Did I Really?
I WI'ed yesterday, and lost 2 pounds. TWO pounds... I haven't seen a loss (or gain) of that amount in about 6 months- it's a little late in the WL-game for me to be swinging back and forth that much, I think.
I guess I should just take it for what it's worth. I mean, it does bring me to my lowest weight since 2nd grade (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration). It's just a little confusing- I didn't exactly have a stellar week, and I can't really figure what exactly my body is doing. Whatever is going on, I'll go into this weekend down 2 pounds, and that much closer to goal.
Very much looking forward to Shabbat dinner this evening- good friends, excellent victuals, and (B"H) some good zingin'. It's just what I need after a long week of trying to be calm in the wake of our condo closing (which, BTW, is in
3 hours).
WHATever
I know I haven't been blogging for a while, but I wanted to check in. I'm still here. I'm still doin' what I'm doin'. But I'm not really doin' WW. I mean, I have to be honest with myself. What used to be a moment of weakness wherein I'd guzzle milk straight from the carton for a minute straight, has turned into moments of WHATever-ness wherein I guzzle grape juice. Grape juice, needless to say, is considerably higher in points without the added bonus of providing calcium- and it comes in larger jugs, too.
DH and I close on our first home, a condo in West Rogers Park, tomorrow. Tomorrow! We decided we need a bit more frumkeit (and a little less rent payment) about two months ago, and here we are closing tomorrow. Let me tell you, the end of the month became the end of the week
real fast. So, because we're chin-deep in closing costs and down payments, we've been saving money- which means eating that which we have in the house. We've also been quite busy arranging everything, which means less energy to put towards avoid those moments of weakness. So, I've been maintaining- but not losing. At least I know that when it comes to maintenance, I've got that down. This could be interpreted as success, as I'm not gaining- but I'm also not at goal, when I really feel like I
should be. I'm just trying to hold on to a phrase that I believe my holy mother once told me: Don't
should on yourself...
At this point, it is very clear to me that exercise and water are the keys to my continued weight loss success on WW. They say humans can go 2 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water- apparently I can go 2 months without water, because I'm still here, and I haven't been drinking drop one. I let minor injuries interrupt my exercise routine, and never got it back. I'm convinced that if I could get back to my 3-4 session per week routine at Curves, and my 100 ounces of water per day, I could lose my last 7 pounds in two months, which would put me at lifetime by our 2nd wedding anniversary. I suppose that could be my new short-term goal... but WHATever. y'know? WHATever.
blah blah blah and all that shtuss. I'll get it back- I have to, for myself.
I Weigh 140?
This morning I randomly decided to weigh myself before my shower. On an empty stomach, 1st thing in the morning and totally nekked, I apparently am at goal!
In my half-stupor, I thought to myself, I should start going to 6:00 a.m. WI meetings, because I obviously weigh much less 1st thing in the morning- that way I'd be at goal now!
Is that cheating?
Take That, Atkins!
I had an annual physical last Thursday, and my doc says my cholesterol level is 100. 100?! That's
awesome! Don't know what your level should be?
Check it out.
And a little pat on the back for me, 'cause I hardly cried when they took my blood- and it only took three nurses.
I don't do needles.
First OT Post
This blog is what is referred to as a topical blog, in that I only post on one topic- Weight Watchers. Every post until now has had a direct link to food, exercise, weight-loss and weight-loss related issues. Today, I'm going to deviate just a bit from that and post about the Nine Days. For a topical post in relation to the Nine Days, scroll down- I just posted one.
Rabbi Noah Weinberg writes:
Why did we cry in the generation of Moses? Because even after God took us out of Egypt, gave us the Manna, the Well and the Clouds of Glory, we still said He couldn't bring us into the land of Israel. We didn't trust in Him - because we lacked appreciation for all He'd done for us.
On Tisha B'Av, we have to take an accounting of ourselves. Are we grateful for all the Almighty has done for us - and do we trust Him?
Are we in pain because of our brothers' suffering? Do we believe the Almighty will assist us if we reach out to help fellow Jews? Of course! The Almighty wants His children to return to Him!
We are one people with one destiny. Each of us is responsible for the actions of the other. A handful of people dedicated to the cause of Jewish continuity has already made a lasting impact on our future. If we join together, we will surely merit to bring back the entire Jewish nation.
The temples were destroyed due to the Jewish people's penchant for
sin'at chinam, or baseless hatred. As a Jew in today's world, I take it as a personal responsibility to affect the rebuilding of the Temple, and to work for
tikkun olam, to repair the world. During this time of mourning, I believe that Jewish unity, understanding of others and baseless
love for all Jews and all people, is what will bring redemption.
May this be a time of reflection, rededication, and revelation for all of
Klal Yisroel.
Reflect with some of my favorite Jewish blogs, with much deeper thoughts than slurpee points:
Velvel
Cara's World
Sklaro World
MOChassid
Cohen Head
Adi Eliyahu
Adam R Davis
Jewish Fringe
The Kosher Blog
Mommy's Going Meshugganah
Menu for the Nine Days
As discussed
earlier, the
Nine Days are upon us, as today is Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av. This week's menu is chocked-full of meatless high-protein, high-fiber dishes... Here's my menu for the week:
Black Bean Chili (5 points/serving)
Tuscan Skillet Supper* (3 points/serving)
Lemon Tortellini Soup* (4 points/serving)
*see below for recipe
Tuscan Skillet Supper
WW cookbook -
Down to Earth
4 servings, 3 points/serving
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves -- minced
1 cup diced tomato1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans -- rinsed and drained
2 rosemary sprigs
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and next 5 ingredients (zucchini through garlic); saute 2 minutes. Stir in tomato, beans, and rosemary; cook 2 minutes. Stir in spinach and remaining ingredients; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts and cheese begins to melt. Discard rosemary. Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
Lemon Tortellini Soup
WW Cookbook -
Down to Earth
5 servings, 4 points each
1 cup mushroom(s)
3/4 cup scallion(s)
1 clove garlic clove(s)
3 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cube vegetable bouillon cube
9 oz cheese tortellini, without sauce
1 cup fresh spinach
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Spray medium/large soup pot with cooking spray. Saute sliced mushrooms, scallions and minced garlic about 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and 1/4 water. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook covered until tender, about 5 minutes. Add sliced fresh spinach and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Serve. ~ 1 cup/ serving.
An NSV to Rival All Others!
I'm wearing my sister's clothes! First I will start by promising (sometime in the Jewish-time-near-future) to post some pictures, before and current. With her permission, they will include a pic of Julie, my sister. In the meantime, let it be known that my sister is Tiny, with a capital 'T'. We have never, and I mean never, been able to share clothes- even as infants. So, this past May when my mom came in for a CME conference, she brought me some clothes that had been abandoned at her house. (For those of you who haven't fully moved out of your parents' house yet, you're most certainly familiar with the every-visit could-you-take-some-of-your-stuff-
now speech.) Needless to say, most of said clothing was enthusiastically donated to The Ark. One piece, however, was a full-lengh sundress that has come back into style, and I've been holding onto it. It's an 8, and I'm wearing it today!
It's a real exciting thought that I could share clothes with someone- and not rip/stretch them in the process. I missed out on the doubling and tripling of wardrobes during summer camp and college, where if you don't have the perfect shirt for the late-night campfire, your bunkmate does, and where you can truly concentrate on finals and not do laundry because your floor captain has your backup outfit for the celebratory trip to the bar. It's pretty awesome to be able to do it now- all I need is a bonfire with Kumbaya followed by a toga party complete with
Watermelon Surprise!
New Link Highlight
I would like to formally introduce everyone to
Another Meshugganah Mommy, who has recently started a new blog about the completely average life of chasing after young children, searching out spirituality and losing weight in the process. A true balabusta!
Visit
her site and send encouraging comments!
The Nine Days
We are currently in a time of the Jewish calendar known as
The Three Weeks, which culminates with Tisha B'Av, the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av.
Aish.com has a
very extensive collection of articles, and I'll leave you to get your details there. During this time of mourning for the loss of the holy temples in Jerusalem, Orthodox Jews do not hold celebrations or attend parties and concerts, and many do not listen to any music whatsoever. Specifically as it relates to food, during the 9 days preceding Tisha B'Av, Orthodox Jews refrain from eating meat (except on Shabbat). Therefore, I have started to find new non-meat dishes that will help me stay on program during that time.
To that end, I encourage all who visit, read, frequent, or peruse these pages to leave comments including your favorite recipes or food ideas.
Here's one I made last night that was a big hit with my black-bean-loving DH. By the way, the only link I could find for the Down To Earth Cookbook was for an Amazon listing. So you know, I bought this paperback cookbook for $10 through WW International about 4 years ago. It's good, but (IMHO) this lady has no business charging $49?!
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
WW Cookbook:
Down To Earth
Servings: 4
Points/Serving: 5
2 cans black beans, undrained
2 cups pre-browned vegetarian crumbles (I use
Smart Ground)
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup chunky salsa
1 Tbsp chili seasoning mix (I didn't have this, so I put in 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp basil and 1 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (I used crushed red pepper)
8 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp Reduced Fat Sour Cream
green or white onions for garnish (optional)
Drain and rinse one can of black beans. Mash beans in a large saucepan (4 quart, if you have it). Add second can of beans, not drained or rinsed. Add crumbles, tomato sauce, salsa and seasonings. Bring just to a gentle boil, or until warmed enough to eat. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and onions. Serving size: 1 1/2 cups chili, 2 tbsp cheese, 1 Tbsp sour cream.
Deep Thoughts on Ping Pong
I just got back from an early WI (my usual day is Thursday), and though I do admit I'm wearing a heavy skirt today, which may have added 0.4, I knew I'd be up- and I was. Last week I lost 1.6, this week I gained 1.6. The thing is, I'm not inclined to say I'm yo-yo-ing... rather, I'm ping-ponging. Stick with me here: To yo-yo, you have action on the downward motion, as well as the upward motion. You throw the yo-yo down (lose weight), and pull the yo-yo up (gain weight). Ping pong, however, one party only needs action on the 'away' motion. The return is, pretty much, out of the server's control.
Over the past couple weeks (aka The Summer O' Simcha), I have been either vehemently OP or simply lackadaisical. Not exactly overeating/binging, but just not over-enthusiastic. That's why I say ping-pong... I do an action and lose weight (serve!), and then sit back, do very little, and gain weight (return!). To take this semi-stretched metaphor even further, there is one way in ping-pong that the server can prevent the return... serve so well that only Forrest Gump could return it!
Therefore, I'm drowning my faceless competitor with a re-renewed commitment to 100 oz of water per day, and I'm going to spread my flex points out throughout the week, rather than throwing them all at Shabbat. (more on that last thought later)
So far today, I have 94 oz of water to go.
Oy vey.
New Coffee Find!
Cara and I detoured to Dunkin' Donuts for cool refreshment yesterday, and I tasted a Coffee Coolatta for the first time. It was divine- hence I assumed it was 1000 points. A quick check of the
Dunkin' Donuts website revealed, however, that a 16 oz Coffee Coolatta made with skim milk is 170 calories, 0 fat and 0 fiber- which works out to be a mere 3 points. Less than a frappucino! So, I'm now off to Dunkin' Donuts for mid-morning refreshment.
Tonight's Dinner
Don't forget the fish,
shmoopie!
Kosher Vegetable Broth!!!
For months and months I have been searching for a prepared vegetable broth. Many WW recipes call for vegetable broth (or chicken broth), and as I get closer to the end of my weight loss journey (and closer to the start of my weight maintenance journey), I have become more aware of my sodium intake. As a rule, WW does not monitor or limit your daily sodium intake. To make matters more difficult, if you compare the nutritional labels on low-fat or reduce calorie products to their 'authentic' counterparts, you will find sodium is generally far higher on the low fat items. It's a simple concept: lower fat/calories will lead to lower taste- sodium is fat-free and has little to no calories, and packs a big taste punch. I mean,
wars were fought over taste!
But I digress... Thus far, I have been using vegetable bouillon to make up my own vegetable broth for use in recipes. This makes matter doubly worse, as bouillon is that much HIGHER in sodium. So, every time I visit the kosher supermarket in Skokie, I diligently check the canned soups in search of vegetable broth, only to settle on yet another canister of powdered bouillon. Alas, my quest continued- until last night. DH and I currently live in a
very hip neighborhood in Chicago, and 'very hip' usually lends itself to a population craving specialty items and an abundance of organic foods. The Jewel food store closest to our apartment has a very nice organic section, which I peruse from time to time... and lo and behold, came across a boxed vegetable broth!
Imagine Natural Organic is under
Kof-K supervision (except their chicken broth), and the vegetable broth is paerve!
Not only is this helpful in that I no longer need to mix up the bouillon, it also has HALF the sodium of a bouillon cube, which has roughly 1100 mg!
I guess this just goes to show sometimes it pays to think
inside the box!
The Mother vs. The Other
This Monday morning, DH and I hosted DH's cousin for a Vice City marathon and in honor of his visit to local colleges (Zev- choose Univ of Chicago!!), I made a 'Big Breakfast'. I
previously told you about The Mother, and I've now developed what DH coined 'The Other'.
'The Mother' is two eggs over easy and sauteed onions sandwiched between two eight-inch pancakes spread with butter and smothered in syrup. I figure The Mother is roughly 15 points (3 for each pancake, 2 for each egg, 1 for the sauteed onions, 2 for syrup and 2 for butter).
'The Other' is an open-faced version: one 8-inch pancake (made with reduced-fat Bisquick and egg beaters), sprayed with Parkay margarine spray, topped with one fried egg white, 1/2 the sauteed onions and 1/4 cup reduced-calorie pancake syrup. The Other is 4.5 points (2 for the pancake, 0.5 for the onions, and 2 for the pancake syrup)!
How's that for innovation in a family favorite?
Bugger!
I'm so pissed at myself! This morning, I prepared what promised to be a wonderful dinner, Cajun Pot Roast... and subsequently forgot to turn on the slow cooker. It's now 8 a.m., I get home around 6 p.m., and I'm sure there's no chance that beautiful, fresh, juicy cut of meat will still be salvagable.
%&#*
This Week's WI
I just GAINed 0.6 pounds?! I’m pretty confused at this point. I journaled everything I put in my mouth, including the I’m-sick-and-need-ice-cream snacks! I exercised twice this week, and didn’t eat all my exercise points on those days, and I have 13.5 flex points left on the week.
I really think it’s water and variety. Last week’s WW meeting was about the three things you need to be successful on program: Balance, Variety and Moderation.
Balance
I have talked about before, so I’m not goin’ into it again now.
Moderation
In my FIL’s (Father-In-Law) words, ‘everything in
moderation’. Note: this is different than DH’s words, ‘
everything in moderation’. I think I’ve got this down, and it’s relatively self-explanatory.
Variety
In a WW sense, variety does two major things for you- It makes you feel that you’re not missing out on certain items. If you have fish, meat, dairy, carbohydrates, and vegetables at different times during the week, there’s nothing you feel you’re specifically missing (unlike carb-restricted diets. Atkins-booooo!). Variety also does something very important physiologically. When you eat the same foods at the same times every day, your metabolism will become accustomed to the nutrient break-down in those foods, and become very efficient at utilizing the food you take in. However, when you change up the types of foods you eat, your body has to adjust to the different foods- and tends to use it less ‘efficiently’, resulting in burning more fat. ***someone help me out here, I know I’m not explaining it properly from a technical point of view.***
Basically, in the last couple weeks, I haven’t had the time/energy to make varied menus and prepare many different kinds of foods. I’ve mostly be relying upon my stock always-in-the-house items. PB&J on wheat bread, Kashi Good Friends with Soy Milk, lox on flour tortilla with light cream cheese, etc. I think it’s time to break out some different nutrient sources- chicken, beef and beans have all been notably missing from my diet over the last couple weeks. I’m hoping that will help jump-start my metabolism again.
I must note, however, I have been quite amiss in drinking my water. I used to strive for 100 oz a day, and now I’m lucky if I get even a couple glasses in. That is my official focus for the next week- so if you see lots of random posts saying ‘32 oz to go’, you now know why.
I also have been kinda letting go on exercise. I did exercise this week, but it consisted of one long walk and one hour of yoga, neither of which were aerobic. I have a walk-away-the-pounds video at home, and I really have little to no excuse not to do it and get my heart pumping a little bit, at least. I’m not making it an official focus, though, ‘cause I also have a cold. I hate to be sweaty with a cold- it just makes me feel like my nose is running all the more.
Ok, that’s my self-analysis for the week. Remember what all those smart leaders say: The number on the scale is just feedback- not failure!
