Two Good Days--Is that a streak??

I'm loving the new WW plan.  I looked it up online and followed it the best I could yesterday.  Today I went to my WW meeting and heard the official introduction.  It has come at the perfect time for me.  I'm feeling strong and confident about being able to stay on plan and reach my goal weight and I haven't felt that way for a month or two.  This is all good.

I think I mentioned that I'm going to do the new program "PointsPlus" as written for a few weeks at least, before I go back to my "CORE" (Simply Filling) variation.  This means that I can eat whatever I choose as long as I stay within the daily points allowed (29--everybody I've met has 29 which is the fewest number of points allowed--oh, except for guys--they get more--about 36 I think).  It also means I need to track points for everything I eat (as opposed to Simply Filling where I'll only need to track the non-power food points).  Power foods are what used to be called CORE foods and don't count against the 49 extra weekly points which they intend for you to use and I will use them.  Points on many of my go-to foods have increased a bit.  Fruit and veggies (except for starchy veggies--corn, potatoes, etc) are all 0 points.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to my favorite ever breakfast tomorrow--a soft boiled egg, and toast with ICBINBJ.  I'll have a nice cup of mint tea to round it out.  (2, 3, 1, and 0 points, respectively, for a total of 6 points.  I may splurge and have a nice chilled half pink grapefruit sprinkled with Truvia. (0 points!)    

I'm a convert to Truvia.  I had tried it once last year and found it bitter, but I read on a blog (one of yours?) that if it seems bitter it means you're using way too much.  I like it and it doesn't taste bitter at all. One packet is just right for the grapefruit though I usually like grapefruit without anything on it, too.  I especially like the way Truvia tasted "granulated" like sugar rather than powdery like Splenda.

For you viewing pleasure:  Laura with her three J,B&R and J&E

Tonight, for dinner, I made a new recipe:  Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables.  I know, I know, it's not spring, but I was able to buy beautiful fresh ingredients at Whole Foods and, believe me, this was wonderful.  The recipe is from the brand new WW cookbook:  Weight Watchers Points Plus Cookbook.  

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables

prep time:15 min      cook time: 30 min      Serves 4 

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed  (power food)

1 T chopped fresh chives (I used 2 T of finely diced shallots)

3/4 t salt

1  pkg frozen artichoke hearts (9 oz), thawed

1 pound baby potatoes, cut in half  (my baby potatoes were large-ish so I cut them in quarters)

1/2  pound asparagus, trimmed

1 c baby carrots

2 c small fresh mushrooms (optional, but very good!)

2 t olive oil

1/4 t black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 475.  Spray large shallow roasting pan with nonstick spray

2.  Sprinkle pork with chives (shallots) and 1/4 t of the salt.  Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium high heat.  Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3.  Transfer pork to roasting pan.  Combine artichokes, potatoes, asparagus,carrots, oil, and remaining 1/2 t salt and the pepper in large bowl; toss to coat.  Arrange vegetable mixture around pork.  Roast, stirring vegetables once, until vegetables are tender and instant read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 160 F, about 25 minutes.  Let pork stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 slices.  Serve with vegetables.

Per serving  (3 slices pork with 1 1/4 cups vegetables):

352 g, 293 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 62 mg Chol, 549 mg Sod, 31 g total carb, 3 g total sugar, 7 g fib, 28 g protein, 57 mg calcium.

Okay, today's WI.  I gained 1.6 from two weeks ago.  It's okay.  My morning weight this morning (after 1 day on the new plan) was down 1.4 from yesterday morning.  And it's going to be down again tomorrow and way down next week.  I'm very confident.  Do you remember this great post  from Charlie about the On/Off switch?  My switch has apparently toggled back to ON!  Two days may not constitute a streak, but just keep watching.  I'm going to DO this.

I put the turkey wings into my crockpot with an onion, some peppercorns, a bay leaf, celery, and a couple of carrots.  The beginnings of a(nother) good turkey soup that I'll have on hand for the next few days.  (broth--0 pts,  2 oz turkey--2 pts,  carrots--0 pts,  celery--0 pts, onion--0 pts, 1/4 c cooked barley--1 pt, mushrooms--0 pts)  Three points for a bowl of great turkey soup.  YES!  Did I mention that I cooked a 27 pound turkey???

I have been tagged twice with the question quiz.  I will work on that while the kiddos are napping tomorrow.  I am also really missing spending time on your blogs and that's the other thing I want to do tomorrow.

Thanks for your good wishes for my Dad.  I went to see him today and spent about an hour singing to him (Christmas hymns which I know he loves) while he slept--his pain meds keep him very sleepy.  I saw his leg and the site of the break doesn't have any bruising and the swelling has almost all gone. His pain is being well controlled and he seems comfortable and they report that his appetite is good.  

I had a short session with the exercise bike this morning--I don't love it, but it beats the rain, wind, and very chilly temps outside today.  I think I may go upstairs now and do my 10th kettle bell session.  I'm looking for those guaranteed results right after!  :-)

G'night.

186.4
hoping the light color makes the gain less noticeable!

Three Things Thursday

I'm catching a few minutes to myself here while J & E are napping and B is happily reading a Wishbone mystery.  I'll try to be quick and keep it to just three thoughts.  No pix today.

1.  Splenda Campaign.  This is going really well.  I proudly report that yesterday I had only one of my two alloted splenda packets.  I'm learning to enjoy my cereal sweetened only with chunks of luscious peach, so yesterday, when I ordered iced tea with my lunch, I had a panic moment when I thought but I need at least 4 packets of Splenda with a glass this big.  Not so.  With a generous, restaurant sized serving of iced tea, I used . . . only ONE packet of splenda, and I liked it.    I feel like my little E when she learned that she was grown enough to use the booster seat instead of the high chair.

2.  Bachelorette Days.   DH is flying back to Seattle with B, so I'll be a bachelorette here for four or five days.  I'm looking forward to it (yes, honey, I'll miss you, too, if you're reading this!).  I look forward to reading late in bed (I just received the newest book by one of my favorite authors); I want to spend a long afternoon at the Smithsonian in DC,  I'll play my favorite kind of music at a volume level that might surprise you, and I'll get my exercise in without regard to family meal times.   That said, the one thing I have to watch out for is overcoming a past tendency to eat too much of the wrong kinds of things when I'm alone.   C'mon, I can do this, surely.  Food is just food, right??   Pray for me.

3.  Blessed quietude.  Actually the other thing I'm looking forward to is quiet time.   I noticed that someone I follow has a new post up about extrovert/introvert.  I haven't opened it yet, but I can sure tell you that I'm an introvert in the sense that I need time alone, completely to myself, to recharge my batteries.   I loves me my babies and kids and hubby, but my batteries are pretty darn low right now.

I hear J has awakened and he's calling my name . . . . !

Do you need time alone to recharge, or do you get your recharge from being with friends and family?

Whew!

And who says SAHM's don't work.  I've had my three grands (8, 2.5, and 1) since about 7:30.  I've helped put together two jigsaw puzzles, organized a swim in the little backyard pool,  watched them chase big beautiful butterflies around the garden, played backup safety to J's multiple attempts to crawl up the stairs, played name that tune on the "p-nan-o," had multiple potty/new diaper excursions, made "surprise sandwiches" for a picnic lunch, dealt with the county inspector who was checking out our new furnace/AC system, wiped up lots of spills, searched for bathing suits, sun block, sun glasses,  & towels, put J down for his morning nap, played a board game with the two older kids, read stories for each one, folded one load of laundry, started defrosting the fish we'll have for dinner tonight, refereed a few territorial squabbles, found a necessary pacifier, and, finally, gotten the younger two down for their afternoon naps.  I'm bushed.  Right now I have B watching a Star Wars video and I have a good book and a huge glass of ice water waiting for me.    The babies sleep until 3:30 or 4, so we'll have another flurry of activity then until their parents come for them between 5:30 and six.    Tonight, a quiet dinner, then to the gym for my Tuesday workout.

Mr. Munch is flitting around the house trying to tempt me with dried apricots and a small piece of dark chocolate.  I thwarted him somewhat, by including those two things as key ingredients for the kids' "surprise sandwiches."  Peanut butter, strawberry jam and today's surprise ingredients.  I might have hinted to them that the next time might feature M&M's.

I'm wearing a shirt that hasn't fit for almost a year.  Not only was it too snug at tummy and bust, but the short sleeves were way too tight.  Not anymore.  It fits well and I feel good in it.  I keep snatching glimpses of it in the mirror to remind myself that I don't really want to snack mindlessly.  I want to keep on losing and toning and being able to wear cute stuff from the closet.

My Splenda campaign is going swimmingly.  I've set a goal to limit my added Splenda intake to two packets/day.   This morning, I'm proud to report, I had my shredded mini-wheats sweetened with . . . peaches!!  SCORE!  They were great, as is.   I've got a few more weeks of peach season to learn to enjoy the taste before I face naked shredded wheat sans Splenda.  Think I can do it?  I do.

My WI is tomorrow and I have, in the past, managed to sabotage my good week with senseless, day-before-WI high-salt snacks.  Get out of my face, Mr. Munch!  I don't care that there's a package of indivual chip bags in the garage.  I'm not gonna play your games today.

I'm not entirely confident that I will actually lose anything tomorrow.  I sure want to and my weekly loss usually only shows on the scale on the very last day--all at once.  Even if I'm not going to lose, I don't want to add to any possible gain by blowing it today.  I feel that I've been following my plan closely enough to have earned a loss.  Exercised 45+ minutes for 6 of 7 days; OP every single meal of the week; eating more slowly at dinners; cutting down Splenda; keeping portions under control.  I'll for sure do my "last chance" Wednesday morning run before I go to my WI.   I run every single Wed morning (no kiddo's) so if I didn't I would through things off.

At my WW meeting a couple of weeks ago the leader was talking about plateaus.  She didn't say, but strongly implied that a plateau is indicative of some lapse in adherence to the program.  I'm not sure I agree.  I've had weeks where I was positively angelic, but registered no change at all.  I do think that in the process of weight loss, there are going to be periods when your weight stabilizes for a few weeks before it starts going down again.  Maybe the checking for discrepancies process that my leader suggested is a positive thing in any case, in that it's always useful to spot check things in any venture and you might just find something you can do better.

What do you think?  Do you think that plateaus are a natural part of weight loss, or should they be seen as clues that one needs to mind the p's and q's of the Plan more closely.

Be sure to check in tomorrow evening to learn . . . the rest of the story!

Blessed Relief

The long-promised cold front finally blew in this afternoon bringing a torrential thunder storm and a 27 degree drop in the temperature!  It feels so good that I almost don't even care that I was in the line at Safeway with a full cart of groceries when the rain let loose.  Picture me dashing out to my car (virtuously parked at the far end of the lot from the door) with a hastily contrived  plastic bag rain hat, complete with the Safeway logo.  LOL  It reminds me of the funny little fan shaped plastic rain hats that my mother used to keep, always, in her purse--I used to make fun of her, but I'm older and wiser now and I just got my hair beautified yesterday.

B, J, and E trying to beat the heat in a little back yard pool.  At least I thought it was a little pool until I had to blow it up.  I think the 40 minutes I spent blowing into that thing must be worth several hundred calories.  LOL

My Splenda Reduction campaign is going well.  I'm opting to put both of my two daily alloted packets on my morning cereal.  It's okay that way and I may cut down to one packet in a few days.  I don't like unsweetened coffee, so I'm going without now. It's interesting how many people offered me coffee today.  Two different friends suggested we get coffee after church and  DH had made me a gorgeous glass of iced coffee (doctored with a few packets of splenda) which I had to turn down.   Not a great hardship; I usually only drink it two or three times a week and I've always preferred coffee ice cream to real coffee!

Our thermometer reached 105 yesterday--that's hot HUMID 105, not the dry 105.  I basically stayed inside all day.  I thought about running early, and even set my alarm, but the thermometer was up to 89 at 6 am and I decided to skip the run.  I ended up not doing any exercise--the first day since June 5 that I've not exercised.  I missed it.  I don't want to make a habit of skipping, but I'm not going to obsess about it either.  Today I got up early and ran for 30 minutes before church.

I've been fighting Mr. Munch today.  I thought I'd kicked him to the curb, but he must have blown in with the storm.  The damage is one 3.5 oz dark chocolate & hazelnut bar--eaten half-soaked in the car on my way home from the storm.  It was good, but it's behind me now.  Pan seared scallops with mango-avocado salsa, petite peas, and couscous are on the menu tonight.  I think we'll eat early.  DH took B (our visiting 8 yr old grandson) to the movies to see Toy Story 3 this afternoon.  He had a coupon for a free movie popcorn & drink, so I imagine B won't be too hungry.  DH, going on 2 years at his WW lifetime goal weight, won't indulge in movie munchies and will be very hungry.

Do you remember Lot?  And specifically Lot's wife?  She's the one who was being hustled away from her home in the sin-ridden city of Sodom and Gomorra, but she looked back once too often at her comfortable home and was turned into a pillar of salt.  I sympathize with her.  I think of my former way of living and know that it wasn't healthy, but, once in a while, I remember waking up to pancakes and syrup with a big glass of OJ and no run through the sweltering heat in sight.   Now I don't want to go back there, but sometimes . . .  I'm just saying.

Now, so you don't think I'm going to turn into a pillar of salt, I'll give you FIVE reasons I like living  (and eating) just the way I am:

1.  It so much easier to get out of my hot sweaty sports bra  now.  

There were times when I seriously thought I'd have to call for help.

2.  Today I ducked out of my shower to make sure J. was getting ready for church.  My bath towel wrapped nicely around my body without leaving any gaps.  (You know what I mean!)

3.  I like being able to say that I run 12-15 miles per week.

4.  Clothes shopping is so much easier.

5.  I love cooking great, healthy, delicious meals for myself and for my family.

Leave a comment and tell me one reason why you'll never go back to the "bad old days."

The Next Step

I keep learning things from my young'ns.  This is my granddaughter, E. She's J's big sister and she'll be three in October. She's looking at her bowl of cereal with a skeptical look because I've just told her that she doesn't need me to pour on some of the "sugar" from the little yellow packets that I always use on my cereal.  Those are Whole O's (basically plain cheerios from Whole Foods), a diced, ripe peach, and some skim milk.   (I know her parents don't add sugar, and certainly not artificial sweetener, to her food) She's into all things "grown up" now.  She wears "big girl" panties,  uses a spoon and a fork, loves sunglasses, uses the "grown up" toilet in preference to a potty chair, and eats her hot dogs whole, and not chopped up like "baby J" does.  She wanted to indulge in what she saw as another "grown up" habit--using artificial sweetener on her food.  I had to use my best persuasive skills to talk her into enjoying her cereal without Splenda.

I've known about my excessive love of sweets for many, many years.  My parents didn't buy the sugared cereals, but I knew where the sugar bowl was and always added three or four secretive spoons full to my plain cereal.  When I first began to try to lose weight (my HS years), I started using artificial sweeteners.  I've changed brands over the years, but I've always had them close at hand to give my foods the sweet-sweet taste I love. I use them on cereal,  in my coffee or tea, on grapefruit, and sprinkled on popcorn.  I tried Stevia, but didn't like the aftertaste. I buy Splenda packets in the biggest size (1000 packets/box) and always have an emergency ziplock-stash of them in my purse when we travel.  About eight weeks ago, in this post, I included a picture of a breakfast we had on a trip.  I was proud of the planning I'd done to eat a good healthy breakfast every day on our trip.  When I look at that picture today, I see a good breakfast with, probably, eight packets of added Splenda (on the cereal in a white heavy snowfall and, surely, sweetening up that Starbucks skim latte).  Even then, I noticed the obvious over-indulgence in Splenda and noted that some day I'd work on that bad habit.

That "some day" has arrived.  I could wait to announce a new goal for the new week of the Summer Diet Buddies challenge, but I'm not a "wait-until-Monday" person.  As of now, this minute, I will begin to give up my dependence on  Splenda.  I mostly use unprocessed foods, but I know that a few of my regulars  (like my beloved WW latte bars) use Splenda or Sucralose, I'll work on those later.  For now, I will reduce my added Splenda to two total packets per day.   I don't like coffee without sweetener, so this means that unless I'm willing to eat my cereal "au naturel" like E, I give up coffee.  I really like sweetener in my tea, too--aaak!   Maybe 1 packet for cereal and one for a hot beverage.  I can do this.  Watch me!

OT:  Head on over the Sharon's latest post for an interesting discussion on the challenges of weight loss for the "more mature" loser.  Lots of great comments.

Do you ever fall back on the "do as I say, not as I do" excuse in regard to food?