Chex Party Mix Points

I've been planning for Thanksgiving over the past few days, and I'm sure you have been too.  Even though I know I'll rack up a bunch of WW points on Thursday, I've been good and staying the course since I started back up on Weight Watchers. Today was my weekly weigh-in and I'm happy to report that I lost 1 1/2 pounds.

Today I started making the snacks I'll serve to my family, one being our traditional Chex Mix which will get snacked on before and after dinner.  As I posted earlier, I'm calculating every dish I'm making for Thursday so I won't have to do that then, or eat something with a mystery point value and feel surprised and guilty afterward.  Also, I'm not necessarily trying to reduce points for a traditional dish, because I'd rather eat less of something I love than more of something that tastes wrong.  Of course, I will substitute where it doesn't matter.

Here's how our Traditional Chex Mix turned out (calculation may be slightly off):

Ingredients:
9 cups Chex (I just used Rice this time)
1 cup Cheerios
2 cups zero fat pretzel sticks
2 cups Cheezits
1 1/2 cups cashews
6 tablespoons Smart Balance
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teas seasoning salt
3/4 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas onion powder

Appx Total Points:100
Appx Per cup: 6

Now I know what I'm getting myself into when I start snacking on this goodie.  If you adjust this recipe to lower points successfully, please post your changes! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays? How Do We Watch our Weight with Weight Watchers Right Now?

Well, it's that time of year...The Holidays...Friends, Family, Parties, and a time when all those tempting goodies will be right there in our face.

I've slacked off the past six months and I need to get back on the wagon, but let's face it, this isn't the best time to try to lose weight.  However, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the WW principles and find ways to get back in control if we've lost our way.  So, I've made a plan today that includes the next 6 weeks and after the holidays are over.  Making a plan makes me feel better.  Here's my plan:

Make soups.  I love my Crockpot soups...the potato and broccoli are my favorites.  It's soup season, and I plan to have more soups for my meals.

Look for more recipes in which vegetables are the stars. Sprouts is filled with lots of winter vegetables like winter squash, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. And I see yummy recipes all the time on Facebook and I've tried a bunch of them that were very good.  I vow to focus on the ones that primarily use vegetables and adapt them to lower WW points. Likewise, I will look for fruit based recipes that fit the WW model to stave off my craving for sweets during the holidays.

Stock the freezer with low point frozen dinners and WW frozen deserts.  I really need these.  Sometimes I am too lazy to cook for myself. I love most of the Lean Cuisine dinners and they provide WW points on every box, so I'll be stocking up. I'll always make sure I have some kind of frozen WW sweet treat in there too!

Start tracking points again and weighing myself regularly.  I'm going to go easy on myself, but it's time to start tracking again, to get my mind in gear.  I think I'll set my daily point goal at 35-40 a day during this time period, so it will be easy to feel in control. I'm also going to start stepping on those dreaded scales. It's time to click on our brains and have the right attitude!

Enjoy the holiday dinners. Yes, I'll be eating and enjoying! I won't be worrying about WW Points on Thanksgiving Day or for Christmas dinner....if I do I'll feel too deprived.  However, every OTHER day, I will put on my WW thinking cap.  And after the dinners, I'll make everyone else take home high point leftovers!

Sign up for Weight Watchers online again after the holidays. Come January, it will be easy to slip into weight loss mode and hopefully, lose the pounds I've gained. I find using the website helps me stay focused.

I'll be sharing the good ideas I discover over the next 6 weeks, so check back. I hope you'll share your ideas for how to stay a Weight Watcher during this time too!

Happy Holidays everyone.  Enjoy, but keep watching your weight!

My Annual Weight Watchers Refresher

Holidays are a time for family and friends!

Oh boy, have I been MIA!  So sorry.  But my absence doesn't mean I have abandoned my Weight Watcher attitude. In fact, after the holidays my daughter and I decided to sign up for a 90 day stint to lose the holiday pounds that crept on.

I think it's important to be realistic about maintaining my weight loss.  I've lost a total of 50 pounds over the past few years, 35 of that since joining Weight Watchers last January, but we all know that it's never a straight line from fat to thin, especially if you regularly track your weight. When I went on maintenance, I made a vow to jump back on the WW weight loss routine if I gained more than 2 pounds, which I have now done.

Yes, I enjoyed celebrating the holidays with family and friends, and don't apologize for eating an Almond Roca occasionally during this time-frame.  But I NEVER want to have to lose those 50 pounds I've already lost ever again. At this point, I have lost the few pounds I gained from all the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's parties.
 
Even though my eating slipped on occasion end of the year, one thing I've never stopped doing is weighing myself weekly.  Every Friday I step on that scale religiously, sometimes with trepidation, and it always makes me feel better afterward.  Better to know the truth than imagine the worst.

In addition to losing the holiday pounds, my goal this time was to lose an additional 5 pounds, which I am still working on....3 more pounds to go!  I think this will be an annual event for me.  It erases any guilt I had about enjoying life with my family for our celebrations, and it reminded me of the WW basics.

Staying healthy is a lifetime endeavor, so if you slipped a bit during the holidays, don't despair.  Jump back in and you'll be ready for those Spring clothes in no time at all! Losing a few pounds now is much easier than 50 pounds later, trust me!

My Feast in Cave Creek Arizona

That's me on the left with my BFF

I've said many times before how much I appreciate that I can follow Weight Watcher's guidelines and still enjoy my life.  To that message, I wanted to share an article with my blog  followers so I can prove this to you! I wrote the article after celebrating my BFF's birthday with a shopping trip that ended in lunch in the rustic, quaint town just north of Phoenix, Cave Creek, Arizona.

Goat Milk Soaps is just one shop you can visit in Cave Creek

 We had fun and the food was delicious! The best part? I stayed within my weekly points allowance and still lost weight that week after sharing this "Smokehouse Platter" with her.

Hard to believe, huh? I kept my head and didn't overdo my portions (we split the leftovers and took a bunch of food home!), plus I wouldn't do it every week, but it's nice every once in a while to bust out of the diet routine! I was right back on the plan next day.

For more pictures of Cave Creek and our fun, check out my article at HubPages.  Start here:

Tour of Cave Creek, Arizona

 

Cave Creek is a small town full of Arizona's Western history and ambiance, and just a short 30-minute drive Northeast of Phoenix, As you reach the town limits, you'll think you've gone back in time to the Wild West. You almost expect to see two outlaws shoot it out at the O.K. Corral at any given moment! Warning to visitors: Be sure to slow down or you might meet up with the Sheriff!

Cave Creek Road is lined with quaint shops filled with eclectic and rustic furniture and decor, each item an imperfect treasure full of character and charm. If you are an art lover, look for the galleries which offer paintings and sculptures. There are also lots of restaurants serving delicious food, some with sawdust on the floor and mason jars on the table.

During the week-end nights you'll find the town bustling with a variety of party-animals; twenty-somethings doing shots at an outdoor bar in shorts and flips flops, Harley bikers in leather and bandanas, and cowboys in wranglers and boots.
If you visit Phoenix, be sure to save an afternoon or evening to visit the Town of Cave Creek. It will be worth the gas to experience this small Arizona town in the Southwestern desert. Be sure to take your camera!

For more pictures of Cave Creek and my article, continue here: "Tour of Cave Creek, Arizona"

Weekly Weigh-in Update: Lost a Pound

I'm happy to report that I finally hit a milestone with my weight loss....thirty pounds! I lost 1 pound this past week in spite of another celebration: My granddaughter's High School graduation and the after-party. 

I made meatballs and marinara in the crock pot for meatball subs.  The meatballs were pre-cooked and the marinara was in a jar, so I cheated in cooking effort, but stayed within my daily/weekly allotment...and lost weight!

The sandwich was 12 points, which may not seem low in points, except that it was a very large and satisfying meal! The 4-inch hoagie was 5 pts, and 6 meatballs were 7 pts. I served melon and a salad, plus a Jello Poke Cake (using sugar free Jello) of which a 1/12 serving was 7.5 pts (but I  had a 1/2 piece and sent the leftover cake with my granddaughter). 

All in all, I indulged in the celebration and used 16 of my daily points.My life hasn't stopped because I am a Weight Watcher...it's only gotten better!

Thanks Weight Watchers!