I decided to take some time today to vent and rant about some things that are bugging me lately. I frequent the WW Mesage Boards on the WW website, and there always seems to be some of the same types of issues that people post about. I'm sure some of them read this, so I'm sorry of they are reading this and get offended, but I need to get it out. In no particular order:
#1) "I can't eat all my points" / "There's way too much food to eat"
This seems to be pretty common among new members. It baffles me (as will most of these rants). I had no problem what so ever eating all my points (and then some) when I first joined. I was allotted 37 daily points as well as the 49 weekly points. The difference I think...I was eating REAL food! Not processed food, not "diet" food. Real food. You know what? It's way more satisfying than the "diet" food. I seriously think of most processed and "diet" food and crap and won't eat it.
#2) People don't actually READ the message boards before posting. There are 5 or 6 message threads started about the SAME FRIGGIN TOPIC. READ people, it's not that hard to do!
#3) "I had an egg white omelet with veggies for breakfast and I'm still full!"
I call "hooey" on this one! Maybe it's my metabolism, but it totally baffles me that someone can eat a couple of egg whites and veggies at 6am and not be hungry until after Noontime. I get hungry every 3-4hrs, and eat more than these people are eating. If I ate the egg whites and veggies, I'd be hungry in 2 hrs (I've tried).
#4) "I gained .2...this plan isn't working"
This warrants another REALLY?!?!?! You will not lose every week. In fact, you will gain some weeks - it just happens. DO NOT let it derail you, it's temporary! Also, make sure you're actually eating all your points and getting the Good Health Guidelines before complaining it's not working.
#5) This kind of goes along with #1 but deserves it's own topic. People's love of what is called "Frankenfood". Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, ditch the egg beaters and eat real eggs...they taste so much better and are better for you. WW SmartOnes? Gross! You can make more food, better quality food for the same points on your own. I do look at them, for ideas of stuff to make myself. The sodium level in all these processed foods is out of control. The daily recommended about of sodium for the average person is about 2200mg. I have seen frozen meals that have almost this much, and it's not that much food!!
#6) People's obsession with soy products. Now, I will admit, this may be fabricated in my own head because I personally avoid consuming it. Soy is sooooo bad for you, it's not even funny. Soy protein mimics estrogen in your body. Cancer patients (specifically women's cancer) are told to avoid eating Soy as it can encourage tumor growth and re-growth. If this is true...then what on earth makes us think it is ok for any of us to eat??? My main line of thinking is...if there's an undetected tumor, consuming soy (and over consuming it) is only going to encourage it to grow more! It is very easy to overconsume soy. It's in way more than just the obvious foods (soy milk, soybeans, etc...). Try looking at the labels of the foods you buy - I think you'll be surprised. I decided, for myself, that I'm not eating it anymore. It was affecting my emotional health (think 24/7 PMS feeling) for months before I made the connection. I'm so much better having stopped consuming it - I'm no longer an emotional mess like I was before.
I think that ends my rantings. I had to get it off my chest and feel so much better now! If you don't agree with them, that's fine - I don't expect anyone to agree with them, it's just how I feel about stuff.
~Chelle
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Cycling Preperation
So yesterday, after deciding on my reward for reaching goal, I started getting really really excited about it, and getting back to cycling.
Looking online at different cycling stuff at REI, I decided I wanted a hydration pack for long rides (easier to deal with than a water bottle, and holds a lot more water). They come in different capacities: 50oz, 70oz and 100oz. Me, being me, wants the biggest available, the 100oz, lol. I figure, it doesn't hurt to have more water than possibly needed. I looked at the REI website and the LL Bean website to see what was available and at what cost. It seeme the average price for these is approx $1/oz of water capacity. Some are a little more, some a little less...mostly dependant on other features of the pack. I did only look at Camelbak brand, since I have one on of their filtering water bottles and love it!
I decided that I really wanted to try them on to see how the different ones fit, and to make sure the one I buy fits properly. I just so happen to have some LL Bean gift certificates from Christmas, so LL Bean was my first option. There just so happens to be an LLBean Outlet about 20 minutes from where I work, so guess wehre I went after work yesterday? LL Bean!! There were only a few hydration packs there (it is an Outlet, so they mostly have returned items and close-outs), and one was 100oz. Now, I prefer the color blue and had wanted a blue pack, HOWEVER, I am flexible on that and know a good deal when I see it.
Well....let me tell you.....the outlet had a 100oz hydration pack for $75! The original price of this one was $115! It is white, black and gray, and looks quite nice. I tried it on an it seemed to fit fine. They told me that if, after riding with it for a while, it becomes uncomfortable, that I can return it with no problem - woohoo!!!! I briefly thought of the consequences of a WHITE pack....but then decided that any and all dirt/dinginess that it shows are 'badges of honor' so to speak....evidence that I am actually USING the pack. :)
While browsing the rest of the store (because, really...who DOESN'T like browsing in LL Bean?!?!), I found a pair of cycling gloves with gel padding on the palms of them. They were marked down to $25 (orig $30) and...MATCHED the hydration pack! Needless to say, I bought them, lol. Sooooo....it's kind of like getting the gloves free, lol.
Once the helmet gets delivered, I will post a picture of all my new gear together!!
~Chelle
Looking online at different cycling stuff at REI, I decided I wanted a hydration pack for long rides (easier to deal with than a water bottle, and holds a lot more water). They come in different capacities: 50oz, 70oz and 100oz. Me, being me, wants the biggest available, the 100oz, lol. I figure, it doesn't hurt to have more water than possibly needed. I looked at the REI website and the LL Bean website to see what was available and at what cost. It seeme the average price for these is approx $1/oz of water capacity. Some are a little more, some a little less...mostly dependant on other features of the pack. I did only look at Camelbak brand, since I have one on of their filtering water bottles and love it!
I decided that I really wanted to try them on to see how the different ones fit, and to make sure the one I buy fits properly. I just so happen to have some LL Bean gift certificates from Christmas, so LL Bean was my first option. There just so happens to be an LLBean Outlet about 20 minutes from where I work, so guess wehre I went after work yesterday? LL Bean!! There were only a few hydration packs there (it is an Outlet, so they mostly have returned items and close-outs), and one was 100oz. Now, I prefer the color blue and had wanted a blue pack, HOWEVER, I am flexible on that and know a good deal when I see it.
Well....let me tell you.....the outlet had a 100oz hydration pack for $75! The original price of this one was $115! It is white, black and gray, and looks quite nice. I tried it on an it seemed to fit fine. They told me that if, after riding with it for a while, it becomes uncomfortable, that I can return it with no problem - woohoo!!!! I briefly thought of the consequences of a WHITE pack....but then decided that any and all dirt/dinginess that it shows are 'badges of honor' so to speak....evidence that I am actually USING the pack. :)
While browsing the rest of the store (because, really...who DOESN'T like browsing in LL Bean?!?!), I found a pair of cycling gloves with gel padding on the palms of them. They were marked down to $25 (orig $30) and...MATCHED the hydration pack! Needless to say, I bought them, lol. Sooooo....it's kind of like getting the gloves free, lol.
Once the helmet gets delivered, I will post a picture of all my new gear together!!
~Chelle
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Ultimate Reward
So, I've been thinking a long time about what my reward is going to be when I reach goal. Like most, I will need new clothing, however, I have decided to wait until I have been at goal for a year to start buying new, better quality clothing. Both to allow my body time to adjust to the new weight and to be sure I'm going to stay there.
In addition, I have been trying to think of something with more immediate gratification when I reach goal....like a trip or something. Well......I think I have decided. There is a part of REI called REI Adventures. They are all kinds of trips, all over the world, and the activities range from camping, hiking, cycling, skiing, etc... Some combine different activities while others are just one. Well, they have a 6-day cycling adventure in the Loire Valley of France. It's reasonably priced, and I've always wanted to see that part of France. What better way than on a bike! There are guides, and full van support for gear and injuries. The bike and accessories are included, as are breakfast and dinner each night.
This is my ultimate reward for reaching goal. When I reach goal, I am booking the trip. In the meantime, I will need to get conditioned to ride that far (24-39 miles/day) and under those conditions. That should provide me with enough incentive to continue with the bike riding! :)
In case I needed more incentive, lol, I have come up with a plan for making shorter term goals for how far I've ridden....I've compiled a list of places that I have been too and would like to go back to, and places I haven't been.
Disney World - 1300 miles (For anyone that knows me, this is self-explanatory, lol)
Salt Lake City, UT - 2400 miles (My best friend, JEM, moved out there last month!)
Las Vegas - 2750 miles (Who doesn't love Vegas?!?!?!)
So...in my endeavor to get cycling, here are the things that need to get done:
[ ] Purchase a bike helmet
[ ] Get the rack system fixed on the bike
[ ] Purchase new rack system if needed
[ ] Take a bike maintenance course
[ ] Find routes to ride, calculate miles
Here is what I've gotten done so far:
[ X ] Purchase a bike helmet (Just got an email that it has shipped - so I should have it soon!)
[ ] Get the rack system fixed on the bike (Car needs to get fixed first, then I can bring the bike to be fixed)
[ ] Purchase new rack system if needed
[ X ] Take a bike maintenance course (REI Hingham is offering one tomorrow night that I'm signed up for!)
[ X ] Find routes to ride, calculate miles (http://www.mapmyride.com/ is an AWESOME website!!!!)
So, it will be a little while until I can bring the bike to be fixed, but as soon as I can, it's going in!
~Chelle
In addition, I have been trying to think of something with more immediate gratification when I reach goal....like a trip or something. Well......I think I have decided. There is a part of REI called REI Adventures. They are all kinds of trips, all over the world, and the activities range from camping, hiking, cycling, skiing, etc... Some combine different activities while others are just one. Well, they have a 6-day cycling adventure in the Loire Valley of France. It's reasonably priced, and I've always wanted to see that part of France. What better way than on a bike! There are guides, and full van support for gear and injuries. The bike and accessories are included, as are breakfast and dinner each night.
This is my ultimate reward for reaching goal. When I reach goal, I am booking the trip. In the meantime, I will need to get conditioned to ride that far (24-39 miles/day) and under those conditions. That should provide me with enough incentive to continue with the bike riding! :)
In case I needed more incentive, lol, I have come up with a plan for making shorter term goals for how far I've ridden....I've compiled a list of places that I have been too and would like to go back to, and places I haven't been.
Disney World - 1300 miles (For anyone that knows me, this is self-explanatory, lol)
Salt Lake City, UT - 2400 miles (My best friend, JEM, moved out there last month!)
Las Vegas - 2750 miles (Who doesn't love Vegas?!?!?!)
So...in my endeavor to get cycling, here are the things that need to get done:
[ ] Purchase a bike helmet
[ ] Get the rack system fixed on the bike
[ ] Purchase new rack system if needed
[ ] Take a bike maintenance course
[ ] Find routes to ride, calculate miles
Here is what I've gotten done so far:
[ X ] Purchase a bike helmet (Just got an email that it has shipped - so I should have it soon!)
[ ] Get the rack system fixed on the bike (Car needs to get fixed first, then I can bring the bike to be fixed)
[ ] Purchase new rack system if needed
[ X ] Take a bike maintenance course (REI Hingham is offering one tomorrow night that I'm signed up for!)
[ X ] Find routes to ride, calculate miles (http://www.mapmyride.com/ is an AWESOME website!!!!)
So, it will be a little while until I can bring the bike to be fixed, but as soon as I can, it's going in!
~Chelle
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Activity.....Take 2
Ok, so I had NO idea that this week's meeting topic was going to be Activity, when I posted yesterday, lol!!!
I did some more thinking yesterday and last night, and I REALLY want to start riding my bike more. After my meeting I usually stop at Whole Foods on my way to work. Whole Foods just happens to be across the street from REI. So, I did a quick trip through Whole Foods (I only have about 30-40 minutes to shop before I have to head to work), and then went to REI. I found someone to help me with the bike helmets. We found the same style I had seen online so that I could try it on. I wanted to try it on in the store with someone that knew what they were doing because I've never really owned a helmet and have no idea how they are supposed to fit. We got it adjusted and the wonderful salesman said it fit great. Fantastic!! They didn't have the color I wanted (fit is most important, but asthetics are second!), so they ordered it for me, shipped free to my house! I should have it by the 16th - Yeah! I also joined the REI Members "thing" and got 20% off the price of my helmet!
I also took a quick look around since I had a few minutes to spare and was looking at the Camelbak hydration packs. They only have the 70 and 100oz ones in the store. I asked the salesman (his name was Ken, from the Cranston RI store) if there was any real difference between the differently priced ones except for the capacity, and he said the basic differences are fit and capacity. So, I will have to go try them on when I'm ready to shell out the money for them ($85 for 70oz and $100 for 100oz). I was given a 20% coupon for REI Outlet (and I think it's good online too, but not sure) for becoming an REI Member, so I may look online for discounted hydration packs and take my chances on fit.
I'm one more step closer to actually getting on the bike.....now I need to bring it to find out why the baskets on the back caused the wheel to get skewed and rub against the bike frame. I took a quick look at frames and panniers online this afternoon. I found some I like, but it's going to end up over $100 to get them and the frame for them. We'll see. Hopefully the basket situation on my bike can be resolved for less than that.
I also found this great website - http://www.mapmyride.com/ You can put in street routes and it will tell you how far you've gone! It's awesome! I put in some routes that I like to see how long they are. You can also go in after riding them and put in how long it took you to ride them. There is an app for the phone also, so I downloaded that and will play with it later tonight.
I'm getting very excited about this! I looked at different routes and will post about those later!
~Chelle
I did some more thinking yesterday and last night, and I REALLY want to start riding my bike more. After my meeting I usually stop at Whole Foods on my way to work. Whole Foods just happens to be across the street from REI. So, I did a quick trip through Whole Foods (I only have about 30-40 minutes to shop before I have to head to work), and then went to REI. I found someone to help me with the bike helmets. We found the same style I had seen online so that I could try it on. I wanted to try it on in the store with someone that knew what they were doing because I've never really owned a helmet and have no idea how they are supposed to fit. We got it adjusted and the wonderful salesman said it fit great. Fantastic!! They didn't have the color I wanted (fit is most important, but asthetics are second!), so they ordered it for me, shipped free to my house! I should have it by the 16th - Yeah! I also joined the REI Members "thing" and got 20% off the price of my helmet!
I also took a quick look around since I had a few minutes to spare and was looking at the Camelbak hydration packs. They only have the 70 and 100oz ones in the store. I asked the salesman (his name was Ken, from the Cranston RI store) if there was any real difference between the differently priced ones except for the capacity, and he said the basic differences are fit and capacity. So, I will have to go try them on when I'm ready to shell out the money for them ($85 for 70oz and $100 for 100oz). I was given a 20% coupon for REI Outlet (and I think it's good online too, but not sure) for becoming an REI Member, so I may look online for discounted hydration packs and take my chances on fit.
I'm one more step closer to actually getting on the bike.....now I need to bring it to find out why the baskets on the back caused the wheel to get skewed and rub against the bike frame. I took a quick look at frames and panniers online this afternoon. I found some I like, but it's going to end up over $100 to get them and the frame for them. We'll see. Hopefully the basket situation on my bike can be resolved for less than that.
I also found this great website - http://www.mapmyride.com/ You can put in street routes and it will tell you how far you've gone! It's awesome! I put in some routes that I like to see how long they are. You can also go in after riding them and put in how long it took you to ride them. There is an app for the phone also, so I downloaded that and will play with it later tonight.
I'm getting very excited about this! I looked at different routes and will post about those later!
~Chelle
Monday, April 9, 2012
Activity
I've now been following Weight Watchers for 16 months, and have yet to work in activity into my daily life. I've done some here and there, but nothing sustained and nothing really planned: walked a 5k last May, did some bike riding and walking while out camping, walked the Vineyard one day, etc.... stuff like that. Like most people, I don't like to exercise. If I plan it, I decide I don't feel like it and cop out. Plus, it's tough for me to find something I enjoy enough that it doesn't seem like exercise.
One thing I do enjoy is riding my bike. The bike needs a little work (the baskets on the back are causing the wheel to not turn at the moment), and I need a helmet. I have never worn a bike helmet before. Yes, I know....I'm lucky I never fell! Anyway, I've been thinking lately (the last 3-4 months) that I'd really like to start riding my bike again. I also love camping, and the two kind of go hand in hand. I was thinking this weekend of how to make it easier to take off for a weekend of camping. I was looking today at some bike trails in the state I live in, and there are some near some good campgrounds. I started envisioning me camping for the weekend and spending it riding the bike.
Then I envisioned myself falling and cracking my head open, lol. Off I went to look at bike helmets. Found some nice ones at REI along with some great information about helmets. I was under the misguided notion that helmets don't breathe - the last time I wore one it didn't. Granted....that was probably 15-20yrs ago, lol. So, I found one I like, at a very reasonable price. There is even a store nearby that has it in stock and I can try it on! You can see it here.
I have a Camelbak filtering water bottle, and love the bite-valve on it, so it doesn't leak. I started looking at the hydration packs that REI sells and looked at the Camelbak ones...thinking it would be easier to drink while riding than dealing with a bottle. Surprisingly, they seem pretty affordable. A decent size one is only $65 - need to find out if it includes the water bladder or not. Here is the one I liked...it holds 70oz of water, but I believe there is a 50oz one also. Some of the comments mentioned that there is no clip for the bite valve, but I think a spot of velcro might solve that.
I also found on the website, some price panniers (?) which are zippered bags that attach to a cargo frame that gets put on the bike. Not sure if I'd rather have this set up or the baskets that I currently have....will have to think further about that since they seem a little pricey. I also need to take the bike to a bike shop and figure out why the baskets are causing the back wheel to do what it's doing. Hopefully all of this doesn't end up costing me an arm and a leg, lol.
So, after 16months, I'm actually thinking about activity and even thinking about doing something about it. This is a small miracle!
~Chelle
One thing I do enjoy is riding my bike. The bike needs a little work (the baskets on the back are causing the wheel to not turn at the moment), and I need a helmet. I have never worn a bike helmet before. Yes, I know....I'm lucky I never fell! Anyway, I've been thinking lately (the last 3-4 months) that I'd really like to start riding my bike again. I also love camping, and the two kind of go hand in hand. I was thinking this weekend of how to make it easier to take off for a weekend of camping. I was looking today at some bike trails in the state I live in, and there are some near some good campgrounds. I started envisioning me camping for the weekend and spending it riding the bike.
Then I envisioned myself falling and cracking my head open, lol. Off I went to look at bike helmets. Found some nice ones at REI along with some great information about helmets. I was under the misguided notion that helmets don't breathe - the last time I wore one it didn't. Granted....that was probably 15-20yrs ago, lol. So, I found one I like, at a very reasonable price. There is even a store nearby that has it in stock and I can try it on! You can see it here.
I have a Camelbak filtering water bottle, and love the bite-valve on it, so it doesn't leak. I started looking at the hydration packs that REI sells and looked at the Camelbak ones...thinking it would be easier to drink while riding than dealing with a bottle. Surprisingly, they seem pretty affordable. A decent size one is only $65 - need to find out if it includes the water bladder or not. Here is the one I liked...it holds 70oz of water, but I believe there is a 50oz one also. Some of the comments mentioned that there is no clip for the bite valve, but I think a spot of velcro might solve that.
I also found on the website, some price panniers (?) which are zippered bags that attach to a cargo frame that gets put on the bike. Not sure if I'd rather have this set up or the baskets that I currently have....will have to think further about that since they seem a little pricey. I also need to take the bike to a bike shop and figure out why the baskets are causing the back wheel to do what it's doing. Hopefully all of this doesn't end up costing me an arm and a leg, lol.
So, after 16months, I'm actually thinking about activity and even thinking about doing something about it. This is a small miracle!
~Chelle
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Anchor
This week's topic at my WW Meeting was "anchors." What they are and what their importance is and how they can help us.
What is an anchor?
To me, an anchor is something that keeps you focused, determined, and keeps you from straying too far off course. I was curious, so looked up the definition in Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster has many definitions for 'anchor' in it's online dictionary, however, there are two that pertain closely to what WW is getting at:
What is an anchor?
To me, an anchor is something that keeps you focused, determined, and keeps you from straying too far off course. I was curious, so looked up the definition in Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster has many definitions for 'anchor' in it's online dictionary, however, there are two that pertain closely to what WW is getting at:
: a reliable or principal support : mainstay
: something that serves to hold an object firmly
I learned that an anchor can be a thing, a memory, a motto, or anything else you want it to be. It's completely up to each individual to decide if a) they have/want an anchor and b) what their anchor is. There were many ideas shared during my meeting: a certain ring, a particular necklace, daily inspiration emails, etc.
It started me thinking......do I have an anchor? It turns out, in fact, that I have several anchors. Some are actual items that I can touch and put my hands on, and the other is a memory.
A few months ago I ran across my 100lb Award Certificate from the last time I did WW. It's actually signed by my current leader. I am very excited to get back to 100lbs lost and knowing I have that certificate, knowing I was able to accomplish it once, has helped to keep me focused and on plan. I am planning to bring it with me when I hit 100lbs lost again. I am very much looking forward to showing it to my leader when I get my new one. I am also looking forward to showing the members in my meeting that it can be done....it can be done more than once, but it is certainly hard work getting there again.
About the time I hit the 100lb lost milestone last time, I was out shopping and found this fantastic outfit at DressBarn. I LOVED it, it was totally a "me" outfit. It is a skirt and sleeveless top, white with fushia flowers on it. I have it hanging in my closet where it's visible every time I go in there. I never was able to fit into it last time, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to wear it this time! Originally, the plan was to wear it when I got to goal. I don't know at what point in this journey it will fit, but when it does, I'm wearing it!
My last anchor is a memory. A very fond memory, and one I don't think I'll ever forget. I was out to dinner with some friends, and a very dear friend of mine, in the midst of our conversation, said that I was skinny. The conversation was not about me losing weight (though the friend knew I had lost 100lbs), and the remark was said non-chalantly, but did not go unnoticed by me at all! It's the first (and only) time I've been called skinny in my entire life. I love the feeling I get when I think of the memory and re-live it. I shared it today in my meeting, and was close to crying it was making me so happy to remember it. My voice started quivering and I had to pause a moment to continue. I won't name the person here, but you know who you are (I hope! lol) and I thank you dearly for the comment. I'm not quite sure you'll ever know how much it meant to me. :)
~Chelle
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Free Food, Take 2
This is sort of a follow-up to a previous post about Free Food at work. One of the ladies here at work is retiring at the end of March, and Friday is her last day. They had a luncheon for her yesterday which was very nice. From my understanding, she's been with the company over 30 years!
The luncheon was catered from a local place called The Pasta House. I went there years ago with my parents and Memere (grandmother for those non-french people) and remember it being ok. Apparently is has new owners, and the food yesterday was amazing. They had rolls, a salad with oil/vinegar dressing, delmonico potatoes, chicken/pasta with a red wine sauce and mushrooms, chicken/pasta with a clear sauce, baked scrod, green beans almondine and some kind of beef.
I had brought my lunch yesterday because I didn't know if I would want to eat the food that was provided. I decided to play it by ear and eat when I got hungry....if that was at 10am, I'd eat what I brought and enjoy people's company at the luncheon....if I didn't get hungry before the luncheon then I would make good choices at the luncheon knowing I had food at my desk if I didn't want to eat what was provided. I got hungry at 11:30, lol, and since we were heading upstairs for the luncheon at 11:45 I chose to latter route.
I did not take any salad or roll, I don't really like either one. I passed on the potatoes. I did not know what kind of potatoes they were at the time, but they were in a creamy white sauce and I decided I probably wouldn't like them anyway (not big on sauces). I took a small amount of each chicken (4-5 2-bite pieces of each) and approx 1/4-1/2c of penne pasta. I took a serving of the fish and scraped the breading off of it, and took some of the green beans even though they were quite shiny! I passed on the beef - it looked dry. I took my time eating what I chose and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was quite surprised when I was finished that I was not still hungry.
There was, of course, cake and desserts also. Since I am not a big sweets eater (and the more often I eat them, the more often I crave them), I passed on both the cake and the desserts. The cake did look nice and moist though.
I figured I'd be hungry later since it didn't seem like I ate a lot of food for lunch, but to my surprise I did not get hungry until about 4:30!
There was a ton of food leftover from yesterday's luncheon, so the R&D team heated up the leftovers in the kitchen upstairs and brought them down to the small kitchen we have downstairs in the office. The receptionist sent out an email about the leftovers being in the kitchen and a wave of people descended on the kitchen. Please don't assume I sit and watch the kitchen all day long - I don't, I just happen to notice these things.
I brought my lunch today, as usual, and have been enjoying the food I brought from home. I woke up with a sore throat this morning so have been sipping hot peppermint tea (with some water flavor sticks added to it) all day in an attempt to soothe it. It may or may not be working, we'll see, lol. Taking the Mucinex, however, usually kills my appetite and I was pleasently surprised when I got hungry at 9:30!
I ate a smaller breakfast than normal today, so that may be why also. I usually cook up three eggs and put them in my travel mug with some potatoes or black beans. There were two eggs left in the carton this morning and I was too lazy to get the other carton out, so only cooked two eggs, lol. I'll try to remember to take a picture of my mug with eggs in it. :)
I am going to a middle school band concert tonight (after work) that my friend Muffin's son is playing in, and I don't know when I'll be eating a normal supper, so I brought a ton of food with me today:
2 cup container of sliced spiral ham
2 bananas
2 chobani yogurts
2 apples
1 cup container of sliced frozen peaches
2 servings of baked oatmeal
various GNU and Thatsit fruit bars
gallon bag of air-popped popcorn (sprayed with olive oil and dusted with cheese flavoring)
The bars I will bring in to the concert with me in case I get hungry while I'm there. We're getting there at 6:30 and it starts at 7. I suspect it will get over sometime between 8 and 9.
~Chelle
The luncheon was catered from a local place called The Pasta House. I went there years ago with my parents and Memere (grandmother for those non-french people) and remember it being ok. Apparently is has new owners, and the food yesterday was amazing. They had rolls, a salad with oil/vinegar dressing, delmonico potatoes, chicken/pasta with a red wine sauce and mushrooms, chicken/pasta with a clear sauce, baked scrod, green beans almondine and some kind of beef.
I had brought my lunch yesterday because I didn't know if I would want to eat the food that was provided. I decided to play it by ear and eat when I got hungry....if that was at 10am, I'd eat what I brought and enjoy people's company at the luncheon....if I didn't get hungry before the luncheon then I would make good choices at the luncheon knowing I had food at my desk if I didn't want to eat what was provided. I got hungry at 11:30, lol, and since we were heading upstairs for the luncheon at 11:45 I chose to latter route.
I did not take any salad or roll, I don't really like either one. I passed on the potatoes. I did not know what kind of potatoes they were at the time, but they were in a creamy white sauce and I decided I probably wouldn't like them anyway (not big on sauces). I took a small amount of each chicken (4-5 2-bite pieces of each) and approx 1/4-1/2c of penne pasta. I took a serving of the fish and scraped the breading off of it, and took some of the green beans even though they were quite shiny! I passed on the beef - it looked dry. I took my time eating what I chose and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was quite surprised when I was finished that I was not still hungry.
There was, of course, cake and desserts also. Since I am not a big sweets eater (and the more often I eat them, the more often I crave them), I passed on both the cake and the desserts. The cake did look nice and moist though.
I figured I'd be hungry later since it didn't seem like I ate a lot of food for lunch, but to my surprise I did not get hungry until about 4:30!
There was a ton of food leftover from yesterday's luncheon, so the R&D team heated up the leftovers in the kitchen upstairs and brought them down to the small kitchen we have downstairs in the office. The receptionist sent out an email about the leftovers being in the kitchen and a wave of people descended on the kitchen. Please don't assume I sit and watch the kitchen all day long - I don't, I just happen to notice these things.
I brought my lunch today, as usual, and have been enjoying the food I brought from home. I woke up with a sore throat this morning so have been sipping hot peppermint tea (with some water flavor sticks added to it) all day in an attempt to soothe it. It may or may not be working, we'll see, lol. Taking the Mucinex, however, usually kills my appetite and I was pleasently surprised when I got hungry at 9:30!
I ate a smaller breakfast than normal today, so that may be why also. I usually cook up three eggs and put them in my travel mug with some potatoes or black beans. There were two eggs left in the carton this morning and I was too lazy to get the other carton out, so only cooked two eggs, lol. I'll try to remember to take a picture of my mug with eggs in it. :)
I am going to a middle school band concert tonight (after work) that my friend Muffin's son is playing in, and I don't know when I'll be eating a normal supper, so I brought a ton of food with me today:
2 cup container of sliced spiral ham
2 bananas
2 chobani yogurts
2 apples
1 cup container of sliced frozen peaches
2 servings of baked oatmeal
various GNU and Thatsit fruit bars
gallon bag of air-popped popcorn (sprayed with olive oil and dusted with cheese flavoring)
The bars I will bring in to the concert with me in case I get hungry while I'm there. We're getting there at 6:30 and it starts at 7. I suspect it will get over sometime between 8 and 9.
~Chelle
Being sick....and traveling.....
So, the last few weeks I've been fighting a sinus/allergy thing that popped up when I forgot to take my allergy meds for an entire weekend (couple that with very limited sleep and the outcome is never good). This confirms that most of my sinus issues are a result of allergies. I have been taking Mucinex and ibuprofen for a little more than a week, and have even started drinking peppermint tea because it is supposed to be good for clearing out sinuses.
Last week I felt absolutely HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact, that I ended up eating Kraft Mac & Cheese (and only M&C) for dinner two nights in a row. It was the only thing I even remotely felt like eating. I went away this past weekend to a cake show, and was supposed to leave Friday morning. Thursday afternoon at work I was so icky and sick feeling that I left early (3-ish) and went home and slept for a few hours. I woke up feeling much better and was able to finish my cake entry and still get to bed by 10pm. Good thing, cause I was up at 5:30 to get ready to leave to go pick up a friend that was going with me.
I continued taking the meds and drinking liquids over the weekend and felt like a new person by the time I got home Monday night. Then I FOOLISHLY thought I didn't need the meds anymore. Stopped taking the ibuprofen and only took the Mucinex at night. Big mistake! I woke up this morning with a sore throat that I am hoping will go away. I am back to Mucinex and ibuprofen per the label instructions. Yes, I know I should go see a doctor, but the reality is that I just don't like them, lol. I will go if it gets bad enough though. I've had enough sinus infections to know at what point the doctor (and antibiotics) are needed.
I was down to 179.2 at last week's weigh-in, but was not diligent in tracking/making good choices over the weekend at the cake show and am back to 180.2. I am not really that dissappointed. I knew the consequences when I was making the choices (and yes, not making good choices was a choice I consciously made). To date I have lost 87.4lbs, so I'm still pretty excited and happy with myself.
I won't lie though...I am totally looking forward to hitting the 100lb mark again. I was cleaning things out a few weeks ago and ran across the 100lb certificate I received the last time I followed WW. It's even signed by the same leader I have now! I put it in a safe place and am going to bring it to show her when I hit 100lbs again, lol. It's probably goofy, but I find it pretty cool.
I have some cool pictures of foods I've been eating that I'm going to try to remember to upload to the blog sometime in the next few days, so stay tuned!
~Chelle
Last week I felt absolutely HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact, that I ended up eating Kraft Mac & Cheese (and only M&C) for dinner two nights in a row. It was the only thing I even remotely felt like eating. I went away this past weekend to a cake show, and was supposed to leave Friday morning. Thursday afternoon at work I was so icky and sick feeling that I left early (3-ish) and went home and slept for a few hours. I woke up feeling much better and was able to finish my cake entry and still get to bed by 10pm. Good thing, cause I was up at 5:30 to get ready to leave to go pick up a friend that was going with me.
I continued taking the meds and drinking liquids over the weekend and felt like a new person by the time I got home Monday night. Then I FOOLISHLY thought I didn't need the meds anymore. Stopped taking the ibuprofen and only took the Mucinex at night. Big mistake! I woke up this morning with a sore throat that I am hoping will go away. I am back to Mucinex and ibuprofen per the label instructions. Yes, I know I should go see a doctor, but the reality is that I just don't like them, lol. I will go if it gets bad enough though. I've had enough sinus infections to know at what point the doctor (and antibiotics) are needed.
I was down to 179.2 at last week's weigh-in, but was not diligent in tracking/making good choices over the weekend at the cake show and am back to 180.2. I am not really that dissappointed. I knew the consequences when I was making the choices (and yes, not making good choices was a choice I consciously made). To date I have lost 87.4lbs, so I'm still pretty excited and happy with myself.
I won't lie though...I am totally looking forward to hitting the 100lb mark again. I was cleaning things out a few weeks ago and ran across the 100lb certificate I received the last time I followed WW. It's even signed by the same leader I have now! I put it in a safe place and am going to bring it to show her when I hit 100lbs again, lol. It's probably goofy, but I find it pretty cool.
I have some cool pictures of foods I've been eating that I'm going to try to remember to upload to the blog sometime in the next few days, so stay tuned!
~Chelle
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Post tooth-extraction update
So....the last time I posted I mentioned I had a tooth pulled. Let me tell you.......things are certainly much better when you're a kid! I don't remember anything about having teeth pulled for braces. For a good 4-5 days last week (post extraction) it felt as though there was a huge gaping hole in the back of my mouth. It wasn't until the weekend that I was comfortable trying to chew on the side of my mouth. I did manage to graduate to firmer foods though, lol.
It is doing much better, and I have been trying to chew with that side to get used to it again. I ended up having Mac & Cheese again for dinner last Thursday, lol. I tracked everything all week, including the weekend (went to a cake show in NJ with friends). I ended up gaining .4, but figure that's not bad considering I hadn't eaten nearly the amount of fruit I was used to (didn't eat an apple until Monday!), and like muscles retain water to repair themselves I figure my gums may be doing the same. No idea if that's true btw, lol.
I am still in the tracking challenge on the WW Message boards, so yay!
~Chelle
It is doing much better, and I have been trying to chew with that side to get used to it again. I ended up having Mac & Cheese again for dinner last Thursday, lol. I tracked everything all week, including the weekend (went to a cake show in NJ with friends). I ended up gaining .4, but figure that's not bad considering I hadn't eaten nearly the amount of fruit I was used to (didn't eat an apple until Monday!), and like muscles retain water to repair themselves I figure my gums may be doing the same. No idea if that's true btw, lol.
I am still in the tracking challenge on the WW Message boards, so yay!
~Chelle
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Journaling, Tracking, etc......
Surprise surprise - it really DOES work! lol!
When I first re-joined in Dec 2010 I was all gung-ho and joined one of the challenges on the WW message boards. It was the All Day Every Day (ADED) Challenge. It was monthly, and in order to remain in the challenge you had to track everything you ate every day, and not go over your WPs. I did well for a few months, then got lazy about checking in all the time and forgot to continue signing up every month.
Well, I've been having some issues with tracking since I started SFT in December. I found the challenge again and decided to join for March to keep me accountable for tracking and not going over the WPs.
Last week was the first full week in a few months that I actually tracked EVERYTHING that I ate. Ya know what....I lost 2lbs last week! I had been losing and gaining small amounts each week, but this was great! It certainly helps to keep you motivated to continue tracking. To date (3/7/12) I have lost 87.4 lbs. I am on track for tracking so far this week also. I think being accountable to someone else (the Challenge) certainly helps. Hopefully I am rewarded for my efforts next week. :)
The last few days have been sort of a challenge of their own, as will the next few. I found a cracked tooth last week and made an appointment with the dentist. My appointment was yesterday, and the tooth ended up being pulled out. It was a wisdom tooth and it made more sense to pull it rather than fill it. I was lucky as a kid/young adult - all four of my wisdom teeth came in straight - no need to have any pulled. It was one of those teeth that was pulled yesterday. So, for yesterday and the next few days it's soft foods and no straws. I drink everything through a straw - so that's a big change. Also, most of what I eat on SFT is not really soft foods, so I ended up counting PP+ for yesterday and didn't even eat all my points, lol. I even had 2.5cups of Kraft Mac & Cheese for dinner - one of my favorite foods! Today I had eggs for breakfast and have oatmeal, yogurt and bananas for lunch. Dinner just might end up eggs again, lol. The dentist told me that after Saturday I can eat whatever I feel comfortable eating.
It's nice that the SFT and PP+ options are so flexible and that you can choose to do either one on a daily basis. I normally do SFT but yesterday (and probably the next few days too) I did PP+ because I wasn't eating nearly all PFs. So, the plan certainly is flexible!
~Chelle
When I first re-joined in Dec 2010 I was all gung-ho and joined one of the challenges on the WW message boards. It was the All Day Every Day (ADED) Challenge. It was monthly, and in order to remain in the challenge you had to track everything you ate every day, and not go over your WPs. I did well for a few months, then got lazy about checking in all the time and forgot to continue signing up every month.
Well, I've been having some issues with tracking since I started SFT in December. I found the challenge again and decided to join for March to keep me accountable for tracking and not going over the WPs.
Last week was the first full week in a few months that I actually tracked EVERYTHING that I ate. Ya know what....I lost 2lbs last week! I had been losing and gaining small amounts each week, but this was great! It certainly helps to keep you motivated to continue tracking. To date (3/7/12) I have lost 87.4 lbs. I am on track for tracking so far this week also. I think being accountable to someone else (the Challenge) certainly helps. Hopefully I am rewarded for my efforts next week. :)
The last few days have been sort of a challenge of their own, as will the next few. I found a cracked tooth last week and made an appointment with the dentist. My appointment was yesterday, and the tooth ended up being pulled out. It was a wisdom tooth and it made more sense to pull it rather than fill it. I was lucky as a kid/young adult - all four of my wisdom teeth came in straight - no need to have any pulled. It was one of those teeth that was pulled yesterday. So, for yesterday and the next few days it's soft foods and no straws. I drink everything through a straw - so that's a big change. Also, most of what I eat on SFT is not really soft foods, so I ended up counting PP+ for yesterday and didn't even eat all my points, lol. I even had 2.5cups of Kraft Mac & Cheese for dinner - one of my favorite foods! Today I had eggs for breakfast and have oatmeal, yogurt and bananas for lunch. Dinner just might end up eggs again, lol. The dentist told me that after Saturday I can eat whatever I feel comfortable eating.
It's nice that the SFT and PP+ options are so flexible and that you can choose to do either one on a daily basis. I normally do SFT but yesterday (and probably the next few days too) I did PP+ because I wasn't eating nearly all PFs. So, the plan certainly is flexible!
~Chelle
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Free Food
Why is it......when there is free food available, people descend upon it like vultures??
I see it mostly at work, as I sit in view of the entrance to the kitchen. This afternoon, someone brought in a box of cannoli's (a dozen I believe) - you should have seen the wave of people heading into the kitchen! I swear it took less than 5 minutes for everyone to have gotten a piece of cannoli and head back to their desks. It was unreal.
This happens everytime food is brought in, whether it's sweets or lunch, or whatever. I just don't get it. Plus, they all talk about how they need to eat better/lose weight/etc... and then descend upon the sweets like vultures. Often times, samples of the product that the company makes are put in the kitchen and the same thing happens (fried fish mostly). I have always politely declined saying I can't eat fried food because I'll get a stomach ache (which is sort of true), I just tell them I don't like something that's in the sweets, or I just don't want it. If there's something I *really* want to try, I take a little bit, eat a bite and then toss the rest in the trash at my desk.
I very rarely eat anything at work that I haven't brought from home. Mostly due to WW and the soy-free eating. Probably because I am so conscious of what I'm eating, I always wonder what's in the food and if it contains something I don't want to eat (like soy for instance). Also, there's a person here at work that just has gross hygiene habits (if any) and I would not eat ANYTHING that person prepared or brought in.
~Chelle
I see it mostly at work, as I sit in view of the entrance to the kitchen. This afternoon, someone brought in a box of cannoli's (a dozen I believe) - you should have seen the wave of people heading into the kitchen! I swear it took less than 5 minutes for everyone to have gotten a piece of cannoli and head back to their desks. It was unreal.
This happens everytime food is brought in, whether it's sweets or lunch, or whatever. I just don't get it. Plus, they all talk about how they need to eat better/lose weight/etc... and then descend upon the sweets like vultures. Often times, samples of the product that the company makes are put in the kitchen and the same thing happens (fried fish mostly). I have always politely declined saying I can't eat fried food because I'll get a stomach ache (which is sort of true), I just tell them I don't like something that's in the sweets, or I just don't want it. If there's something I *really* want to try, I take a little bit, eat a bite and then toss the rest in the trash at my desk.
I very rarely eat anything at work that I haven't brought from home. Mostly due to WW and the soy-free eating. Probably because I am so conscious of what I'm eating, I always wonder what's in the food and if it contains something I don't want to eat (like soy for instance). Also, there's a person here at work that just has gross hygiene habits (if any) and I would not eat ANYTHING that person prepared or brought in.
~Chelle
Monday, February 20, 2012
Traveling
I get asked quite often about traveling and staying on plan with WW. I travel A LOT, or at least more than the average person does. I'd say at least a weekend (or long weekend) a month (and some months it's every weekend) and a few weeks a year (maybe more, I'm not really sure). The biggest question I get is how do I plan for it. Most of the people asking me know that I plan everything that I possibly can - that's just how I am and it keeps me sane.
There is a fairly simple answer to this - I pack food. I pack a lot of food sometimes, and it's usually more than I end up eating. I try to anticipate what I'll be doing each day and the possibility of the availability of reasonable food. Let's take, for example, a trip I went on last summer.
I am a cake decorator and belong to a national cake decorating organization. They have an annual convention in the summer, and the location varies every year. Last summer it was in Charlotte NC. I packed an insane amount of food to bring with me. It helped tremendously that I was driving down.
There were a couple of meals they were providing for us (breakfast two days and dinner one night), but for the rest we were on our own. I was unable to determine beforehand what the lunch options would be to purchase lunch, and also to purchase breakfast (I have to eat breakfast every day). The uncertainty of all of it started to make me a little anxious at first. Then I decided, the only way to curb some of the anxiety was to plan and bring what I could. I HATE HATE HATE not having any other option when it comes to food I don't want to eat.
So, I started planning. I decided to bring breakfast for myself for the days it wasn't provided. I packed food for lunches in case I didn't like the offerings available at the Convention. I did not pre-plan anything to do with dinner - I figured that was enough of a variable and decided to leave it.
For my breakfasts I brought a Chobani yogurt and a Carnation pre-mixed breakfast drink for each day. I don't normally drink the carnation drink (I MUCH prefer skim milk) but with the uncertainty of a refrigerator this was the best option. I did have a cooler that I transported food down in, and though it would have been fine for the yogurt, I am very picky about my milk. For lunches I brough a package of Thomas Hearty Bagels and packets of peanut butter. I also brought a box of Special K and my food scale. I believe that I also brought some protein bars also. Every night before going to bed, I would weigh out two servings of Special K, and pack up my lunch bag for the next day. I was able to relax and enjoy the Convention knowing that when I got hungry, I had food I wanted to eat and didn't have to rely on buying food there.
As it turns out, I was VERY glad I had brought food for lunches. The only options for lunch were an italian place and BoJangles (which is basically fried chicken). I hate fried food and never would have been able to eat that for lunch for 5 days. Blech!
I make smart choices at dinner and had a great week. I even lost weight when I weighed in after returning home. Oh, and a friend brought me a box of real belgian chocolates from belgium, and I had one every night (and shared with everyone too).
I am heading out on Wednesday morning on a trip, and this time I'm flying. I knew I couldn't pack all the food I wanted to bring in my suitcase (precious precious weight in my checked bag!), so I wrote out a list of what I wanted to bring, and packed up a box of food and mailed it to the hotel I'm staying at. I again packed the carnation drinks, oatmeal packets, peanut butter packets, cinnamon (for the oatmeal) and GNU Bars. I don't normally eat bars, but these are filling and make a great snack when I can't eat. The trip I'm going on is mostly for meetings, and there are set times for lunch break. I normally eat lunch at 10am and 2pm, so I need something to get me to noon when our lunch breaks are going to be. Breakfast is not being provided, so I am packing the oatmeal to make for myself for breakfast. I am also going to go to the store when I land and get apples, bananas, grapes and yogurt. I am bringing my lunch bag and freezer packs (we have a fridge w/freezer in the room) so that I can pack my day of snacks every morning and know that I won't be starving by lunchtime. I only shipped the food I know will get eaten while I'm there. I am bringing some "maybe" foods in my luggage.
I am also packing my own snacks for the plane (apples, bananas, bread, peanut butter packets, and a few GNU Bars.
I hope that is helpful to someone! I know I wouldn't be as successful on this plan if I didn't plan ahead for trips.
~Chelle
There is a fairly simple answer to this - I pack food. I pack a lot of food sometimes, and it's usually more than I end up eating. I try to anticipate what I'll be doing each day and the possibility of the availability of reasonable food. Let's take, for example, a trip I went on last summer.
I am a cake decorator and belong to a national cake decorating organization. They have an annual convention in the summer, and the location varies every year. Last summer it was in Charlotte NC. I packed an insane amount of food to bring with me. It helped tremendously that I was driving down.
There were a couple of meals they were providing for us (breakfast two days and dinner one night), but for the rest we were on our own. I was unable to determine beforehand what the lunch options would be to purchase lunch, and also to purchase breakfast (I have to eat breakfast every day). The uncertainty of all of it started to make me a little anxious at first. Then I decided, the only way to curb some of the anxiety was to plan and bring what I could. I HATE HATE HATE not having any other option when it comes to food I don't want to eat.
So, I started planning. I decided to bring breakfast for myself for the days it wasn't provided. I packed food for lunches in case I didn't like the offerings available at the Convention. I did not pre-plan anything to do with dinner - I figured that was enough of a variable and decided to leave it.
For my breakfasts I brought a Chobani yogurt and a Carnation pre-mixed breakfast drink for each day. I don't normally drink the carnation drink (I MUCH prefer skim milk) but with the uncertainty of a refrigerator this was the best option. I did have a cooler that I transported food down in, and though it would have been fine for the yogurt, I am very picky about my milk. For lunches I brough a package of Thomas Hearty Bagels and packets of peanut butter. I also brought a box of Special K and my food scale. I believe that I also brought some protein bars also. Every night before going to bed, I would weigh out two servings of Special K, and pack up my lunch bag for the next day. I was able to relax and enjoy the Convention knowing that when I got hungry, I had food I wanted to eat and didn't have to rely on buying food there.
As it turns out, I was VERY glad I had brought food for lunches. The only options for lunch were an italian place and BoJangles (which is basically fried chicken). I hate fried food and never would have been able to eat that for lunch for 5 days. Blech!
I make smart choices at dinner and had a great week. I even lost weight when I weighed in after returning home. Oh, and a friend brought me a box of real belgian chocolates from belgium, and I had one every night (and shared with everyone too).
I am heading out on Wednesday morning on a trip, and this time I'm flying. I knew I couldn't pack all the food I wanted to bring in my suitcase (precious precious weight in my checked bag!), so I wrote out a list of what I wanted to bring, and packed up a box of food and mailed it to the hotel I'm staying at. I again packed the carnation drinks, oatmeal packets, peanut butter packets, cinnamon (for the oatmeal) and GNU Bars. I don't normally eat bars, but these are filling and make a great snack when I can't eat. The trip I'm going on is mostly for meetings, and there are set times for lunch break. I normally eat lunch at 10am and 2pm, so I need something to get me to noon when our lunch breaks are going to be. Breakfast is not being provided, so I am packing the oatmeal to make for myself for breakfast. I am also going to go to the store when I land and get apples, bananas, grapes and yogurt. I am bringing my lunch bag and freezer packs (we have a fridge w/freezer in the room) so that I can pack my day of snacks every morning and know that I won't be starving by lunchtime. I only shipped the food I know will get eaten while I'm there. I am bringing some "maybe" foods in my luggage.
I am also packing my own snacks for the plane (apples, bananas, bread, peanut butter packets, and a few GNU Bars.
I hope that is helpful to someone! I know I wouldn't be as successful on this plan if I didn't plan ahead for trips.
~Chelle
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Bread
I have never been a bread-lover. I could not eat another piece of bread the rest of my life, and I honestly would not miss it. In my quest for a soy-free diet (by choice, you can read about it here), I have been on a search for a bread made without soy. I finally found one a while ago, from Whole Foods, it's their 365 Organic brand Early Bird Multi Seed Bread. I, unfortunately, can't find a webpage that shows it (and don't have a picture of it). It's a wheat based bread and has sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds in it. It's sooo good, I love it! I do not eat it a lot, mostly because I have never been a big fan of bread, and also because each slice is 4 PP+ per slice. The slices are a good size, and I usually cut one in half and make a sandwich with the two halves of the slice.
I usually buy two loaves at a time and freeze them in four slice packages. One four-slice package usually lasts over a week - that's how seldom I eat bread. I defrost one package in the refrigerator, then put it in the bread box until I eat it. I have yet to have any go bad (yeah!). When I eat the last slice of bread in the bread box, I put another package in the refrigerator to unthaw.
I went to pull another package out of the freezer the last week and noticed that there was only one left in the freezer, and it was time to buy more bread. About this time I had been browsing the King Arthur website. If you are a baker, this website is like baking porn!! Anyway....I happened upon a recipe for Molasses Multi-Seed Bread on their website. It sounded really good and intrigued me. I spent a few weeks thinking about it, and finally decided to try making it for myself.
So, I bought the ingredients I needed, and instead of the seeds in the recipe, I used the ones in the Whole Foods bread that I like. I also used slightly less than a quarter cup of molasses, and made up the rest with honey (I like a slightly sweet bread). I used my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix up the dough, and switched to the dough hook to finish the job. I then kneaded it a few times by hand. The recipe makes two full loaves of bread, so I decided to do some experimenting. After the first rise, I split the dough in half and formed one half into a loaf (sort of....didn't have an actual loaf pan). And the other half I split in half again. I made 9 dinner rolls and 5 hamburger buns from that half.
The dinner rolls were put into an 8" square pyrex dish and allowed to rise again. The hamburger buns were put on a cookie sheet, and the "loaf" was put into an 8"x12" pyrex dish. They all went back into the oven (gas oven w/pilot light) to rise a second time. Gotta love pilot lights!!
Once they were risen, I proceeded to bake them. The first ones I baked were the hamburger buns. Here's what they looked like when they came out of the oven:
Once the hamburger buns were cooled, I cut one in half to see how it looked and tasted. It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!! I've never tasted bread so good in my life!!!! I literally ate the entire bun in less than a minute.
The hamburger buns were HUGE! They clocked in at 6 PP+ per roll (yikes!).
The dinner rolls, on the other hand, came out to 3 PP+ per roll - a much more reasonable amount of points for bread (at least in my opinion). I think I may try making the dinner rolls in a slightly bigger pan, to yield slightly bigger rolls and use those as dinner rolls and hamburger buns. I don't like huge hamburger buns (the ones in the store are even too big for me). Here are what the dinner rolls looked like when they came out of the oven:
And after pulling them apart:
I can't wait to eat one and see how it is!!!
Here is the "loaf" of bread that I baked. It's not quite loaf shaped, and I wasn't quite sure how to cut into it, etc...... so I gave it away to Muffin's family!
My plan is to buy this Pain de Mie pan from King Arthur, and make my own sandwich loaf bread!
So...I may have to retract my "I'm not a bread lover" comment and replace it with I love certain kinds of bread. It was truly scary how excited I got over the home made bread!!!
~Chelle
I usually buy two loaves at a time and freeze them in four slice packages. One four-slice package usually lasts over a week - that's how seldom I eat bread. I defrost one package in the refrigerator, then put it in the bread box until I eat it. I have yet to have any go bad (yeah!). When I eat the last slice of bread in the bread box, I put another package in the refrigerator to unthaw.
I went to pull another package out of the freezer the last week and noticed that there was only one left in the freezer, and it was time to buy more bread. About this time I had been browsing the King Arthur website. If you are a baker, this website is like baking porn!! Anyway....I happened upon a recipe for Molasses Multi-Seed Bread on their website. It sounded really good and intrigued me. I spent a few weeks thinking about it, and finally decided to try making it for myself.
So, I bought the ingredients I needed, and instead of the seeds in the recipe, I used the ones in the Whole Foods bread that I like. I also used slightly less than a quarter cup of molasses, and made up the rest with honey (I like a slightly sweet bread). I used my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix up the dough, and switched to the dough hook to finish the job. I then kneaded it a few times by hand. The recipe makes two full loaves of bread, so I decided to do some experimenting. After the first rise, I split the dough in half and formed one half into a loaf (sort of....didn't have an actual loaf pan). And the other half I split in half again. I made 9 dinner rolls and 5 hamburger buns from that half.
The dinner rolls were put into an 8" square pyrex dish and allowed to rise again. The hamburger buns were put on a cookie sheet, and the "loaf" was put into an 8"x12" pyrex dish. They all went back into the oven (gas oven w/pilot light) to rise a second time. Gotta love pilot lights!!
Once they were risen, I proceeded to bake them. The first ones I baked were the hamburger buns. Here's what they looked like when they came out of the oven:
 |
| Don't my buns look good?!?!?!?!?! |
Once the hamburger buns were cooled, I cut one in half to see how it looked and tasted. It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!! I've never tasted bread so good in my life!!!! I literally ate the entire bun in less than a minute.
 |
| Mmmmm......lots of seedy goodness!!!! |
The hamburger buns were HUGE! They clocked in at 6 PP+ per roll (yikes!).
The dinner rolls, on the other hand, came out to 3 PP+ per roll - a much more reasonable amount of points for bread (at least in my opinion). I think I may try making the dinner rolls in a slightly bigger pan, to yield slightly bigger rolls and use those as dinner rolls and hamburger buns. I don't like huge hamburger buns (the ones in the store are even too big for me). Here are what the dinner rolls looked like when they came out of the oven:
And after pulling them apart:
I can't wait to eat one and see how it is!!!
Here is the "loaf" of bread that I baked. It's not quite loaf shaped, and I wasn't quite sure how to cut into it, etc...... so I gave it away to Muffin's family!
My plan is to buy this Pain de Mie pan from King Arthur, and make my own sandwich loaf bread!
So...I may have to retract my "I'm not a bread lover" comment and replace it with I love certain kinds of bread. It was truly scary how excited I got over the home made bread!!!
~Chelle
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Planning
This week's meeting topic was Planning. I almost didn't make it to the meeting (thank you New England black ice!) but so glad that I did - this was a topic that I REALLY needed to hear!
When I plan, I do an awesome job, if I do say so myself. I purchase a ton of food, bring it home and prep it and cook for the week. That way, dinners and lunches are just heating stuff up. When I get home from work, I'm lucky I have patience to heat up food, let alone actually cook it! So, cooking ahead of time is crucial for me.
I have been neglecting this lately. Probably for a few weeks or more. It's starting to show, lol. I went out shopping last night and am planning on doing some cooking tonight and tomorrow night.
I have been attempting to follow the Simply Filling option, and if I actually followed it properly, it'd be going great. The problem is, I haven't been, lol. Starting this week I am though, and that's what matters most!
~Chelle
When I plan, I do an awesome job, if I do say so myself. I purchase a ton of food, bring it home and prep it and cook for the week. That way, dinners and lunches are just heating stuff up. When I get home from work, I'm lucky I have patience to heat up food, let alone actually cook it! So, cooking ahead of time is crucial for me.
I have been neglecting this lately. Probably for a few weeks or more. It's starting to show, lol. I went out shopping last night and am planning on doing some cooking tonight and tomorrow night.
I have been attempting to follow the Simply Filling option, and if I actually followed it properly, it'd be going great. The problem is, I haven't been, lol. Starting this week I am though, and that's what matters most!
~Chelle
An update.....
Wow, I didn't think it had been so long since I posted! It's amazing how time can get away from you so quickly.
Well, Christmas ended up being a non-event. Some of the food wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, and some of it I didn't like, so it was easy not to eat them. I started the day by eating a good, filling breakfast before heading over to my brother's. I knew we would not be eating as soon as we arrived, and we ended up eating about an hour later than expected - I was very glad I ate a good breakfast!
They pulled out crackers/cheese, chips/dip, and assorted appetizers. I brought a grape tray and opened that and munched on grapes instead of the other stuff.
Turkey: so delicious I ate and entire leg and thigh (no skin)
Stuffing: he made a cornbread stuffing that had no soy in it! I had a small amount and it was delicious!
Green bean casserole: I took a reasonable portion and simply avoided eating the fried onions
Yam Balls: a thick sweet potato mash "wrapped" around mini marshmallows, rolled in bread crumbs and sprinkled with more marshmallows. I tried a small bite, and it was way too sweet for me. Was not hard to avoid eating the rest of what I took.
Mashed Potatoes: as previously stated, I did not like them and didn't have any
Fried pickles: did not get made, apparently they forgot about them.
Asparagus: I brought this and roasted it in the oven - YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pies/Dessert: There ended up being four pies, and not one of them was cut into before we left to go home.
So, all in all it was a good day. I ate reasonable portions of food, ate what I really liked (and didn't eat what I didn't like), and at the end of the day (literally) I was the ONLY one that had not eaten too much food or was stuffed. I even had leftover turkey for dinner! It was a really good feeling to not be stuffed.
I was also so glad I brought the asparagus to roast, as there were no other vegetable present on the table. I love vegetables and can't imagine eating a meal without them.
~Chelle
Well, Christmas ended up being a non-event. Some of the food wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, and some of it I didn't like, so it was easy not to eat them. I started the day by eating a good, filling breakfast before heading over to my brother's. I knew we would not be eating as soon as we arrived, and we ended up eating about an hour later than expected - I was very glad I ate a good breakfast!
They pulled out crackers/cheese, chips/dip, and assorted appetizers. I brought a grape tray and opened that and munched on grapes instead of the other stuff.
Turkey: so delicious I ate and entire leg and thigh (no skin)
Stuffing: he made a cornbread stuffing that had no soy in it! I had a small amount and it was delicious!
Green bean casserole: I took a reasonable portion and simply avoided eating the fried onions
Yam Balls: a thick sweet potato mash "wrapped" around mini marshmallows, rolled in bread crumbs and sprinkled with more marshmallows. I tried a small bite, and it was way too sweet for me. Was not hard to avoid eating the rest of what I took.
Mashed Potatoes: as previously stated, I did not like them and didn't have any
Fried pickles: did not get made, apparently they forgot about them.
Asparagus: I brought this and roasted it in the oven - YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pies/Dessert: There ended up being four pies, and not one of them was cut into before we left to go home.
So, all in all it was a good day. I ate reasonable portions of food, ate what I really liked (and didn't eat what I didn't like), and at the end of the day (literally) I was the ONLY one that had not eaten too much food or was stuffed. I even had leftover turkey for dinner! It was a really good feeling to not be stuffed.
I was also so glad I brought the asparagus to roast, as there were no other vegetable present on the table. I love vegetables and can't imagine eating a meal without them.
~Chelle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)