Lose Or Chews

… About Small Eating Changes

1. Water, water, water, water. (Your skin will look great, too!)

2. Order half portions at restaurants, or share a full portion with somebody. Or ask for a "to-go" container when you order your food, and pack up half the portion before you even start eating.

3. Cut back on butter and mayo.

4. Limit fried foods to once or twice per week.

5. Use less or no sugar in your coffee or tea.

6. Replace ground beef with "Boca" products or ground turkey.

7. Try at least one new food every week. If you're bored with what you're eating, you're more likely to give up.

8. Eat fresh, raw veggies with sandwiches instead of chips.

9. Measure your portions until you're sure you know what a cup, a half-cup, and a tablespoon look like. This will help you practice portion control, an essential key to weight-loss success.

10. Try not to drink high-calorie beverages.

11. Dip your fork in a side of salad dressing before each bite, instead of pouring it directly on your salad. You'll find that you are satisfied with much less than you usually put on.

12. Find healthy alternatives to all your favorite foods.

13. If you don't really love it, don't eat it.

14. Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you're having.

15. Always eat something for breakfast.

16. Read food labels. Check serving sizes.

17. Add vegetables to everything.

18. Plan meals in advance; use that information to make out a complete shopping list.

19. Give food to guests to take home.

20. Write down everything you eat and drink, without fail.

21. Plan ahead for special occasions by accounting for higher-calorie foods before you eat them.

I searched the internet tonight in hopes to find point values for some TGI Friday menu items. It was hard to find, but I finally found the website www.dietfacts.com .

Mozzarella sticks with the marinara sauce included is 3 pts for 1 cheese stick (I think 1 stick is 130 calories). Check out the dietfacts website, because it looks very informative (nutritional facts and "unofficial" WW points listed).

Recently I have been surprised when I have gone to check points at resturants in my weight watchers book. Things I thought would be low points were not and some thing I thought would be high weren't. I thought I'd share some so the next time you feel like you just can't go on if you don't have something fried or "bad" for you, you can choose something of low point value and feel satisfied.

LONG JOHN SILVERS
Batter-dipped chicken - 3 points a piece
Cheese sticks - 3 points for 3
Corn Cobbette - 1 point
Fries, regular serving - 5 points
Hushpuppy - 1 a piece

This means you could eat a chicken value meal for 13 points. A little over what I normally like to do for dinner, but not bad if you're "cheating"

Taco Bell
Taco (beef) - 4 points
Soft taco (beef) - 5 points
Taco Supreme (beef) - 5 points
Soft Taco Supreme (beef) - 6 points
Soft Taco Supreme (chicken) - 5 points

Gordita Nacho Cheese (beef,chicken or steak) - 6 points
Gordita Supreme (chicken or steak) - 6 points
Gordita Supreme (beef) - 7 points

Bean burrito - 7 points
Fiesta Burrito (chicken or steak) - 8 points

My favorite thing to get at taco bell is their taco supreme. I can eat two for 10 points. Also, you can get a supreme and substitute the sour cream for their fresco salsa and it goes back down to 4 points. You can also go to taco bell's website and download a nutrition guide for free.

Sonic
grilled cheese - 6 points
grilled chicken - 8 points
Grilled chicken wrap with ranch - 13 points
grilled chicken wrap without ranch - 8 points
Cheese fries (1 regular serving) - 6 points
Chili chees fries (1 regular serving) - 7 points
French fries (1 regular serving) - 4 points
French Fries (1 large serving) - 5 points
Tater Tots (1 regular serving) 6 points

Stay away from their drinks! All those syrups add a lot of points.

So I'm a fast food junkie but I can't cut myself off completely, or I'll go insane! So I have lately been going for some chicken from Long John Silvers and tacos from Taco Bell. I know I can't eat here all the time, it's still not healthy for me. But it's important for me to see that I can have some of what I want without feeling like I'm a failure!

Finally, I have discovered a weight watcher's point calculator online. All you have to do is type in the calories, fat and fiber and it will figure it for you. I've tested it with my slider and it's accurate. Go to the following website and check it out. The little graphic behind the calculate button gets on my nerves but I'm willing to look past it!

http://www.alexnolan.net/onlinetools/weightwatcherspointscalculator.htm

Happy point counting!

Melody and I were talking last night about people's reactions to Lose Or Chews, when they say things like "But you don't need to lose any more weight."

It makes Melody uncomfortable when people say things like that. I usually just blow it off. I think most people mean well. They want to pay you a compliment. They don't want to say something like "Yeah, you could probably afford to drop another 10 pounds or so...especially around your hips." They want to tell you that you look great and compliment the hard work you've put in.

I try to remind myself that people don't know my weight and they don't know my body like I do. They saw me at my fattest and I probably do look really skinny by comparison - losing 70 pounds will do that. But I know that to get down into the proper weight range I need to lose some more weight.

When people tell me I don't need to lose any more weight I try to say "Thanks" first, then tell them why I still need to lose some weight.

How do you all feel when people try to tell you how much weight you do or don't need to lose?

I copied this from the weightwatchers.com website. I hope this helps as we all begin our new year!


1. Make exercise a habit. Wish as you might, working out twice a week won't give you a toned tush or thinner thighs. To see results, exercise has to be a daily activity — one that's as much a part of your schedule as, say, brushing your teeth. Luckily, that doesn't mean that you need to spend an hour at the gym every day, says Rucci. "When you can't bear the thought of hopping on the treadmill, get creative," she says. "Take a brisk walk with your dog or chase your kids around the jungle gym instead." And remember...

2. Don't be too tough on yourself. One of the main reasons women ditch their fitness routine is because they expect perfection from themselves — and when they don't achieve it, they give up. "Don't throw in the towel if you skip a workout or have a bad week," says Rucci. Instead, acknowledge that you've fallen off the fitness wagon, and get back on as soon as possible — even if that means doing a few sets of pushups and crunches before bed. And take heart: Even going a whole week or two without working out won't cause you to put on 25 pounds or lose your hard-earned muscles.

3. Step it up! A few extra steps a day can make a world of difference for your body, and your health. "Studies have shown that when combined with a healthy diet, walking half an hour over the course of a day can help women lose weight and lower their risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes," says I-Man Lee, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. If you're already walking, slowly increase your efforts until you're logging an hour daily, suggests Lee. If you're crunched for time, break it up into ten to fifteen minutes before work, on lunch, while shopping or going to and from your car. To keep an accurate count, invest in a pedometer. Studies have shown that women who wear pedometers walk more (and lose more weight) than those who don't.

4. Strive for balance. "Doing only one type of exercise — all aerobics, for example — can be both monotonous and ineffective," says Rucci. Adding weights and yoga, Pilates or stretching to your cardio routine will stave off boredom, and help you lose more weight and get stronger, more pliable muscles. Intimidated by the weight room or group classes? Opt for an at-home workout with a video, enlist the help of a trainer (many gyms will provide some free professional guidance to help you get the basics of resistance training down) or have a friend join you for moral support.