FAKE IT. . .Till Ya Make It: Cravings!

Good Lawd, it's colder than a witches tit in a brass bra here in Houston!! How did your week unfold? Me, I returned to work after a 2 week Winter Break. So, I spent the whole week readjusting to my pre-winter break schedule of attempting to retire to bed at a decent time and waking up early (BOOOO!).

How about a weigh in update? The scale revealed a loss of 2.2...BAM! Truth be told, I struggled a bit this week with cravings, not urges but cravings. What's the difference between an urge and a craving you ask?

Urges:

• When going to the movies I FEEL the need to eat popcorn and drink a sprite...urge.
  

• On occasion...when driving by McDonald's, sinister forces grab hold of my steering wheel and guide my vehicle to the drive thru to order fries (small) with no salt...urge.

Cravings:

• Overly restricting myself causes me to crave certain foods. For a while I restricted myself from peanut butter for fear of finding myself crouched down in a corner some where digging PB from the jar with my fingers.
  
  
• Certain emotions drive cravings: frustration, happiness, deprivation, etc. Back in the day a successful weigh-in warranted a culinary reward. So, I rewarded myself with food I craved or restricted myself from for the entire week before my weigh in. My favorite past food reward, Luby's Baked Haddock Almondine. I thought baked meant good, but in this case baked meant 51 g of fat and 929 calories. YOWZER! But now, I know better than to reward myself with food.

So how do I deal with cravings?

• DISTRACT IT: I find something else to do like...uhh blogging. A WW member suggested that when a craving hits set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes. If you still want what you crave after the timer sounds, than eat it.
  
  
• FEED IT: Plan for the craving, but just remember to control the portion size. For fellow WW members use some of your 35 weekly points to control cravings. That's what they're there for!!
  
  
• DIG DEEPER: Your craving may be emotional. Dig deep to find the source of the emotion and ask what the craving implies.
  

AND MY #1 STRATEGY for dealing with cravings: FAKE IT TIL I MAKE IT!

Definition:
1. Fake it til ya make it: To fake excitement about a task or project. Usually used in the military.

Used in a sentence:
"Dang! I really want to eat a real BBQ Chicken pizza from Mr. Gatti's instead of this healthy version I cooked myself. Guess I gotta fake it til I make it."

This week my cravings included fried rice and of course my KRYPTONITE...PIZZA! My solution, FAKE IT!

"Chinese Take-In Fried Rice"
1 cup of brown rice
1/2 cup of frozen green peas
1/2 cup of carrots
2 egg whites
chopped scallions
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
ground red pepper (I like my rice like my men...SPICY!)
recycled turkey broth

Overstuffed Avocado BLT Pizza
1 Joseph's Pita (1pt.)
1 TB Miracle Whip Light (1pt.)
Spring Mix Lettuce (0 pts.)
2 oz Avocado (2 pts.)
1 Tomato (0pts.)
2 Slices Low Sodium Butterball Turkey Bacon (1 pt.)

Directions:
Toast the pita to your satisfaction. Next spread the mayo and then layer the remaining ingredients.

How do you deal with your cravings?

Thank You...Gracias...Danke... Merci...Grazie

When I returned home from work yesterday, I called the maintenance personnel to remove my door from the frame. Why you ask? My BIG HEAD failed to fit through the doorway as a result of ALL the love fellow blog buddies and MY SITStahs showed Me So Hongry.

I want to THANK EVERYONE for the out pour of motivational and supportive comments in response to my SITS Featured Blogger post. Let me tell you a little something about Me So Hongry. Comments serve as fuel to keep me motivated, especially when the going gets tough and I want to get going ( to the nearest pizza buffet). I want you to know, I plan to respond to each and every person who left a comment yesterday, but it may take a while. I figured if I start responding to around 20 peeps a day, I may finish around...let's see...March (lol).

I even read the comments left by the SITStahs checking in on the SITS website. I discovered that many LOVED and found my blog title humorous. And for that reason, my blog name shall remain the same until the end of time. Well for that reason, plus the fact that I purchased the domain name www.mesohongry.com. And to think, I came up with title while drive down the freeway singing (To the tune of 2 Live Crew's Me So Horny) " Ah...me so hongry...ah...ah...me so hongry. Ah...me so hongry...me eat for long time."

I especially want to THANK everyone for congratulating me on achieving a loss of 45 pounds. Believe me when I say, I am truly touched that you find me inspirational, as well as motivational. Funny thing, I sit here thanking perfect strangers, but yet I struggle with accepting compliments from familiar faces: family, friends, co-workers, fellow WW members, etc. Why is that?

I work hard on my blog and my body, but yet I devalue myself by failing to acknowledge compliments. So from this point forward, I plan to accept and embrace weight loss recognition from family and friends with grace. So with that being said, I need practice with the whole "accepting recognition graciously thing," so let's get the complimets-a-rolling!

TODAY is MY DAY to SHINE!!

SITStahs Doing it For Themselves!

First things first, WELCOME! Pull up a seat and SITS right down! So, for those of you not familiar with SITS (The Secret Is in The Sauce), some soSITSticated SITStahs created a blog aimed at supporting fellow bloggers by encouraging others to leave comments and possibly follow. Long story short, each day SITS features a blogger and guess who's basking in the featured blogger ambiance?

ME! Yours Truly!

I invite you: Fellow Blog Buddies, Me So Hongry First-timers, and my Supportive Lurkers to join me on my journey as I share my humorous take on my everyday sometimes zany weight loss exploits.

The Conception of my Baby...Me So Hongry

It all started with THIS picture of me dressed as the not so Eensy Weensy Spider that clogged up the water spout.

THIS picture so vividly displays the reality of my weight problem that I succeeded in ignoring for quite some time. THIS picture delivered the roundhouse kick to the face that I needed to stop being a VICTIM and start being a VICTOR! 

Probably a week after this picture was taken, I joined Weight Watchers (WW) for the umpteenth time, hence the blog subtitle...Misadventure of a Weight Watchers Repeat Offender. So...in keeping with one my WW goals to manage my feelings, I decided to start blogging, which quickly turned in to FREE therapy.

Getting to know me...Getting to know all about me(Well from this title you can tell that I like musicals.)
A few months ago a fellow blogger asked me to write 10 honest statements about myself, and I felt several of those statements revealed the true ME of Me So Hongry. Without further adieu:

• My guilty pleasures: Wearing fake chest hair and mustaches, Wham! (Yes, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go Wham!), eating peanut butter from the jar (No one else eats the PB, so yes, I double and sometime quadruple dip!), watching iCarly, Avatar: the Last Air Bender, and Zoey 101.

• Every Christmas my boys (ages 16 and 12) and I look forward to riding through the same hoity toity neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. After viewing lights, we mosey on over to Starbucks for hot cocoa and dessert. I want to create long lasting traditions that I hope my kids plan to pass on to their children.
  
  
  
  

• Often I put on high heel shoes and dance like a stripper (upstairs alone in my room of course...and I learned ALL my moves from Carmen Electra's Aerobics Striptease DVD). I sometimes display my private dancing skills when out with friends. Under the right condition, you might find myself and some of my girlfriends swinging around a stop sign or two downtown...yes, as a stripper would.
  
  
• I struggle with my weight loss roller coaster ride on a daily basis. Where's the magic pill? I blame my kids, plain and simple.   

 

• Pre-Kids I was one JAZZY chick, but you best believe I make the pay by performing random jobs around the house, like: Remote-Control-Go-Getter, Shoe Buckler (during the days when my stomach prohibited self bucking), Get-My-Stuff-Out-Of -The-Car-Retriever, and the most important random job of all....Scapegoat-for-Things-I-Lost. I blame them for things I misplaced usually by saying, "You had it last!!!!!"
  

• I am easily annoyed and short tempered. Take for instance: Why do drivers rubberneck when they see a wreck? Do you plan to get out and help? Keep it moving people! Why do you self check your groceries at Wal-Mart when your basket clearly contains over 50 items!!? People, please self check with 15 items or less. Why do you bring items with NO price tag to the register at Ross Dress For Less? PLEASE bring the same or a like item. and, WHY are you writing a check?
• My Mom, my biggest weight loss cheerleader, says I am mean. And I am, but only when the situation calls for it.

• I am an only child who at times exhibits only child characteristics: selfishness, self-absorption, and super ultra competitiveness. But on the other hand, I often display resourcefulness, independence, and self-reliance. My more POSITIVE, admirable qualities helped me achieve a weight loss of 45 pounds.
  
  
  
  Speaking of qualities and characteristics, check out these not so admirable qualities...

The lovely ladies at SITS instructed me to choose 3 of my fave post, but it was as though they were asking me to choose a favorite son. In addition to my 3 fave post, I wanted to share some of my greatest weight loss triumphs with you (click the links below):

• The Victory Robot
• Trina in ONEderland
• The Dirty Thirty
• Lordy Lordy Guess Who Lost Forty
• Ain't No Stopping Me Now

Well since your here, you have the wonderful opportunity to be part of my FIRST GIVEAWAY (pictured below). WIN this PROGRESSO SOUP GIFT PACK!!

Managing your weight can be difficult, but finding foods that are satisfying doesn't have to be. With Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, you can enjoy a delicious cup of soup that provides great taste and variety, all at 100 calories or less. Satisfying your taste buds, Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups can help curb your huger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight loss management plan.


So leave a comment for your chance to win. To increase your chances of winning include a link to my blog on your next post. Winner will be chosen using a random number generator. All entries must be received by Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 11:59 CST. The winner will be announced Friday, January 22, 2010. The Progresso Soup, gift pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by Progresso.

PROGRESS SOUP CONTEST
Celebrate the New Year and a new you with Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups. From January 4 through March 15th you can visit http://www.progressosoup.com/souperyou/ to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.


Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes round-trip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.


Before I sign off, I want to encourage First-timers to make a return visit , and I want to again thank my fellow blog buddies for catering to my sometimes insane rambling.


I'm baaaack. How could I forget to mention my other blog The Good, The Bad, and The Hongry (shameless plug). Check out my ballin' on a budget healthy lifestyle meals.

Me. . . Brown-Bag-It? Ummm. . . no ma'am.

In keeping with my planning goal, I already packed my breakfast, lunch and snacks for tomorrow. So what does a jazzy chick like me pack her lunch in you ask? Well it just so happens, that today I graduated from carrying my Bento "laptop lunch box"(pictured below) to...

my new chic, JAZZY lunch TOTE. Check it out BAM!!!

My mom gave it to me for Christmas after I complained about my small Bento lunchbox. So bloggers, what's inside Me So Hongry's jazzy lunch tote?

MONDAY
Breakfast:
Black Bean Omelet

Lunch:Cheesy Chicken & Pasta w/ Broccoli- 3 oz of grilled chicken breast, a bunch of broccoli, 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta, 28 oz cheese, and a little turkey broth (made from the carcass of my recycled Christmas turkey) to keep the dish juicy for reheating.

And of course a salad. I eat some form of a salad daily.

THE BEST ORANGE...EVER! This orange came straight from the tree, no trucks, no grocery store...from the tree to ME!

TUESDAY
Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros- 1 corn tortilla (on the bottom), 2 egg whites, scallions, 14 oz cheese, and an undisclosed amount of Arriba salsa. I put salsa on EVERYTHING!!

Lunch: Taco Turkey Soup-black beans, corn, recycled Christmas Turkey, spicy diced tomatoes, no salt added tomato sauce, taco seasoning (season to taste), scallions and 14 0z cheese. I made the stock from boiling the carcass of my Christmas turkey.

I made my own chips. Cut two corn tortillas into triangles, spray the tortillas on each side, sprinkle with a little sea salt and bake. These chips are not an exact science, so you may need to stand by the oven and peer inside frequently. If you walk away, you may BURN your chips.

Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing


Off Topic...HELP!!
Please tell me your 3 favorite post.

Off to a Good Start: Goal Setting

So a friend of mine texted me this morning looking for some weight loss help. I gave her a little a starter advice, and she suggested that I write a post about our conversation. So here goes:

I basically told her to start small by setting a couple of realistic, manageable goals. AND, it just so happens, last Saturday's WW meeting discussed goal setting. The leader suggested that goals should be:

• Positive: Phrase your goal in positive terms (e.g. Each week I will plan my meals.).
  
  
• Specific: Make your goals straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.
  
  
• Within your control: You must be able to complete the goal without assistance from anyone.
  
  
• Good fit with your life: Whatever you plan to change must be something you can maintain for the rest of your life (e.g. eating breakfast, cooking more and eating out less).

When setting your goals, think about the benefits. For me the benefits include:

• motivation
• direction
• measure for evaluation

Just as important, make sure you reflect on the pitfalls of goal setting:

• high exceptions
• unrealistic expectations
• overwhelming yourself: Set small 5 pound goals instead of worrying about the BIG number.

So...what's your goal? Get a picture in your mind. What do you want to accomplish? Okay, now write it down.

Well, like everyone else, I set a few goals for myself:

• Complete a 5K (Double booking myself ruined last year's attempt.)
• Track my food intake...If I write it, I bite it (So far so good)!
• Drink the daily required amount of water (and then some) EVERY DAY!
  
  
  
  
• PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN and then plan some more! This week, I created a menu. With my menu in mind, I wrote my grocery list and only purchased foods on the list. To save money, I also based my menu on foods already stored in my pantry, freezer and fridge. I created this Turkey Taco Soup, pictured below with food on hand. In addition, I froze a few bowls of the soup to be used later as back-up meals in times of laziness.

Also on the menu, this black bean omelet for breakfast in the morning.

As far as my long term goals:

I picked this card up at one of the Saturday meetings, drove home, and stuck it on my fridge.

My ultimate long term goal is to be a Weight Watchers leader. I hope to one day share my weight loss trials and tribulations with others struggling to lose weight like myself.

Another Chance to Get it Right!

In 2010, I guarantee I'M BRINGING SEXY BACK! I failed to deliver (to myself) on my SEXY BACK promise in 2009. Rest assured my fellow bloggers...GAME ON!

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for making my first year of blogging inspirational, motivational, and exciting:

My New Blog Buddies: Thanks for allowing my blog the opportunity to entertain and motivate you as we both struggle through our weight loss endeavor. Many times last year I wanted to surrender to the food devil and just give up, but your blogs encouraged me to persevere.

Me So Hongry First-Timers:WELCOME! Sit back, strap on your seat belt and get ready for a roller coaster ride. Experience my ups and downs with me and I hope you plan to return time and time again.

My Supportive Lurkers:You know who you are. Those of you I inspired to venture to Goodwill or try new food products, show me some love when stopping by my blog.

Well without further adieu I present my 2009 weight loss adventure in pictures:

December 2008: Already 2 months into my stint with Weight Watchers

January 2009:Celebrating a friends academic achievement

March 2009: Britney Spears concert...check out the hoochies-in-training behind me. Lol.

March 2009: Spring Break at the spa with my Mom...what a treat!

April 2009: 2nd of 2 birthday celebrations in 1 night

May 2009: Chilling at the No Doubt concert with my son

June 2009: Celebrating a friends birthday and my FIRST Summer OFF!

July 2009: GAME ON! As per request of a fellow blogger I proved my dedication with my sweat!

August 2009: Waiting to perform at the Michael Jackson Karaoke Party

October 2009: 3 generations of fabulousness celebrating my Grandma's 94th birthday

October 2009: My 1st grown up Halloween complete with costume and everything

November 2009: Thanksgiving break at the Aquarium

December 2009: Yuletide by the fireside

December 31, 2009: New Years Eve

January 2008/December 2009: Wearing the same shirt...45 pounds lighter.

As you can see my hard work paid off , and a long road ahead looms before me. I must work even HARDER to continue to lose and keep the weight off. I refuse to go back to this:

ALRIGHT Y'ALL, 2010 GIVES US ANOTHER CHANGE TO GET IT RIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!