Catching up

I always have good intentions, but then I get overwhelmed. I haven't been posting over here, but I have on my Weight Watchers blog, so I'm going to catch you up. Peeking In November 12, 2012 It isn't official, because it's not weigh-in day, but I made my first 5 lb. weight loss goal!! I did have a free weekend, and I thought I was staying on track with my points, but for two days in a row, I went to bed with over 10 points still available. Going to try and get back on track today. See, my problem isn't overeating. It's not eating enough and of the right things. I'm going to get better though! It's Official November 15, 2012 I weighed in on Tuesday and my total loss is 6.9 lbs! That doesn't seem like much, but since I've adopte this "lose 1 lb over 100 times", well, I've done it almost 7 times in a few weeks! I checked into my first challenge and I guess I got booted because when I went to check where I was, it was asking me to joing it. *shrug* I found another challenge that I think is going to work even better for me. One day at a time! Popping In November 19, 2012 I haven't done a great job of tracking as I eat, like I normally do, but I've found that even not doing so, I've become accustomed to what portions "look" like and have managed to stay within my points allowed, rarely venturing into my extra points. Yay me!

Chicken on my Mind

Contrary to what the stereotype would have you believe, I'm not a huge fan of fried chicken. I prefer mine baked. But when I opened my eyes this morning, I wanted some fried chicken wings and I knew where I wanted them from. Now Popeye's isn't that far from my office, but I swore off a lot of fast food places. While Popeye's is good, I kinda like my chicken plucked BEFORE it's fried. Well I wasn't really hungry at breakfast, so I had some juice and a yogurt. It was Yoplait Greek 100. I was NOT impressed. I'm a fan of Oikos yogurt and when I buy Greek, I want it thick, like pudding. I think this is just Yoplait in a shorter, fatter container. I saw the rave reviews it got here and I didn't agree at all. It's just ok. I had fruit for a mid-morning snack, but today was the first time in a long time that I was HUNGRY. As I looked back at my tracking, I realized that my breakfast was just 4 points. I need to stick with a GOOD breakfast so I can stay full. My weigh in day isn't until next Wednesday, but I have to weigh when I go to dialysis. I weigh when I get there and I weigh again before I leave. When I left last night, I was VERY pleased to see that I am down 4.18 lbs at week 3. Now that doesn't seem like very much, but understand, unlike most people who can flush their bodies by getting in their water, I no longer urinate, so what I drink stays with me until dialysis. Now that I have changed my mindset to fit losing 1 lb, however many I ultimately lose, 1 lb makes me very happy. Lunch today was kind of a mish mash of things. I still had a craving for that darn chicken and I was determined to fight it. I decided that if I'm going to have a "treat" day, I wouldn't be on the weekend, it would be on a day that if I gained more fluid than normal, I would have time to lose it. So Tuesday it is. I ended up eating a small baked potato with salt and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (1 tsp), 2.7 oz of ground beef and 1 tsp of shredded cheddar cheese. Not something I would normally have, but I needed to get that protein in. It was filling. I'm sipping on my after meal tea now. That seems to help me stay fuller longer. Not sure if I'll pop in over the weekend, so you have a great 3 day weekend and honor a Veteran!

I'm No Claire Huxtable but...

I surely know how she felt on the episode where she goes on a crash diet in order to lose enough weight to fit into an old dress. It's one of my favorite episodes because it is one of the rare times Phylicia Rashad's sister, Debbie Allen, was on the show (Season 5, Episode 9-If the Dress fits, Wear it). In the particular scene I am thinking of, Claire had just been allowed croutons in her salad, for the first time since she'd begun dieting. Debbie's character had 7, Claire had 5 and she wanted her extra crouton! LOL The scene played out in my head as I counted out my 5 croutons for 1 point as I made my lunch. One of the challenges of being a kidney patient and trying to lose weight at the same time, is that sometimes you have to decide what diet you want to stick closer to. Just in case you're interested http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/dietary-protein-and-chronic-kidney-disease/e/5302 I know I need more protein in my diet right now, so I sacrifice points per meal by adding more protein. I had an 11 point salad today, 6 of which was grilled chicken. I think fat free dressings are gross too, so I will sacrifice the amount of dressing I use, to keep my flavor. Here is my 11 point salad (which looks really small in the picture) with the point breakdown.

Grilled chicken breast - 6 oz = 6 points Iceberg, Romaine, red cabbage mix- 2 1/2 cups = 0 points Kraft Ranch dressing- 1 tbsp = 2 points Kraft Catalina dressing-1 tbsp = 2 points Large cut garlic and cheese croutons - 5= 1 point I will have a low point dinner tonight. An eggbeater on low cal bread and a tablespoon of Miracle Whip Light and fruit for a nice 5 point meal. Enjoy the clip!

Baby Steps

When I left dialysis last night, I was a bit disappointed that I hadn't lost an ounce. When I put my weight into the weight tracker, however, I realized that I'd reached that weight in between weigh days and had actually lost a pound and some ounces since last weigh in! It isn't much, but it's a pound in the right direction! My lunch was so good yesterday and filling! I have to cook more and stay away from so many frozen meals. I think the sodium is working against me and the phosphorus (preservatives) isn't good either. I have purchased some divided dish containers for my home cooked lunches. I'll find a time when my energy is up and I'll cook ahead. This is my 7 point meal from yesterday. Boneless, skinless chicken breast, Steamfresh broccoli/cauliflower mix and Steamfresh Chicken flavored rice with broccoli and carrots. YUM Having leftover rice and chicken today with a salad!

Fall Back!!

I remembered to turn back the clock. I got to church on time. I grabbed a 100 calorie pack to munch on for breakfast and I've been successful in tracking my meals this weekend. I'm very proud of myself and look forward to going to dialysis to weigh! Today's lunch was Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fish. It wasn't that bad, but it was a tad bit peppery for my taste. The veggies were crisp, like the steam in bag veggies and the pasta was a bit bland to me.

Overall, it was a passable meal. If I forget and buy one again, I'll go ahead and eat it, but it will be the last choice.

Playing Catch Up

Ok, so I didn't post yesterday...I did the damn thing though! My morning started with a mug of hot cocoa and half a slice of Starbuck's pumpkin bread (thanks to my co-worker). My Mom then invited me to lunch. I chose Bob Evans and I went over that menu with a fine tooth comb, considering the points I'd used and the points that would remain. I ended up with a grilled chicken meal from their Fit From the Farm menu. A grilled chicken breast (it was seasoned lightly, not full of sodium), a baked potato (with salt and one butter cup thingy) and broccoli (with another butter cup thingy), no bread at all and water with my meal. It was 11 points, but it was worth every one! GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST A marinated boneless chicken breast served with fresh steamed broccoli and a baked Russet potato with a serving of margarine. 446 / 8g / 2g / 641mg For dinner I had a Healthy Choice Baked Taste Baked Lasagna with Meat Sauce. It was 7 points and it probably would have tasted much better with a little salt, but I refuse to add it. Dialysis isn't until Sunday.

There was a good amount of sauce and meat. The noodles were tender, really pretty good for a microwave dinner. I had some New York Texas Style toast with it which made it a 16 point meal. I sacrificed my daytime snacks however, so I was still pretty good on points. Later that night, I went to a party. I'm so proud of myself. My first trip through the snacks was green grapes, red grapes and a couple of strawberries. Then I had a wine cooler. Well I haven't had alcohol for quite awhile and I drank probably 95% of it before I started feeling it. (yes, I said ONE) I thought since I'd be driving later, I'd better get some real food in my stomach. I got 3 meatballs and 4 tortilla chips with about 1 tbsp of salsa. At the end of the night I'd used all my available points and only 3 of my extra weekly points! YAY ME!!! Today is my splurge day, so I've had breakfast and I skipped my lunch so I can have an early dinner. A personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut with beef, light sauce and light cheese. I'm going to eat half at dinner time and save the other half for a snack later. #winning #watchme

The Day After....

Thursday, November 01, 2012 Halloween, in the past, has been just another day. My kids have never really been big on Trick or Treating. November 1 is usually the day that the kids and I go to Walmart or Walgreen's and each person buy their personal favorite candy by the industrial bag and take it home and pig out the next week or so.

Well this year I bought one bag a week prior to, and let the teenager get it after I took my initial 5 pieces and yesterday I had 1 bite size Snicker and that was it. I'm so proud of myself because I love chocolate and caramel! I had two beef chili dogs and at the end of the day I was still 5 points from using them all. Now that was a direct violation of my kidney diet, but I don't do that often, so...*shrug* I had to go pick up the kid from school because he's dizzy. I'm pretty sure because he didn't stay hydrated at the skate park last night. Well I used that time, since I had to buy him a small arsenal of Gatorade anyway, to stock up on lunch options. Michelina's lite meals are on sale right now for $1!!! I'm stocking up because they are actually pretty good. I came back to the office and configured the point value for everything I bought and labeled them, so I know ahead of time what kind of snack I want to have for the morning and afternoon. My choice for lunch today was a Smart Ones Slow Roasted Turkey Breast. Taste-wise, it wasn't bad. I don't add salt to my diet, so it was just fine for me. The sodium in the gravy evened it out. To me though, there was too much gravy and not enough turkey. One good thing about the kidney diet is that I need extra protein, so yay meat. I'm topping off my meal with a mug of Lemongrass green tea, with a teaspoon of Splenda. I've been sipping on it for about 20 minutes now and I'm almost stuffed. Seems to be a good fullness tactic. I'm really excited for next Wednesday to come around so I can see the fruits of my nutritional changes.