What's your hard?

Losing Weight is hard...

Maintaining weight loss is hard...

Sometimes we have to put effort into it.

Today I went out to the Duneland State Park in Chesterton with my running partner Bryan. We did trail 9 plus one mile in the park...

I ran slow.

I walked quite a bit.

I LOVED the views.
I am fully determined to fight it and do better the next time.

I cannot let this defeat me. What is defeating you? Don't let it.

New Recipe- Cherry Pork Chops

Here is a new recipe I found and tried... I made the recipe 3 servings so that there wouldn't be a lot left over.

Ingredients

3 Pork Chops (about 1 pound or so)

1 cup Reduced Sugar Cherry Pie Filling

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Chicken Bouillon

Brown the Pork Chops

Put all other ingredients in Crock Pot

After browning the pork chops put them in Crock pot over the mixture.


Cook on low for about 4 hours (I cooked on high for slighly less than 2)

Easy.

Tasted great

7 points plus values was the approximate point value.

Congrats to my favorite baseball player!

Totally unrelated to anything really except...

I love baseball.

Barry Larkin has always been my favorite player. I grew up loving him. I love that he stayed true to my Reds and that he is a Cincinnati guy. He truly deserves this great honor.

Courtesy of Cincinnati Reds

Dreaming of spring training already! Do you like baseball? Who is your favorite player? Why?

25 little things for BIG weight loss... the next 5

Last Tuesday at my weight watchers meeting we discussed part of an article I found on the Weight Watchers website. Here is a Link (full article)to the full article. I am going to break them down into 5's over the next few days and give my thoughts... feel free to share your thoughts.  Here are the next 5...
11. Leave something on your plate at every meal
If you are satisfied leave it... I feel like this one is key. If you are not hungry you can leave something behind. I know this one is hard but if you really don't feel hungry don't finish something. In fact try to.
12. Get to know your portion sizes
We talk about this one a lot.. Don't you feel like this is the one that you have learned the most about from Weight Watchers? So just as the full article states... don't just estimate things — make sure. Ask how much is in a serving, read the fine print on labels, measure your food. And learn portion equivalents: One serving of pasta, for instance, should be around the size of a tennis ball.... your meat should fit in the palm of your had. Use a scale! It is key at home.

13. Don't give up dips
Find ways to to lighten them up. My favorite way is with Greek yogurt.






14. Make a healthy substitution
Just as the article suggest find little ways... bake don't fry. Use whole wheat pastas and brown rices.

Just like chicken tenders YUM

15. Bring lunch to work tomorrow
For me this is the key. I have to pack my lunch or I am lost. Think about the amount of decisions you can eliminate just by having your lunch already prepared. It will also save you a ton of money..

A yummy lunch I frequent... soup and sandwich

Come back tomorrow for the next 5 BIG TIPS!!

25 Little Things for BIG weight loss... 5 more

Last Tuesday at my weight watchers meeting we discussed part of an article I found on the Weight Watchers website. Here is a Link (full article)to the full article. I am going to break them down into 5's over the next few days and give my thoughts... feel free to share your thoughts.  Here are the next 5...

6. Listen to your cravings

The article suggest substituting fruit for the craving for sweets and 94% Fat Free air popcorn instead of potato chips. I do agree with these suggestions although one other thing I would suggest is if you are truly craving something such as a hamburger from your favorite burger joint... HAVE IT! Count the points and move on! There is nothing wrong with occasionally having the food you love most.


Yummy broccoli and Cheese potato



7. Ease your way into produce

I am a huge lover of the produce section. However if you are not then start small just as the full article suggest. One of my favorite ways to enjoy vegetables is salad or finding new ways to flavor steamed vegetables. Over the weekend one of my members and I were discussing the green giant vegetables that have the cheese sauce already on them. I told her its even better when you pour it over a potato. See photo (photo is older and the Points plus values are not reflected correctly on the package)

8. Look for high-fat hints

Things like mayo and ranch are full of fat.

The article suggest that you look for key words that make food higher in fat such as: au gratin, parmigiana, tempura, Alfredo, creamy and carbonara, and enjoy them in moderation. A few other words I watch for are creamy, breaded, and fried. These typically mean that there will be a higher fat content.







9. Don't multi-task while you eat

We discussed this one in my Tuesday meeting as one of my most guilty ones personally. I am almost always doing something else while I am eating. The key is to not eat in front of your computer, workstation or even TV. Enjoy your food it probably taste really yummy.

10. Taste something new

One of my favorite pasta subs

I always suggest that you take as much advantage of this as possible. There are so many things out there we don't even really know about. Explore the produce and even meet sections of your grocery. Sometimes there are even recipes near the foods or on packages. Try each week to find a way to incorporate something you wouldn't normally enjoy. Don't let yourself get bored with eating the same foods all the time.

25 little things for BIG weight loss

On Tuesday at my weight watchers meeting we discussed part of an article I found on the Weight Watchers website. Here is a Link (full article)to the full article. I am going to break them down into 5's over the next few days and give my thoughts... feel free to share your thoughts.  Here are the first 5:

1. Good things come in small packages:
The article suggest cutting up things like chocolate or cheese into smaller pieces so it feels as you are getting more than you actually are. Although I agree with this. I also think this also relates to weight loss itself. I know .5 pounds lost may not feel like a lot for 1 week but many of them over time .5 can really add up.

2. Get "water-wise"

Here they discuss the benefits of drinking water over caloric drinks. Also giving the idea of adding lemon or lime for some zest to the water. I also think it helps to use a water bottle you can refill and carry with you. If you have water bottle you enjoy drinking out of makes it all the more enticing. My favorites are made my the camelbak company. Here is a Link to their site... they sell these at Target also.

3. Herb it up
Adding spices to your food adds flavor not calories. I got a really nice spice rack from my grandmother for Christmas. I am very excited to see what kind of spices I can use to make my food even tastier without calories.

4. Slim down your soup
My favorite soup recipe is the weight watchers vegetable soup recipe (Click here for recipe). 0 Points Plus and really tasty. The best part of this recipe is you can add and remove vegetables as you have taste for them.

5. Doggie Bag that dinner
When a large meal arrives at your dinner table just remember you don't have to finish it. You could even ask the server to bring a box right away so you are not tempted to eat all of it. Also don't be afraid to ask the server questions about substitutions before ordering. My favorite? May I have double vegetables instead of the rice/potato? Saves points and is so satisfying.

The next 5 tips wil be posted tomorrow so stay tuned.

What you can eat for lunch when you have time...

Happy 2012!

I hope your first couple days have gone well. My Bengals made the playoffs so that was exciting and I got to spend most of the day yesterday just hanging around my house. Also since yesterday was New Years day my company was only open until 10am today so  I got to enjoy a nice short day. I was able to get some a workout done in between chores around my house. I was also able to get some grocery shopping accomplished. No big surprise all the "healthy" stuff appears to be on sale this week. One thing though that I really love about being home for lunch is being able to make things I normally wouldn't make for lunch. Today I opted for

4oz of Tilapia (3 points plus values)
 4oz of Quinoa topped with salsa (3 points plus values)
1 cup of broccoli (0 points plus values)

Here is a photo of my yummy lunch.

 

Its enjoyable to be able to make something so satisfying and actually be able to spend time enjoying my lunch. That is not something I am always able to do while I am at my full time job. What do you enjoy having when you really have time to make a satisfying lunch?