Tuesday Date Nite

After working two six-day stretches in a row and only having one day off between my last six-day work week and four-day work week, I am happy to have three full days off. My TiVo needs some serious attention. We are 55% full. Yikes! I know what I'll be doing the next few days. Maybe I'll watch TV on the treadmill and at least multi-task.

Kenyon and I have Tuesdays off and yesterday we had a date nite. We woke up earler than usual and headed to the allergy clinic for Kenyon to get his weekly shot. I fulfilled my daily Dutch Bros habit.

We ran some errands and along the way I had my dessert first. I have been reducing my sugar the last few days in an attempt to detox a little. I knew USwirl was having $2.99 all-you-can-fill frozen yogurt so I had planned on having some No-Sugar-Added Praline Pecan with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It was worth waiting for!

We had dinner at Tucanos. I love Tucanos, despite the high price tag for dinner. We usually go once a month but it has been a while since we have been there. Okay only like two months probably. Maybe even a month and a half. Anyway, it is delicious.

Tucano's is a Brazilian grille also known as Churrasco. They have a full salad bar, a hot bar with various items, a cold bar with various items, bread rolls, and fried plantains.

Then the meat servers bring around various meats on skewers that you can have as much as you want. The meat comes around on a rotation so if you liked something and want it again they will bring it around again. They also serve roasted pineapple and veggies on skewers as well as some fish, beef, and pork options that aren't on skewers.

It is one of my favorite places to visit. I have been enough times that I know what meats I like and only eat those. I also rarely have any of the hot or cold bar items but I love their fresh salad bar. I also love the bread rolls that have balls of cheese inside. Warm and super yummy.  When you have had your fill and no longer want any meat service just turn your table topper to red and they will skip your table.

Save room for dessert, which we rarely do but have tried several of their desserts.

If you have a Tucano's in your area and want to try it out for a reduced cost, go online and sign up for their birthday club. You get a free meal during the month of your birthday. That is a value of up to $25 in some cities.

I've never tried any of their drinks but they also offer a full bar menu and Brazilian lemonades, with free refills. I hear they are very good.

After dinner we saw “Lucy.” It was weird. I don't recommend it!  And yes, despite just having recently had dinner, movie popcorn was consumed. It calls to me and I have trouble resisting.

**All photos of Tucano's I stole from the internet. I didn't really want to take photos as I was too focused with stuffing my face!**

What I Ate Today (Sunday)

On Sunday Kenyon and I got up earlier than normal to attend Family Day at his work.  Micron is Boise’s big tech company that manufactures computer chips.  Kenyon works in a secure clean room so I have never been to work for a visit.  It was a lot of fun.  After Family Day we headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

Breakfast

Cracker Barrel is one of our go-to spots for breakfast and we frequent there often.  I got the multigrain granola pancakes so I could replenish my stash in the freezer.  I took home all three pancakes to eat at a later time.  The pancakes are served with two eggs, over-medium, and your choice of meat, turkey sausage.  I ate one egg and cut around the other yolk eating the egg white on the second egg and both turkey sausage patties.  I also ate Kenyon’s grits with some jelly added.  The pancakes come with banana.  Coffee served on the side.

Lunch

When I got to work I warmed up some leftover baked beans and added them to some warmed up roasted potatoes cooked with olive oil.  I also added in some sour cream.

Dinner

Earlier in the week I cooked a crockpot full of chicken to shred for an enchilada recipe.  I had 4 ounces and added some green beans on the side.  I was pretty low on veggies today.

Snack

6 ounces Greek yogurt with a chopped up nectarine.

I have not yet given up my iced coffee habit.  On Sunday I bought some decaf espresso beans.  I’m going to try and make my favorite Starbucks iced coffee at home.  It never tastes the same but I’m hoping this will cut down on my frequency of stopping at the coffee shop.

I am making a good effort this week to keep my chocolate/sugar dessert consumption to a minimum and so far I’m doing well.  My plan is to have some froyo with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup this week.  I am sure feeling the urge for sugar though.

Thrive Idaho Program

I received some information in the mail about a program through my health insurance called Thrive Idaho.  I have heard one of our benefits ladies in HR talking about the launch of this program few months ago.  AT that time it seemed so complicated.  Thrive Idaho is a program designed to help encourage state employees to get healthy/stay healthy by offering a money incentive.  If you complete the requirements and earn enough points, Blue Cross of Idaho will send you $250 dollars.  Since our fiscal year just started I have until April 30, 2015 to complete the requirements.

I’m intrigued…

The first step is to ask your doctor to complete a health qualification form during your preventive care visit.  It just so happens I have my appointment scheduled in August.  It also looks like I will meet all but one requirement.

·        Patient is tobacco-free - check

·        Blood pressure is less than 140/90 – check.  Never had an issue with blood pressure

·        Total cholesterol is less than 200 or HDL is greater than 40 (male) and 50 (female) and Triglycerides are less than 150 - based on my 2013 test I meet both qualifications.  I will need to get re-tested for 2014

·        Weight (measured by BMI) is less than 28 or waist is less than 35 (female) and 40 (male) - unfortunately I won’t meet this requirement

·        Blood sugar FBS is less than 110 or A1c is less than 5.8 if non-diabetic – I will need to get this checked but I assume I can meet this requirement.  As far as I know I’ve never had an issue but I don’t think it has ever been checked

If I can successfully pass all but the weight requirement of this questioner I will earn 40 points.

The next step is to complete an online personal health assessment.  I am having trouble signing into the online portal system.  I am working on getting this figured out.

You must take advantage of a workshop or support program such as a health coaching or a walking challenge.  I am waiting to learn more on what my options are.

You must view an education video.  This sounds like it will be both fun and informative.

In order to get the $250 reward I have to earn between 85-100 points.  If I complete all of the above requirements, minus the weight one on the questioner, then I will have earned 90 points.  Yeah!

I also hope to learn some fun stuff in the process.  I love learning about health and fitness.  The information that came in the mail also had some great stuff on overall health that I will share with you.  Check back for updates!

For more information and to see if your insurance offers something similar, check with your insurance provider.  If you are a Blue Cross of Idaho member you can start by logging into the member portal at members.bcidaho.com.

Positive Support

Support is so important in any weight loss and maintenance journey.  I get asked often what I feel helps make weight loss successful.   Hands down it is having a great support system.  My Weight Watcher meetings, members, and leaders provide the majority of that support for me.  What I love best about meetings is that you are never alone.  This is a particular group of men and women who understand what I am going through.  When I am having a bad day because I gained at the scale I can guarantee somebody else is too.  If I am feeling guilty about an over indulgence somebody else might be beating themselves up over theirs.  We are all connected with one common goal: we can’t do it alone.

I attended a Thursday night meeting last week with a leader I am very familiar with.  Natalie, much like me, has been at several meetings in my area.  She is a member, a leader, and a receptionist.   I have been lucky to know her for several years.  She is also a FB friend and part of my FB WW Buddies Group.  It was so great to see her.  I also saw a few other members I knew.  One is a leader on Monday night and one is a teacher at the school where my Mom works.  All of these women provided me with support on Thursday night just by talking with me on how things were going.

Support can come from many different places but it needs to be POSITIVE support.  Negative Nelly’s are the quickest way to zap your positive mojo.  Weight loss is hard.  Maintenance can be difficult.  Having positive support that lifts your spirits is so important. 

 

Spouses, children, significant others, family members, friends, coworkers, walking buddies, running clubs, WW members…make sure somebody positive is in your corner. 

 

Seek out those that want to see you succeed.  There will come a time that the road gets bleak and the trip feels like it is taking forever.  You need that support to keep you going.  You need that support to remind you that you are worth it and you will succeed. 

If you are the support system for another person I want to thank you.  You may not realize how important you are in a person’s life.  I know they appreciate it.  I appreciate all my wonderful support.  I am truly greatful.

 

 

What I Ate Today (Friday)

I’m sorry my blog is so late today!  I woke up early to go out to Micron for Family Day and see where Kenyon worked.  It was a lot of fun seeing the clean room areas and visiting his cubicle.  Now I’m at work!

I started my work week off on the right foot with activity and healthy food.  I used quite a bit of WPPA on Wednesday and Thursday so I needed to scale it back a bit.  I ended up coming in right at my 30 DPA.  I’m also going to work on eating less sugar this week.  Having just a few Hershey Kisses after a meal can feel like a “dessert” but doing that each day really adds up.  Plus I had a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and also some frozen yogurt with Reese’s just in the last few days.  So I’m trying to chew gum and maybe even have some fruit as my dessert.

Meal One
After having eggs most of last week today I had oatmeal.  This was my usual mix of 20 g oats, 20 g oat bran & flax hot cereal, and 1 Tbs chia seeds.  I cook my oatmeal on the stove.  I start with a chopped up apple and 1 ¼ cup water.  When it comes to a boil I add in my oats and chia and also some cinnamon.  After it is done cooking I add 1 tsp brown sugar and stevia packet.  I then top it with 16 g peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.  I’ve also been adding a dollop of coconut oil.  Oatmeal is also really good with cottage cheese mixed in at the end of cooking.  It provides a little more protein.

Just For Fun

I should cut down on my daily iced coffee habit.  It is costing a bit more than usual as Starbucks costs more than Dutch Bros and I have been going to both lately.  It just never tastes as good made from home although I do drink iced coffee from home.

Meal Two

My first meal at work was a cut up chicken patty on top of some chopped up hearts of romaine.  I dressed it with 32 g Greek dressing.  I get the chicken patties at Costco and this variety has kale and quinoa.

Meal Three

My second meal at work was a tilapia burger but instead of serving it on a thin bun I served it on Great Harvest bread.  I topped my fish burger with cheese and also added some homemade Greek yogurt tartar sauce and romaine lettuce.  I had carrots on the side dipped in a mix of 32 g light sour cream and ranch dip mix.  I also had some grapes.  This helped get me over my chocolate rush.  I also chewed some gum to help.  Sorry, forgot to take a photo

If you have a Costco card you MUST look for these tilapia burgers.  I don’t like fish that tastes fishy and these don’t.  They are so mild and delicious.  I cook mine on the stove in some olive oil and then re-heat in the toaster oven at work.  It sort of crisps it up a bit too. 

Meal Four

My last meal at work as 6 oz Greek yogurt, a cut up nectarine, and a Stevia packet.  I am sort of peeved because I paid $2.99 a pound for nectarines at Rosauers and they were mostly just mush.  Grrrrr.  I found some for $0.98 a pound at Walmart that looked fairly decent.  I often don’t get my produce at Walmart.  It isn’t that great.

I went for a walk when I got off work at 6am and was hungry before bed.  I had ½ of a Cracker Barrel pancake with some peanut butter and honey.  This never gets old.

S'mores Snack Mix

I was reading one of my daily blogs and found a link to some amazing chocolate recipes.  One that caught my eye was S’mores Snack Mix.  I decided to make this for my coworkers.

Here is the actual recipe.  I didn’t do any measuring. 

I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out a single layer of Golden Grahams.  I fired up the Velata to melt my choclate and put in a mix of milk and dark chocolate.  When it was completely melted I drizzled the chocolate over the Golden Grahams spreading as evenly as I could.  I wanted to make sure the mini marshmallows would stick.  Finally I topped it all with mini marshmallows.

I didn’t quite feel the chocolate was set when I headed to bed so I wrapped it tightly with wrap and waited until I woke up later.  The chocolate was set so I carefully broke it into pieces and put it into an air tight container.

The verdict?  I wasn’t super impressed.  I am not a fan of marshmallows and I would prefer mine toasted.  Next time I think I’ll try toasting the marshmallows ontop of the Golden Grahams first and then spreading the chocolate on top.  It would taste more s’mores-like.  However, it was a bit hit with my coworkers so that was great.

Since I wasn’t a huge fan of it, it was easier to resist.  I do plan to try this again though.  Maybe I’ll just make a single serving and measure all my ingredients out.  I’ll let you know.

Weekly WI

Good Afternoon.

Sorry my blogs the last few days have been late. Last week was my second week in a row working a 6-day stretch. However, last week I had a few graveyard shifts and a few swing shifts. The benefit of working graveyard (going in at 8pm vs. 4pm) means you miss all the nasty evening commute traffic, i.e. crashes...lots of crashes. So by the time I got around to publishing my blog it was very late! I hope that didn't deter anybody from reading!

With that...on to a new work week. Just a 4-day stretch this week with three whole days off after it. I can't wait!

WI yesterday was a mix of what I expected and yet still hopeful. You women out there know once a month can be wacky for a woman, their hormones, and their body. Well, the week following my monthly visiter is usually the week it reflects on the scale. I've known during weight loss I would have a small loss or even a slight gain and in maintenance I usually see a spike. Obviously we never know what the scale will do so there is always a chance of squeaking by!

When I woke up yesterday afternoon my home scale showed I had gained. I was a bit bummed although a gain was expected. It was a beautiful day and temps were in the high 60s so I laced up my tennis shoes and went out for a walk. My plan was to just keep it casual and get in 4 or 5 miles. Now that the construction is finished on one side of the street there are sidewalks and it is safe to walk on that side. I can now access the neighborhood I used to walk through all the time. I headed out for my 3 mile loop and ended up walking an average of 16 minute/mile for 4 miles. Yeah! It felt good.

I had my usual breakfast of frozen potatoes cooked in olive oil with a chopped pepper added in and topped with one egg and one egg white. I also had some grapes, water, and coffee. 

Those on WW know that often we eat/drink the bare minimum before WI. I am tired of feeling starved when I go to my WW meeting and between waking up earlier, going for a walk, and a meeting time that as still three hours away I needed some real food. I was debating actually getting on the scale at my evening meeting but I dressed for it just in case.

There is nothing worse then getting on the scale and having a gain that doesn't feel deserved. However, I knew skipping the scale wasn't the right answer. I weighed-in at 185.4 with a gain of 0.8 pounds. So really, not too bad.

It was a great meeting with a stellar leader, Natalie, and I even knew a few meeting members. I hope to hit up this Thursday evening meeting for the next few weeks. I only have three weeks of graveyard left.

Last Week In Activity

I walked another two miles further than the week before and four miles further than the week before that.  Sweet!  However, it was a slow week for activity.

FitBit totals: 54,884 steps and 24.80 miles.

Wednesday: Total Athletic Conditioning with Trainer Joe.  I went to the Y for a class.  It has been a while.

Thursday: Mowed lawn and walked on the treadmill.  I had to mow the rest of the lawn from earlier in the week.  I also felt I should walk a bit on the treadmill.

Friday: No APs.  I had a hair appointment before work and worked an earlier shift.

Saturday: 3 miles on treadmill and 2 miles outside.  I walked on the treadmill at 2am when I got home from work.  When I woke up later in the day I walked to Albertson’s for some grapes that were on sale.  I logged 15,000 steps today!!

Sunday: No APs.  I had planned to exercise but then I didn’t feel like it so I skipped.

Monday: 3 mile walk outside.  I set out on foot to get some fruit and bread at a local farmer’s market and Great Harvest.

Tuesday:  No APs.  I should have gotten on the treadmill when I got off work at 2am but I didn’t.

What I Ate Yesterday (Monday)

I documented my food on Monday so you guys could get an idea of how I try to balance a high PPV meal with the rest of my day.  On Saturday at work we had discussed my want of ordering pizza from Flying Pie.  They have a Hawaiian-version that has smoked Gouda and it is my very favorite.  It also happens to be a coworker’s favorite.  So pizza was being planned for Monday!

When I have a high PPV meal, it is tempting to try to have super low PPV foods the rest of the day.  However, I have also learned that being super hungry isn’t a good thing.  I did manage to keep my PPVs low the rest of my day. However, I was STARVING by the time pizza was served. So, clearly this wasn’t the best method. I’d rather be satisfied and use extra PPVs then starve all day to try and keep my food all within my DPA.

 

 

 

Breakfast

In all honestly, my breakfast should have been more substantial.  After eating eggs for several days in a row I decided a pancake sounded good.  I toasted up ½ of a Cracker Barrel Multigrain Granola Pancake (which I keep in the freezer after a trip to Cracker Barrel and re-heat when I want one).  I chopped up an apple and sautéed it in coconut oil, 2 tsp brown sugar, and cinnamon.  I topped my pancake with 8 g peanut butter and honey and then spread my apples on top.

Snack

Breakfast should have been substantial if I was eating a few hours before work/pizza.  However, I got up earlier than usual and went for a 3 mile walk after eating my pancake.  Naturally, I was starving and knew I needed something to hold me over as pizza was still several hours away.   Before I left the house I had 6 oz Greek yogurt with chopped up grapes and a few mini plums.

Lunch

Pizza took longer to order than anticipated.  I should have seen that one coming.  By the time I got back to work from picking up the pizza I was again starving.  The pizza totally hit the spot!  I had two slices of Samoan from Flying Pie Pizza and brought a salad from home.  I added some ranch from the pizza place.

 

I “shoulda” stopped there.  I really would have been satisfied had I just waited a bit.  My taste buds didn’t feel satisfied but I know my stomach would have been.  I decided to use up the remainder of my WPPA and have another slice.  It was once slice too many but as always, good pizza.

 

Dinner

I packed more leftover shredded chicken, 3 oz (my meals this week have been so boring) and some added BBQ sauce.  On the side I had a can of green beans (read: extra boring).  I forgot to snap a photo.  Trust me, it wasn’t exciting.  I also had four Hershey kisses.

Early Morning Meal

We got super busy at work so I didn’t eat my final meal/snack until I was headed home.  I finished up the container of cottage cheese, about 200 grams, by putting it over a cut up nectarine and adding a Stevia packet.

 

My plan had not included three pieces of pizza.  No regrets though.  Some days you just want three slices of pizza.

Proper Ammunition and Right Aim

Success comes from having the proper aim as well as the right ammunition.
                              

                                                                               ~Unknown

This quote is written on the board at my WW meeting.

What does having the proper aim mean to you?  What does having the right ammunition mean to you?

For me having the right ammunition means having the foods on hand for healthy meals and snacks.  I am better prepared for my work week and staying on track is much easier when I plan ahead.  My coworkers eat out often and while I have no trouble already spending plenty of money, packing my meals from home helps reduce that extra expense.  Since Kenyon and I enjoy eating out on our days off I want to save my money, and my calories, for that time. 

For me having the proper aim means following through with what is needed to ensure those foods are ready to go when my work week starts.  I have been pushing off grocery shopping until after payday and so my meals lately have been….interesting.  I know we have plenty of food at home I just need to get creative.  Since there is a lack of fresh veggies my meals as of late have been void of that important healthy guideline.  I need to make sure I plan better and actually do the grocery shopping so I am getting in all my healthy foods.

For me having the proper ammunition means I need to be tracking my food.  Having the proper aim means I need to be tracking that food properly and using my resources when I eat out.  If I don’t know the PPVs I need to do my best guess.  It is tempting to be careless when I don’t know the PPVs of a food.

For me having the proper aim means I need to be keeping active.  Having the proper ammunition means staying motivated and focused.  This has been a struggle lately.

Success is important in weight loss and maintenance.  Make sure you are setting yourself up in positive ways to make hitting that target much easier.

 

What I Ate Today (Saturday)

Saturday was a workday.  Here is what a basic workday looks like as far as food goes.

Breakfast

This day I had my usual breakfast of 95g frozen potatoes cooked in 2 tsp olive oil and seasoned with Red Robin seasoning.  I added one bell pepper, chopped, and 2 oz turkey smoked sausage, chopped, once the potatoes look cooked.  I topped it all with one egg and one egg white, cooked over medium.  I had grapes on the side along with my homemade iced coffee.

First Meal At Work

Depending on when I eat my first meal at home, I usually pack two main meals and one small snack for the end of my shift.  Today I had a tilapia burger cooked in olive oil and topped with a slice of cheese.  I served my burger on a thin bun and added some homemade tartar sauce and some lettuce.  I had some carrots on the side dipped in 33 g of light sour cream and ranch dip seasoning.  Since I had just been to Albertson’s and purchased some grapes I had green grapes on the side for dessert.  I forgot to snap my photo until after I started eating.

Second Meal At Work

I cooked three chicken breasts in the crockpot and shredded it for easy eats.  I had 4 oz shredded chicken, 90 g frozen corn, and ½ a can of green beans.  I replenished our chocolate stash at work and had four Hershey kisses for dessert.  

One of our patrol sergeants surprised us in dispatch with McDonald's sundaes.  It was pretty neat because he came in with plain ice cream in cups and then toppings on the side each in a different cup (strawberry, caramel, and chocolate).  While I had not planned this into my day, that is what I have WPPAs for.  About 8 out of 10 times I say “no thank you” to offers for food or sweets.  Today I said “thanks” and added some caramel to mine.

Third Meal At Work

My last meal of the day is usually Greek yogurt.  On this day I chopped up a granny smith apple, added 6 oz non-fat Greek yogurt, one Stevia packet, 16ish g peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey.  I came up with this creation as sort of an easy way to have apples dipped in a mix of Greek yogurt and peanut butter.  Since my apple will turn brown before I eat them I just chop them and mix it all together.  Everything is better with peanut butter.

I had to get this picture from my archives.  Ignore the candied pecans on top.

Drinks

I drink a lot of water and usually one or two diet pops in a day.  The only PPVs that my fluids generate is the half and half in my coffee.  I had half and half in my ice coffee at home and also in my Starbucks.  With the cooler temps I’m all about iced coffee.  I could drink it all day long.  I try to keep my half and half to a minimum but asking for “just a little” doesn’t always work.  None the less, iced coffee is delicious.