“Just buy a little Easter candy this year, Deb.” I told myself. “Just get enough for The Boy. Anything left in the bag, bring to the cousins’ Easter egg hunt or give to Mr. Ng to bring to work.” And so I did.

I thought I gave my son just enough – though any chocolate addict will tell you any candy in the house is too much. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep away from the Easter stash? I’m like a thief in the night…actually I am a thief in the night. I wait until no one is looking and then take a bit off the top – no one will notice if an ear is missing.

You know what I’d like to see? A holiday where they give kids fruit and vegetables. That’s right, a big old bag of carrot sticks and cucumber slices. Not only will I not feel guilty about stealing from my son’s stash, but I probably won’t even try.

Image: Morgue File

Post from: Blisstree

Help!! My Home is Being Invaded by Chocolate Easter Bunnies

I received a “Magic Bullet” the other day. The gift of a publicist who would like me to review and give it away at She Knows Parties. I was excited.

The first thing I did with my new toy was to make my morning smoothie. This may sound like a silly thing, but I take my morning smoothie very seriously. If made correctly it will keep me full and satisfied and will hold me until lunch and beyond. Moreover, I make enough for my whole family and my son gets an entire day’s serving of calcium and fruit in one large glass. And he’s satisfied until lunch as well.

I don’t know exact measurements but I can tell you what I throw into my morning smoothie:

• Lots of fruit – I like berries, pineapples, kiwis and bananas best.
• Yogurt – Dannon’s Light and Fit has no fat and only 40 calories per serving.
• Oat bran – Keeps me full and keeps me regular.
• A splash of fruit juice – the kind without a lot of sugar.

I’ll also have this smoothie for lunch sometimes as it’s so tasty and healthy and you can’t go wrong. My husband likes to blend his with ice, but I prefer not to have mine so “cold.”

If you’re struggling for low calorie and low fat breakfast ideas, consider my breakfast smoothie. It’s good, it’s healthy and it’s filling.

Image via stock.xchnge

Post from: Blisstree

My Morning Smoothie

How did I do it?

Most of the credit goes to our puppy, Carter. As I told you before I’m taking him on a long walk each morning. Since daylight savings kicked in I’m also walking him in the evenings after dinner. Both Carter and I enjoy the exercise and are sure to make this a daily ritual.

Watching What I Eat

OK. This is the hardest part for me. I just love to eat. I’m learning through Weight Watchers online that I really can eat what I want. It’s slow going, but some of the things I’m doing are having the Progresso Soups (100 calories or less) for lunch and for snacks it’s always fruit or a 100 calorie pack. I’m still having the same dinner or lunch, so I’m not left starving. WeightWatchers.com has some wonderful recipes, the whole family enjoys them and doesn’t complain that they have to diet with me.

Working Hard

I’m finding that by immersing myself in my job and keeping busy, I’m not thinking about the fridge. The busier I am, the less inclined I am to nosh. I guess I should thank my employers for these three pounds!

I’m not going to pretend it’s easy. I love food and there’s so much food around. But losing three pounds is incredible motivation. I intend to keep it up.

Post from: Blisstree

I Lost 3 Pounds

I have to tell you, I feel great. One of the things I love about walking is that it’s so …head clearing. After a good walk I have ideas for blog topics, problems worked out and my whole day planned – and all this before 8:00 AM. If I want to listen to music I can do that, or just enjoy the peace and quiet of the neighborhood.

What I love best is how I feel when I come home. I start my morning on such a positive note as I accomplished so many different tasks. I took the dog out for some exercise, got some of my own exercise, planned my day, brainstormed some blog projects …and more.

I think when I feel like this, the rest will be easy. Oh and you know what I found? Veggie chips 100 calorie packs! I love veggie chips and seeing them in a 100 calorie pack – with a decent sized bag to boot – is like the icing on the cake.

Until next week…

Post from: Blisstree

Damn I Feel Good!

Last week was a week of setbacks. No, I didn’t gorge myself or have binges, but I didn’t get much exercising done. Last week my family was sick and it was hard for me to keep up with my regular regime.

We have a new puppy and I thought he would be great company and motivation for my morning walks. Not last week. With my son inside sick on the couch, we were relegated to quick functional walks around the back yard. Oh and the puppy? He’s not so much into long walks yet. He’d much rather sit down in the middle of the road and protest.

Meal times consisted of Jello or a soft boiled egg for those who couldn’t hold down food. Toast and soup for those with better appetites and whatever was in the fridge for she who waiting on the others hand and foot.

Oh and did I mention snow? It was great the first day but the second day it was rather a pain as the dog and I hurriedly crunched our way around the backyard.

So last week was a week of setbacks. Not terrible setbacks, I didn’t gain any weight after all. But I didn’t make progress either. I’m hoping this week will be better. It’s already starting on a positive note. Everyone is feeling better. We’re keeping down real food. The dog actually let me walk him around the corner and the snow is just about melted. And food? I’m about to go shopping now for some nice wholesome ingredients to a nice wholesome dinner.

Dieters have setbacks, the best thing to do is to let them happen and move on. Setbacks are temporary, a positive attitude is infectious.

Post from: Blisstree

A Week of Setbacks

Kirstie Alley is launching her own weight loss comapny. She’s parted ways with Jenny Craig though she remains on their “maintenance program.

“After lengthy negotiations, regretfully the Jenny Craig Company and I did not come to an agreement to continue as their spokesperson,” Kirstie told People. She also said she’s hoping to create something that will “help millions of people end the seemingly never ending fatty-roller coaster ride.” In other words, people like me.

Kirstie hopes to launch her weight loss plan some time in 2009. In the meantime Jenny Craig issued a statement: :We are sorry that she did not accept our offer” to continue appearing in the company’s ad campaign, Scott Parker, vice president of marketing for Jenny Craig, told People. “We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

We wish her well too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~`

So that’s the news, how am I doing? Not bad. I’m not losing weight as quickly as I had hoped, but I’m not putting it on either. We do have a new puppy and he’s helping me to get out of the house and walk around, so I’m exercising more and that’s very good news.

I’m also looking for more low fat recipes and making those for my family, though I’m the only one with weight issues. Weight Watchers has some nice, flavorful recipes on their website and I have a couple of great low-fat cook books. I thought my family would balk at the idea of eating low fat, but as long as it tastes good they’ll try it.

I still like Weight Watchers Points and will continue to use this plan as I feel it allows me to eat what I want without cutting out foods I like or whole food groups.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make my breakfast. Egg beaters with peppers, mushrooms and onions on a whole wheat muffin.

Post from: Blisstree

Kirstie Alley to Launch Her Own Weight Loss Company

My son has been wanting a puppy for years. We promised he could have one when he stopped waking up at night and coming into our bed. Sometime during the past couple of months he realized we were serious and is now sleeping in his own bed at night. Last weekend we began looking for a dog to adopt us.

Some of my friends said they didn’t want dogs because they knew the responsibility of walking would fall on them. That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.

Now, I love walking but truth be told, it’s hard to get motivated to get out and walk around when it’s 40 degrees (or colder) outside. Actually it’s hard to get motivated when there’s a pot of coffee going, something good on TV, a book calling me, and work to do. Plus, my neighborhood is so quiet, sometimes I’m a little nervous about going for a walk by myself. A dog would be good company and a reason for me to leave the house every morning. Plus I told my son he was responsible for an after school walk as well. Since he’s only five, I’ll be joining him. See? Exercise!

I’m not a lazy person. I get the job done and can sometimes be a total workaholic. I have no problem exercising a couple of times a week, but that’s not enough at all. Now maybe I’ll get up off my duff and get a good walk in every day. A dog will be good company.

Image via Morgue File

Post from: Blisstree

Walking the Dog

You know what I wish? I wish I could be one of those people who has no problems keeping healthy. You know who I mean, don’t you? The people who have no problems sticking to a healthy, sensible diet everyday or enjoys working out on a daily basis. Instead, I’m one of those people who are addicted to food and hate getting my fat butt of the couch.

Now, I know exactly what I have to do for a healthy lifestyle. I know what foods are best to eat and how much exercise I need each day. What I don’t understand is why are these things so easy for some people and not for others? It doesn’t seem fair that some of us have to work harder at being healthy. My sweet sister in law always says to me, “I don’t get the problem, Deborah. If you don’t want to be fat, don’t eat. No problem.” Yes problem. It’s the same as telling people with drug or alcohol addictions to stop using cold turkey. It just aint that easy.

While I’m griping. I need to discuss a couple of weight loss issues that are really sticking in my craw.

People who have weight loss surgery and then talk about how hard they worked – Oh no you didn’t! You got your stomach stapled and now can’t eat as much food. You didn’t work hard, your surgeon did. I know of at least two people who had the surgery because it was a lot easer than taking off the weight with a diet and exercise plan. Oh no you didn’t work hard, Miss Stomach Staples, you had no choice.

People who have someone else cook their meals and talk about how hard they worked – You know why the Kirstie Alleys and Valerie Bertinelli’s of this world bug me? Because someone else cooks and portions out their food. Someone else figured out the fat and calories, someone else cooked and someone else figured out the perfect portions. If you’re going to hire a chef or have your meals delivered to you every day, stop talking about how hard you worked. All you did was eat. Someone else did the work. The average Joe can’t afford $30 a day to have diet meals delivered or $100,000 for a private chef.

Losing weight isn’t easy. I’m not making excuses. I know it’s my own fault and I know what I have to do to get down to the weight I want. I just get so frustrated when people talk about how hard they worked, but they really have no idea.

Post from: Blisstree

A Few Weight Loss Gripes

I’m really digging the Weight Watchers Points plan. I’m not a meetings person, but I bought the material on eBay and researched weight loss sites and forums for inspiration.

What I love most about this plan is how I can eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my point limit. 24 points might not sound like a lot but you’d be amazed at how much food you can eat.

I learned that if I want to splurge on a 17-point slice of pizza, I can, but then I have to be careful for the rest of the day. Veggies are worth 0 points and most fruits are 0 to 2 or 3 points, so I can load up on them. Plus, Progresso has a line of 1 Point soups that are hearty and taste great. I’m not saying I’ll have pizza every day, but it’s nice to know I can have it once in a while if I want it.

Low Point Snacks

My biggest problem is I’m a snacker. My weakness is for carbs. I love my chips. Thanks to 100 calorie packs, I can satisfy my craving for chips or cookies. A 100 calorie pack of microwave popcorn is huge!

Here are my favorite low point snacks

• Fruits - I love berries, grapes, grapefruit and bananas especially.
• Special K- Bars – They taste like Rice Krispy treats and satisfy sweet cravings. At 90 calories, they’re only 1.5 points.
• 100 Calorie Packs - You can find almost anything in a 100 calorie pack nowadays.
• Yogurt – I mix Dannon Light N Fit with berries or bananas for a great breakfast.

What I’m learning is that I can still snack as long as I stay within my point limit – and I don’t have to give up the things I enjoy. I even found 100 calorie Klondike bars!

Cooking Spray

I read something interesting the other day. Most of us think cooking spray has no fat, but that’s not true. It’s made up of oil and does, indeed, contain fat. The logic in using cooking spray is that you spray a light coating onto your pan, and therefore it’s not enough fat to count. Lots of people spray copious amounts, giving them the full fat.

Is It Worth One Bite?

Another interesting tidbit I read was how most people get the full flavor of and pleasure from their food on the first bite. By the time they’ve had several bites, it’s good, but not as satisfying as that one bite. The next time you want something decadent, ask yourself if it’s worth one bite.

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Watcher Points, Progresso Soups and Other Weight Loss Notes

So it’s recommended everyone takes at least 10,000 steps each day to lead a healthy lifestyle. That’s all fine and dandy, but how does one keep track? It’s kind of hard to count steps when you sit and stand as much as I do.

I decided to get myself a pedometer to make sure I’m getting enough exercise. It just came in the mail today so I can’t tell you if I’m there yet, but it’ll be a good way to gauge how I’m doing and whether or not I need to work harder by mid day. It might be just what I need to force myself to get enough exercise.

Pedometers are fairly inexpensive and easy to find. I even posted a link to a free pedometer at Simply Thrifty. So how many steps do you take? Why not get a pedometer and find out?

Post from: Blisstree

How Many Steps Do You Take?