should compare old and new photos to see what a difference 39 lbs. make. Lately, whenever I feel myself dipping into a slump I pull out old photos and I usually regain my motivation and momentum.

February 2008/August 2009


September 2008/October 2009


April 2008/October 2009

After seeing these three comparisons, I am more than grateful for the 39 pound loss!

Fast Breakers!

I'm a busy blogger today! Click the link below to check out my breakfast post

"Fast Breakers!"

and my burger post

" Bun Busting Burgers."

Also, read the post below...A goal without a plan is a wish. Please leave comments when stopping by. You can leave comments even if you do not have a blogger account. Thanks for your continued support.

Check out my new post ....Get IN My Belly!

Click the link below to view my photo food journal...enjoy!
http://thegoodthebadandthehongry.blogspot.com/2009/06/get-in-my-belly-good.html

I Created My Own Salad Dressing!

Yeah...do not ask for a recipe. I made the dressing to taste using the following ingredients: EVOO, white cooking wine, and apple cider vinegar. Yum! I started with the 1 tsp. EVOO as my base, and then I continued to add the cooking wine and vinegar until I reached maximum taste bud satisfaction. I viewed a variety of tasty salad dressing recipes online, but I either lacked the ingredients or the time to make the various dressings. So, saying all that to say, sometimes a tasty recipe ready to be discovered lurks within your pantry or fridge.

I also mixed whipped cream cheese and HEB's roasted salsa together to create a scrumptious spread for my homemade pita chips.

Final Day-Weekly Assignment: On Quitting...

Final Thoughts...

Last week I weighed in only to discover a 1 pound gain. I believe my week's worth of positive thinking prepared me for the scale's betrayal. According to the WW leader, a variety of elements (e.g. muscle gain, eating too many processed foods, body rebelling, etc) triggers a weight gain. In all honesty, I worked out 3 days, ate responsibly, experienced some food choice blunders, but overall...a solid attempt at this new lifestyle change.

At this time I feel...well...STUCK. So now, my task...unstick (again, not a real word) myself. I WILL NOT QUIT!

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits. ~ Richard M. Nixon

Weekly Assignment-Day 1

1. Look in the mirror.
   



2. Smile.



3. Say something positive: Look how far you've come! 22 point something pounds down. I will not focus on how much I need to lose. My focus...small goals...5 pounds at a time. My next goal...lose 25 pounds by the end of May.

AVALANCHE!

When trying to lose weight...

You ever noticed how one negative thought snowballs into an AVALANCHE of negative thinking and the next thing you know...you find yourself crawling on the floor scrounging for just 1 nickel to buy a kit kat from the vending machine in the teacher's lounge. This may or may not have happened to me. I attended my weekly weight management meeting, Weight Watchers, and the topic of discussion...managing thoughts...provided the jump start I needed to get back on track. Truth be told, I fell of the weight loss wagon.

From the meeting, I learned negative thoughts lead to negative behavior. To illustrate, I suffer from the All-or-Nothing Syndrome. Basically, one wrong decision (e.g. eating 1 dozen of ginger snap cookies in one sitting) sends me spiraling into a pit of self-doubt and self-defeat. As a result, I succumb to the defeat and return to my previous atrocious eating habits. So...the remedy for the All-or-Nothing Syndrome...THINK POSITIVE...easier said than done!

My assignment for the week:
1. Look in the mirror.
2. Smile.
3. Say something positive.

And on a positive note, a few weeks ago I received an award for completing my 16th week as a Weight Watchers member. Today, the leader mentioned members sticking with the program for 16 weeks signifies the decision to STAY and SUCCEED! GO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peek-A-Boo...I See You

As your body swells due to excessive weight gain, body parts vanish (or rather become submerged under layers of fat attributed to food eaten, specifically Mr. Gatti's pizza, to suppress unwanted feelings resulting from dating someone inconsiderate of your feelings who constantly...Whoa!...I interrupt this unscheduled tirade and return you to the blog...). For example your ankles and calves can merge together forming cankles (Shallow Hall, 2001 http://www.hulu.com/shallow-hal). For the safe return of my missing extremities I have considered issuing an APB (All Points Bulletin):

"An all points bulletin has been issued for two ankles. The ankles in question were last seen below my calves and above my feet. Do not attempt to apprehend the suspects, or a hostage situation may ensue."

Unfortunately, obesity results in excess fat holding your body as well as your sexy hostage. And like most hostage crisis, ransom demands are necessary to guarantee the release of what you desire most. Sooooooooo.......in exchange for a svelte silhouette my body's ransom demands are clear:

Dear Trina,

So...you want to bring sexy back? Well, you should have thought about that before cramming countless drive thru #1, #2, and #3s through your pie hole. Trina, your body would be more than happy to oblige and return all parts to their respective locations, but first we need you to do the following:

workout at least three to five days weekly, drink eight 8oz. glasses of water daily, consume whole grains (e.g. brown rice, pasta, bread, etc.), eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, incorporate a dose of healthy oils daily (2 tsp. of olive, which I sometime sneak into my morning fruit smoothies), eat or drink two dairy servings daily, devour one to two servings of lean protein daily, and take one vitamin supplement daily.

Trina, accommodate these simple demands, and your body promises to provide you with more energy and restore bodily functions (e.g. blood pressure) to their original working order...for starters. We know this undertaking appears daunting, but your body has all the confidence in the world that you will succeed in bringing sexy back.

Signed,
Your Body
P.S. We forgot to mention you need to limit your alcohol intake. Although I'm a social drinker, alcohol doesn't do the body good.

Daily, I negotiate the above demands, and in return my body rewards my vigilant efforts. Well ... today my friends, I would like you to revel with me in the joy of my latest reward. Today we celebrate the partial resurgence of my collarbone, which I might add played peek-a-boo for several years...welcome back collarbone...I see you. Why celebrate a collarbone you say?

Collarbone + Plunging Neckline = sexy!

Are still asking...why am I celebrating the resurrection of my collarbone or more technical term, my clavicle? Put simply, you don't know what you got til' it's gone. And until I bring my sexy back, I gotta work with what I got.

The Conception of Ah...Me So Hongry!

Sooooo...Once again I'm mindlessly driving home from work (hongry I might add), and a lil ditty invades my thoughts (Tune: Me So Horny by the Too Live Crew) Ah...me so hongry...ah...ah...me so hongry...ah...me so hongy...me eat for long time...

I thought to myself...self...that sounds like an apropos title for a blog detailing my weight loss trails and tribulations. Thus, Ah Me So Hongry was conceived. And yes, I know I spelled hungry utlizing the letter o; so, before I proceed any further I should probably provide the definition of hongry.

Hongry (hon.gree): adjective derived from the word hungry. After surpassing feelings of hunger, you become what I refer to as hongy, or sometimes hongry as hell.

Honger often results in a temporary lapse of sound judgement, thus causing one to formulate insanely rash decision or for a lack of better terms, lose yo mine (translation: lose your mind). To illustrate, a local grocery store chain tortures customers around Valentine's Day by creating decadent chocolate covered strawberries drizzled in white chocolate. The sight of the lush, red-ripened strawberries and the smell of the rich, warm melted chocolate bubbling in the crock pots triggered a vision (in my mind) of me jumping on top of the preparation table, and thrusting my head into the crock pot as I bobbed for chocolate covered strawberries in the sea of warm milk chocolate. Had my honger progressed any further, my vision would have become a reality. And that's a scary thought. Picture store security restraining me as they try to forcefully remove my face from the chocolate filled crock pots' "Uh ma'am...ma'am! We're going to have to ask you to leave the store! Uh...ma'am!"

So...BAM! There you have it, the definition of hongy in a nutshell complete with a vivid example.

On a more serious note, I intend for my blog to assist others struggling with the epidemic of obesity. As I yet again attempt to change my lifestyle in hopes of losing weight, (i.e. eat more healthy, add exercise, take time for myself, etc. ), I plan to share my humorous take on my everyday sometimes zany weight loss exploits. Let me be clear, I'M NOT ON A DIET, this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE! Many individuals confuse my lifestyle changes with dieting. Unlike dieting, which yields temporary gratification, my lifestyle changes guarantee lifelong success in regards to healthy living. Soooooooo...saying all that to say I'm taking matters into my own hand! I want to be a VICTOR, and not a VICTIM!